'Filmed my house burn': Man's heart-wrenching words after his home was destroyed
A man whose home was destroyed in the raging New Year’s Eve bushfires has penned an emotional poem detailing his horror as he watched all of his belongings burn to the ground.
The poem titled “The Burning Bay” was written by Jim Hughes, from Batemans Bay, on the NSW south coast, and posted by his sister Cathy Hughes-Brown to Facebook on Wednesday.
An intense blaze engulfed the area on December 31, forcing hundreds of people to flee for their lives.
“Where fires are burning, for over a month and a day, I live on the coast, in sunny Bateman’s Bay,” Mr Hughes began.
“It’s still going on, with no end in sight, there’s no other choice, but to stand up and fight.
“I’ve had my bloody turn, it came on in a hurry, we did the best we could, there was no time to worry.”
Mr Hughes then named a handful of friends who had also stayed behind to help battle the blaze.
“We’ll be alright, we’ll give it a crack, we did out absolute best, we thought we’d beaten it back.
“Then up through the gully, came the wind and the roar, we lost water pressure, we couldn’t do more.
“The smoke and the heat, was driving us barmy, it would have been great, to have a big bloody army.”
Mr Hughes said the group was able to flee just in time, but that the smoke had blocked out the sun, making it hard to see.
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“I stopped on the corner, filmed my house burn to the ground, the heat and the smoke, had battered us around.
“To know where I live, it was a quiet little street, now six of us are gone, the damage complete.”
He said he had received great support from his family and noted his young daughter’s strength.
“I have my family and friends, just so much support, my daughter, my angel, she’s my trooper, a real sport.
“The only house my girl’s ever known, just burned to the ground, she misses her teddy, he’s just not around.”
Mr Hughes ended the poem by asking for anyone around the world who reads his words to donate to the Red Cross and RFS.
The poem has since been shared more than 1,000 times and received hundreds of comments, many from people who had also lost their own properties in bushfires.
“Bless you. Sorry for your loss. You are a real trooper. Thank you for your beautiful words. Keep your spirits up,” one woman said.
“Sorry to hear the news today jimmy. I can't even begin to understand. Have an ear, a shoulder and a beer if you ever feel like it,” another offered.
“Wow that's an amazing story. I lost my home new year's eve and everything we have. Bottom line material things can be replaced. The beautiful firefighters fighting day and night feeling exhausted to stop fires and keep us safe. We will rise up from the ashes and rebuild beautiful Bateman’s Bay. We are all in this together,” a third person wrote.
Mr Hughes’ sister said her brother had since returned to work and is “healing from his loss.”
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