Pastoralist subject to investigation
Although all fires have been extinguished, pastoralist tempers are running hot with news that one of their number has been reported to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
David Robinson, of Doorawarrah, said on one of the days of the fire he went to assist Ella Valla Station with permission from the Department of Environment and Conservation – the organisation he said had reported him for allegedly flying during a Notice to Airmen on another occasion.
Ella Valla leaseholder Shane Aylmore said had Mr Robinson not helped him the fire would have ended up further out of control.
“I requested for him to come out,” Mr Aylmore said. “We had never even met face-to-face, we had only spoken on the phone and he came out and helped someone he didn’t even know.”
“He deserves thanks and praise, not grief; what he did for us was invaluable.”
He said Mr Robinson was responsible for putting out the fire on Ella Valla.
CASA confirmed Mr Robinson was under investigation.
“The matter is being reviewed and it is inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage,” a spokesman said.
Mr Robinson said he had lost about 60 per cent of his feed during the fires as well as most of his boundary fencing and a solar pump.
Member for Mining and Pastoral Ken Baston was in Carnarvon last week to listen to the concerns of pastoralists affected by the fires. “As an ex-pastoralist with strong ties to the region I understand the value of local knowledge which has built up over generations,” he said.
“As a government we are committed to improving our fire-management strategies and to do that, we need to learn from serious fire events by asking how we can things better in the future.”
ASHLEIGH TELFORD
