I hear a lot of news reports about acres of bush land being destroyed by wild fire and always smile to think of Old Salt's response:
"Now look at that tree! Has it been destroyed? No, it's still bloody there, innit! I'm an arsonist y'know. Well, I used to be anyway. Used to walk all around the country and chuck a match here and there, when the wind was right. Patchy fires. Fire just brings up everything all green and nice, gets rid of the kangaroo's ticks and gives them a bit of fresh feed. They won't be feedin' around that bush for a while though, 'til it all dries out. They'll be up in the hills, away from the foot rot."
so fire is pretty much the "dark night of the soul" for vegetation.
ReplyDeleteHaven't the Aborigines been setting controlled fires for thousands of years?
ReplyDeleteHa brilliant Vencora, yes. I like your new picture too by the way. Yes, that's what's been going on Tom. It's an argument that rages constantly about burning the bush, especially in the south of the continent.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about fire, it depends who is doing it and whether they know what they are doing or not. The wrong kind of fire can cause a lot of destruction, the right one can rejuvenate. I sure hope Old Salt knew the difference. As we know here in the west, CALM (Conservation & Land Management) get a lot of grief about starting fires that get out of control and do a lot of damage.
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