Like so many parts of Australia, picturesque Lake Tyers in eastern Victoria has suffered crippling drought in recent years, and as a consequence there’ll be no summer break for Charmaine or the Country Fire Authority brigade she leads. Instead, they’ll be on-call, keeping watch over this tinder-box patch of sacred land.
“Things are pretty desperate,” Charmaine says. “We are in extreme conditions, our dams are empty and it’s not a good situation. The crew will work around the clock. We hope for a quiet summer but we fear the worst.”
Charmaine’s crew is Australia’s first all-Indigenous, all-female fire brigade, a highly skilled bunch of mothers and grandmothers who can pull a strike-team together faster than wildfire. These trailblazing women are the backbone of the remote Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, a self-governing Aboriginal community in the state’s far east.
“It’s not that men aren’t welcome – in fact, we’d love the fellas to join us and help out!” Charmaine quips.
“Every now and then a fella comes along but they don’t seem to last too long. I don’t think they like taking orders from me,” laughs the vivacious 52-year-old grandmother of three.
With only one access road in and out of the isolated peninsula, which is hemmed in by thick bush on one side and a vast lake system on the other, the station’s 200 residents, who are among the most vulnerable in Australia, rely on these fearless fireys to keep them safe.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
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This story is from the January 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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