In commemoration of the 2003 Canberra bushfires

In January 2003, Canberra experienced devastating bushfires that tragically killed four people, injured 435 people, and destroyed 510 properties. With almost 70 percent of the ACT burnt, sadly hundreds of horses and thousands of sheep and wildlife were killed.

In memory of the 2003 Canberra bushfires, the AVA has compiled veterinarians' stories of their experiences in the bushfires to share with the next generation and capture the lessons learnt for future planning and advocacy.

An AVJ article from 2003 can be found here.

With gratitude to the veterinarians who contributed to this commemoration and in tribute to those who were impacted by and provided assistance, during and subsequent, to the 2003 bushfires.

Their stories

"Lessons learnt included not just the importance of preparedness but how we prepare.

Disasters seem to be always followed by renewed planning, training and plenty of money. But as the years passed the money and training declines, emphasis on plans and sub-plans seem to become our blanket of assurance that everything has been taken care of. A mistake that is all too common as we forget to learn from the past.

If there is one message it is that veterinarians are competent professionals but still need ongoing training in disaster management as disasters are stressful, complex and confusing".

- Dr Will Andrew

^{(Photo: Weston-Woden Animal Hospital courtesy Dr John Aspley Davis)}

Dr Michael Hayward

In December 2002, Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital (GVH) had just been opened in the north east of Canberra at the end of a stub of road with grassland all around – we had cattle grazing across the back fence.

On Saturday 18 January, a hot (40oC), dry windy day, the fires were advancing rapidly from the west, eventually causing massive damage in the suburbs on Canberra’s western fringe. I stayed on at the hospital, conscious of the risk to the hospital itself due to the surrounding paddocks full of dry grass, and aware of the habit of such fires to leap-frog ahead by hot embers carried in the strong winds. I was also unclear of the risks to our client’s animals.

During the course of the day another veterinary hospital evacuated its hospitalised animals to GVH, and I spoke to other vet practices to assess their risk and need. There were also calls from some horse owners and facilities, and prospective horse evacuation centres.

In the evening, I visited evacuation centres in central and south Canberra, looking for injured or distressed animals. I think I dispensed one Valium tablet for an agitated dog – the vast majority of dogs at least seemed to regard this as a bit of an adventure with new places, people and other dogs to see. The same could not be said for their owners.
Many vets were caught up in the fires, balancing their compassion and responsibility for animals and their owners with the need to protect their own loved ones and property. Most of their work was done quietly, professionally and without fanfare, although I know that vets from Canberra Veterinary Hospital (Large Animals) worked tirelessly both on the road and at their hospital treating burnt horses and other animals.

One real hero is Ivan Gavazov, then an employee at Weston-Woden Animal Hospital. This facility was one of the first purpose built veterinary hospitals in the ACT, consisting of a double brick and tile roofed main hospital, and a large metal shed nearby holding some boarding animals, old paper records, and maintenance equipment including petrol for mowers etc. Ivan remained at the hospital despite the risk of advancing fires, moving all the boarding animals from the shed that he deemed at real risk, into what was presumed to be the safer environs of the double brick hospital. He left, I am told, with the tyres of his car on fire. The shed survived the conflagration; the hospital burnt to the ground, with the loss of some 30 animals. While most regarded him as a hero, one owner of some of the animals (breeding and show dogs) attacked him for failing to save her dogs. Human nature presents such a broad spectrum – vets and our staff know this only too well.

Weston-Woden continued to function after the fires with the generous support of Dr Randal Lemin at Weston Creek Veterinary Hospital who allowed Weston-Woden to work from his facility for, if I remember correctly, more than 12 months before the absentee owner of Weston-Woden finally provided some demountable buildings on the original site.

^{(Photo: Weston-Woden Animal Hospital courtesy Dr John Aspley Davis)}

Dr David B Adams

The devastating Canberra bushfire of January 2003 left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those who witnessed its destructive fury. Amidst the grief and sorrow that enveloped the community, there emerged a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude not just for the valiant efforts of the emergency services, but also for the unwavering solidarity within the Canberra community. The tragedy brought forth stories of selflessness, skill, and professionalism that inspired hope in the face of adversity. However, one enigmatic puzzle lingered in the aftermath – the mysterious death of Eastern Grey Kangaroos within a fire-affected enclosure.

In 2023, after years of investigation, the answer to this puzzling mortality incident finally emerged. It was a chilling revelation that these kangaroos perished due to the direct transfer of heat energy from a fire-front with temperatures as high as 1,600°C to the kangaroos, whose core temperature averaged around 35-37°C. This extreme temperature differential created a condition known as ultra-thermia, resulting in virtually instantaneous death. This revelation sheds light on the often-overlooked consequences of wildfires on wildlife and underscores the need for continued research and preparedness to mitigate the impact of such disasters on both human and animal populations.

The 2003 Canberra bushfire was a tragedy that not only tested the resilience of the community but also raised critical questions about the intersection of heat, fire, and life, highlighting the importance of science and empathy in the face of natural disasters.

Dr Adams' full contribution: A Veterinary Memoir of the 2003 Canberra Bushfire, can be found here.

^{(Photo: Weston-Woden Animal Hospital courtesy Dr John Aspley Davis)}

Dr Will Andrew

As I reflect on the 2003 bushfires I recall the events prior, during and post fire. “Prior”, as a volunteer fire fighter knowing that we were losing the battle to control the fire. “During”, seeing the devastation in Weston Creek as house after house and everything else was consumed by fire and “Post” as a veterinarian in the recovery process.

It is this recovery period where a number of veterinarians stepped up to help. My main role as a government veterinarian was to manage the initial assessment and recovery process in the rural areas of the ACT. Due to the enormity of the situation and the resulting lack of resources the then local veterinarians from the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture gratefully offered assistance. Veterinarians were rostered on daily and took on roles such as administration and coordination while others did field assessment of burnt livestock.

Unfortunately little organisational importance had been placed on livestock losses at this scale. Small fires and their losses had been experienced prior and easily handled in house. So the importance of the help from the Commonwealth veterinarians based in Canberra cannot and should not be undervalued.

The recovery process involved initial assessment of the situation usually livestock losses and disposal. It then moved to a phase of assisting farmers who needed help getting back on their feet with stock feed, infrastructure repairs etc.

One story which remains vivid in my memory is a trip to Tidbinbilla where I noticed a massive number of crows hovering about 100 metres from the road. I stopped to investigate and found a steep culvert full of burnt kangaroo carcases. The fire had driven them into the culvert where they could not escape. It took my breath away thinking of how they had died.

^{(Photo: Weston-Woden Animal Hospital courtesy Dr John Aspley Davis)}

Dr John Hayhoe

My experience with the 2003 fires is limited to what happened in the Smiths Road area where we have lived for the last 40 years on a 16 ha block running around 40 sheep. This area is a 20 km strip of land between Clear Range and the Murrumbidgee River and adjoining the ACT on 3 sides. There were about 30 occupied residences in 2003 including 4 small farms - 2 with sheep and cattle and 2 with just sheep.

I was an active member of the Williamsdale Bush Fire Brigade at the time and also belonged to the Tharwa Brigade so we were kept well informed of the progress of the fire (and hence well prepared) prior to the arrival of the first 2 spot fires late on 15 January - the main fire was at the top of Mount Tennant at that time and heading directly towards 600 ha of mature trees in the Ingledene pine plantation and Smiths Rd.

It was a very intense fire when it left the pines and reached the occupied area just before noon when the fire front split east and west of most of the Smiths Road houses before crossing the Murrumbidgee and continuing south along Clear Range until again jumping over the river near Michelago about 10 days later. We lost mains electricity just before the fire arrived and were without power for the next 6 days. 2 houses and one barn were destroyed and lots of fencing was damaged but no people were lost.

Our main fire fighting activity for the next 10 days involved burning tree trunks and associated small flare ups. I spent most of the 17th and 18th searching the burnt area for injured animals and had to put down 30 sheep and one horse but the birds and native animals appeared to have had time to escape.

As a community, our main deficiencies were a lack of radio communication with NSW fire control (which restricted the activity of out of area fire crews), no refuge place for people to go to when they felt threatened and in several instances very unhelpful advice some older members received from visiting police officers who were quite unfamiliar with this area. Also the Clear Range fire trails were not well maintained and hence unsafe in places.

Many things have changed for the better since, including the transfer of this area from Yarrowlumla Shire to Cooma Monaro Shire, the formation of the Smiths Rural Fire Brigade, the construction of our community hall and fire shed and a doubling of our population. So overall we were fairly lucky in this area and the impact from a veterinary perspective was not great.

Dr John Aspley Davis

We had spent the Christmas holiday in Britain and enjoyed snow, rain, frost and cloud. So it was quite a shock to return to Canberra in mid-January to heat, drought and clear skies – except for a plume of smoke in the Brindabellas that could be seen from our house on the western edge of Hawker. The news cycle did not show much concern and was more interested in the antics of our then Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, who had taken a helicopter flight over the fire ground. On the Friday we left Canberra for the 80th Birthday of my Father-in-Law in Bathurst the next day, a primary reason for our return to Canberra when we did, taking some of the family. I was rung by the practice at 3pm during the celebrations with the mind-bending news that the fire was at the edge of the Weston Creek area. How could this be? I listened to the ABC news and mention of the fire was made during the afternoon and evening that the fire storm had affected a whole stack of houses. I was incredulous about the loss of the Woden-Weston Veterinary Hospital. Animals at Kippax Veterinary Hospital were evacuated as a precaution to Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital for which we were so grateful to Michael Hayward and Tony Wilson who accommodated them with no question.

When it was clear how much devastation had occurred, I decided that we should return to Canberra the next day, Sunday. Coming along Kingsford Smith Drive was surreal as there was no smoke and Canberra looked as peaceful as ever. The only clue from our environ on the northside of town was Drake Brockman Drive road verge becoming cluttered with a whole array of fire fighting equipment, machinery and trucks. They stayed in place for about 10 days, fortunately unneeded. Mathew Retchford, a well known vet and previous president of ASAVA was one of the volunteers who came from Melbourne to assist and was based around Drake Brockman. On arriving home, all was tranquil, and we moved in without issue. Only the next day we did realise that our road had been made ‘out-of-bounds’ the previous night. Despite that, one of our associates Dr Claire Sharp, decided to stay overnight, patrol the perimeter during the night to ensure that she could extinguish any spot fires.

On Monday our animals came back to KVH. A few days later we drove over to Chapman to check how some friends were going. Their house was razed to the ground and, as we were talking outside the ruins on their first day of being allowed back, another of their friends came rushing out expressing a joyous note. She was looking for the owner’s engagement ring and amongst the charred remains of the bathroom, a melted glass ball emerged which shone with the unchanged sparkle of a diamond partly surrounded by melted gold. It had been left on a glass ring holder and in the rush to evacuate had been left behind. It was cathartic to have a moment of pleasure amongst the devastation of nearly every home nearby being reduced to rubble.

The loss of Weston-Woden Animal Hospital is recorded elsewhere but many of us attended a service of remembrance. Michael Hayward was instrumental in coordinating the relief effort which saw supplies and help offered from vet practices and suppliers all over Australia.

A consequence of the fires was the ACT Government setting up Community Fire Units on the western edge. If you travel around this edge, you will see little yellow trailers that have been very well equipped with standpipes, hoses, petrol water pumps (for draining swimming pools if water pressure drops) and radios. The residents of streets on the edge are encouraged to join, being given firefighting uniforms and training. I have been a member since formation, and I would encourage any who can to consider joining a unit even if you are out of area.