Teething.

Crawling (almost).

Not enough can be said of the selfless bravery of the volunteer CFA firefighters who, have in many instances, been victims of the fires themselves. One word perhaps describes them best. Heroes. The firefighter below symbolises that heroism for me.

A Country Fire Authority volunteer returns to the Alexandra Staging Ground from a 12 hour shift fighting the Kilmore East fire, Alexandra, in north-central Victoria, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. (AAP Image/Raoul Wegat)

I spent Sunday and Monday covering the tail end of the bushfires at Boolarra and Mirboo North, in the Strzelecki Ranges, Gippsland. Although the main fires were over, my overnighter was an emotional roller-coaster, meeting with devastated people who had lost their homes, and those who were just as emotional because they hadn’t lost theirs.

Seventy-one year old Lori Mansfield stands in front of the ruins of her and her husband Stephen’s, seven room home in Boolarra. Her chickens however, managed to survive.

A Department of Sustainability and Environment firefighter performs blacking out.

Boolarra resident, Merrick Hilton, who first believed that his home had been destroyed by fire as reported to him by neighbors, is amazed after discovering that his home had not been destroyed.

Country Authority Firefighters return to the Churchill Staging Area from an overnight shift mopping up.

Charred whitegoods and a heat buckled roof  are all that remain of a house destroyed by fire in Piggery  Road, Boolarra.

An emotional Trish Ryan, who’s neighbors on either side had their homes destroyed, yet her own home was saved by CFA firefighters.