Aussie celebs offer words of support and condolence to those affected by Victoria’s bushfire disasters.
? reporter on Nine’s Getaway
“I still don’t know if I have lost anyone I know. But my friend’s Mum has lost her home and lost lots of her friends. And I have other friends, who have lost lots of their friends and they are feeling emotionally ruined.
“It’s a numbing sensation. At first you just feel stunned, and then you just really want to help these Australians rebuild their future.
“I’d just like to ask people to dig a bit deeper if they could. I gave in the beginning but now the enormity of the tragedy is becoming clearer I think it’s important to find a way to give more. That’s the inspiring thing about being part of the lucky country. Even when it’s not having luck, Australians are so generous and work together.
? TV presenter
“I have spent time for work and personally in Kinglake, Marysville and Beechworth and am incredibly saddened by the loss of such beautiful Australian towns.
“Like all Australians I am incredibly saddened by such great loss of people, their townships and their collective history.
“Australians are so incredibly resilient and generous. There’s always hope. I’d like to tell those people who are suffering that we are with them 100 per cent.”
? TV presenter
By the time you read this, I hope my friend’s father is out of intensive care and recovering from his horrific burns. My thoughts are with him and his family.
This of course has affected me the same as all Australians. You feel so deeply for the loss of life and also of neighbourhoods. As ugly as the situation looks on our TV screens, we can’t imagine what those on the ground have been through. I feel helpless, yet can feel comfort in knowing that the amazing emergency services are being provided and the enormous amount of money raised will benefit those who deserve it the most at this time.
If there’s one good thing to come out of this tragedy, is that it is heart warming to see that in the year 2009, there is still such strong support for our fellow Australians. The spirit and soul of the nation is not lost. Thank you to all of the CFA workers and volunteers who put their lives on the line. It’s impossible to imagine how much worse this catastrophe could have been without you.
? Olympic swimmer
“Along with every other Australian it has made me realise how vulnerable we are. It’s only an hour away. It also makes you realise how volatile Australia is. In Queensland we have people drowning in floods and here we have people being burnt alive.
“You feel so helpless. You can give people new clothes and in some cases a new home, but I know they are never going to be the same again.
“I do want to tell those people who have lost loved ones or lost their homes that they are not alone, even though they may feel that way at the moment. Australians are so good at uniting.”
? Channel Nine cricket commentator and former Australian cricketer
Our home is a property in Kilmore in the area where one of the worst fires started. It was heading our way and the wind changed. So everything we have today ? my family, our home, our car and our business ? remains thanks to a bit of wind. Unfortunately, so many others aren’t as fortunate.
It’s given me faith in the Australian spirit that even the fury of Mother nature will never dampen the Aussie resolve.
I think the important thing to get our heads around is that people are going to need our help long after it ceases to be on the front pages of newspapers. People are going to need help for a long time to come. It’s not going to be a short-term fix.
? professional poker player who travelled to Whittlesea with friend Shane Warne
“I’ve haven’t been directly involved but it feels so close to home. I am standing in the football oval at Whittlesea where the kids are now here playing as they don’t have anywhere else to go. It feels so surreal, it’s really hard to describe.
“I am actually speechless. My heart goes out to the people here.
“God bless everyone from me and my family. One thing about Australians is we pull together in a crisis, and I’ll be doing whatever I can to help.”
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For more on the bushfires, don’t miss next week’s Woman’s Day(on sale February 16).
Return to our bushfires main page.
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