G'Day From Downunder

Let's have a nice cuppa. Iced teas this week and we'll give the kettle a rest.

I don't think I could touch anything hot right now! However, I recognise that you may not be suffering in the same way in the winter of the US of A, so boil the billy if you must.

You would have to be on another planet not to know that we, your Southern Hemispherian cousins down here in Swelter-land have been literarily frying in record heat and fighting bush (forest) fires that have decimated a large proportion of the state of Victoria.

At the last count there were 208 deaths and that figure is expected to reach 300 plus.

There were 1830 homes lost and hundreds of thousands of animals perished. In the mist of all the devastation that surrounded us an act of human kindness lit a bright beacon that touched the hearts of all Australians;

A picture of David Tree a fire fighter who had stopped to give a distressed Kola a drink from his water bottle in the midst of the holocaust.

The picture spread around the world almost as fast as the fire ignited Victoria.

The Koala now named Sam has become an internationally recognised iconic image of Australia.

Sam, who is a she (must be Samantha!), is recovering in the 'Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter'.

Her carer, Jenny Swan, said she suffered burns on her paws and was in a lot of pain, she is on IV drip and receiving antibiotics and pain relief treatment.

She is expected to recover and be released back into the wild in about six months.

On Saturday February 7, now called Black Saturday the temperature reached 46.7 degrees C in Melbourne (that's 116.1 F) and higher elswhere, an all time record and a recipe for disaster and disaster is what happened.

Bush fires in Southern Australia are normal and occur to some extent every year. However, a temperature of 47° plus is not normal.

Fires are sometimes started by lightening strikes, some by spontaneous combustion when it's very hot but more, sadly, are started by arsonists.

There is a man before magistrates in Melbourne this week charged with starting one of the fires which resulted in 21 deaths.

Many of the fires are still burning despite more moderate weather in the last week.

When these situations occur high temperatures are accompanied by high winds and sometimes a fireball along a front many miles wide can be travelling at 60 or 70 miles per hour.

Many of the dead stayed behind to defend their property others left their escape too late and were incinerated in their cars.

Ecologically eucalypt forests are adapted to fire, most trees are not killed and the forests benefit from the clearance of undergrowth.

Some plants' seeds will only germinate if they if they have been subjected to fire so fire can be part of a natural renewal process.

I was privileged to interview Tommy Smyth the iconic ESPN Irish sports presenter in January 2007 while he was in Australia to commentate on the football final. If my memory serves me correctly his comment at the time was "its about 2 degrees short of hell" and it was only touching 100F at the time.

Tommy, had you been here last week it was15 degrees hotter than hell.

Australians were quick to respond to the bush fire tragedy and through all sorts of fundraising from sport events to music events to door knock appeals, the Aussies so far have coughed up nearly one hundred million dollars to assist those affected by the fires.

Never in my wildest dreams as a young lad growing up in Cork in the 50s and 60s did I ever think I would experience the heat and devastation that Victoria endured over the last couple of weeks.

The likes of which I have never seen in my thirty five years in Australia!

Yes, sure we have fires here every year, but this one was the daddy of them all; and I'm telling you when this sort of thing comes your way nothing looks better than the thought on of a pint in a nice cosy pub in Ireland far, far away from all this heat, humidity and devastation.

Who said cold and rain is bad for you? Certainly not anyone in Australia!

At least the Australians got a few weeks break from the financial crises that have been dominating the media for far too long now and with the pictures of the fires dominating the newspapers, the financial crises were cast to the insignificant part of the lost and found section.

Oh what a relief that was! Unfortunately it took one disaster to banish another. I'm sure the financial crisis will reappears in a week or two after the fires have gone out.

The Australians are an amazing race when tragedy strikes they rally to the cause in an instant.

I have not witnessed anything anywhere in the world like the Aussie's coming together to support one another in a time of need.

It's called standing by your mate - The Aussie Spirit - it's the sort of stuff that leaves a lump in your throat and you find it hard to swallow, a true brother kindred.

There is a wonderful song called "True Blue" song by John Williamson all about the Australian comradeship, I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy of it. This is the song that was played for Steve Erwin the Crocodile Man at his Memorial Service.

I was hoping to be in New York for your St Patrick's day parade and celebrations this year, but sadly I have had to put that plan on hold for another twelve months as I will be in Tokyo for their St Patrick's day parade; Oh yes the Japanese have their own St Patrick's parade.

I will be there with my camera and reporting back to you with lots of gossip and pictures from your old sparing partner across the Pacific.

I am expecting that this St Patrick's celebration in Tokyo will be a bit of an eye opener for me but I must admit I am excited to see how the Japanese celebrate an Irish Saint's day.

The thought of Guinness flowing down the streets of Shinjuku on St Patrick's Day intrigues me no end.

Gee I must admit I am lucky. Two years ago, St Patrick in Australia, last year in Cork and this year in Tokyo Japan then next year there will be St Pat's in New York. Now that's really lucky, maybe this week I will go and buy myself a lottery ticket. So until I talk to you again soon, be good to those who love you and count your blessings that you were not here in Victoria last week.

Slainte from Downunder.