Darren Murphy · 52 min
When the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires tore through Victoria's Alpine region, retired Army Major Darren Murphy mobilised the Lions Club of Myrtleford to deliver water, fencing, farm supplies and social connection, proving that organised community generosity can reach where government aid cannot.
Hear this story
On Black Saturday 2009, Darren Murphy was celebrating his ex-wife's birthday at a poolside gathering in the Alpine region when the fires broke out. A retired Army major with three generations of family volunteering behind him, Darren did what came naturally: he stepped forward. The Lions Club of Myrtleford called an emergency meeting the next day to figure out how to help. Their first response was practical and immediate. They found a water contractor and sent him to every farm gate to refill tanks that had been emptied fighting the fires. Within weeks, the district gave the club over $100,000 to distribute. Darren and his team spent nearly a year working out how to spend it fairly, creating $1,000 farm vouchers for struggling landholders and giving the local CFA $5,000 for a dedicated response vehicle. They even salvaged an old railway line, cut it into fence posts, and delivered them free to farmers rebuilding their properties.
What makes Darren's story different is that he was not a direct victim of the fires. He was part of the response, the person who showed up. He talks openly about the limits of what volunteers can do, why community matters more than government cheques alone, and what he has learned watching recovery unfold over 14 years. He also speaks honestly about the pressures facing rural communities now: low farm prices, repeated natural disasters, and the arrival of new residents from the cities who do not yet understand the risks or the rhythms of life in fire country. Darren's message is simple. Do not bottle it up. Stay connected to your community. Join the groups that matter to you. Lift, do not lean. The fabric of a town is what gets people through.
“I think there's two types of people — there are lifters and there are leaners — and I like to be categorised as a lifter.”
“Don't bottle it all up. Don't be proud to talk about it, or shy and think that you're weak — just accept that depression is a real thing and it's cumulative, and yes these events will stack on top of one another.”
“It's the fabric of your community that gets you through these things — if you have good friends around you, you have the ability to share experiences.”
The hero, today
Darren's grandfather served 63 years in Rotary, his father 40 years, and his mother did volunteer work on outback stations for 15 years, volunteering is not something he chose, it's what his family does. The Lions Club responded to the Black Saturday fires by first delivering water to refill farm tanks, then organizing social gatherings for affected families to connect face-to-face and understand who needed what. When the V6 Lions district gave the Myrtleford club over $100,000 to distribute, Darren and his team took nearly a year to work out how to spend it fairly, including $1,000 vouchers for farmers who earned less than half their income from their land. Service clubs and volunteer organisations can only respond for the first month or two after a disaster; after that, people have to step back to their own families and lives, leaving longer-term recovery to government agencies and professional services. Darren believes the secret to a resilient community is getting people to 'lift' instead of 'lean'-to join groups they care about, share their experiences openly, and build strong networks so they have people to turn to when things go wrong. New residents moving to fire-prone Alpine towns need induction programs about catastrophic fire days, local evacuation routes, water safety, and insurance fine print, not to scare them, but because rural living requires specific knowledge to stay safe.
Yes. Darren Murphy is a real person who shared their own story in their own words. Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit that shares first-person stories of overcoming adversity, told with the person's consent.
Kintsugi Heroes, a registered Australian not-for-profit. Every story is shared with the hero's own consent and reviewed under Kintsugi Heroes' trauma-informed content standard before it goes public.
Darren's grandfather served 63 years in Rotary, his father 40 years, and his mother did volunteer work on outback stations for 15 years, volunteering is not something he chose, it's what his family does.
The Lions Club responded to the Black Saturday fires by first delivering water to refill farm tanks, then organizing social gatherings for affected families to connect face-to-face and understand who needed what.
When the V6 Lions district gave the Myrtleford club over $100,000 to distribute, Darren and his team took nearly a year to work out how to spend it fairly, including $1,000 vouchers for farmers who earned less than half their income from their land.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 00:04
Welcome to the Kansuki Heroes Podcast special Alpine Bushfires series, where we share inspirational stories of everyday people from the Victorian Alpine region who went through the bushfires which occurred from late 2019 through to early 2020. These stories highlight the different challenges and events people went through and how they overcame them. Please be aware that the story you're about to hear may have moments of deeply felt emotions and personal experiences. If anything you hear has a triggering effect, please reach out to someone who can help you. If you love this conversation, please like and share it with your friends so we can continue to share more inspiration and hope to as many people as possible. Now listen up for our next hero's story. My guest today on the Alpine Series Conversations is with Darren Murphy. What a great man Darren is. So passionate, so caring. He's a retired Army major and a club secretary and the recovery planner for the Alpine Black Saturday bushfires. He did a lot of work in and during the fires and the recovery efforts afterwards. This story from Darren is all about that. It's not about him, it's about how he and the Lions Club in Myrtleford rallied together and what they did to actually support the the community, the people that were directly affected, and how they did socialising for fundraising and improve things. He talked about infrastructure. They went from the fires straight into COVID, and there was an influx of people from the cities landing in their town, and the town just wasn't prepared for it. He's a very passionate community member, and I love that he provided that lens, that different experience of the fires And whilst he wasn't directly personally impacted by the fires, just like everyone else there, they were all impacted by the fires, and it was a, it was a team effort. He is a big team effort man, and I just loved it. Please enjoy this one with Darren Murphy. Well, here we are. Hello, it's another special episode of Kintsugi Heroes, the Alpine Series, and I'm here with Darren Murphy today. Darren, how are you going?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 02:28
Yeah, very good, thanks, Evelyn. Pleased to be with you.
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Service clubs and volunteer organisations can only respond for the first month or two after a disaster; after that, people have to step back to their own families and lives, leaving longer-term recovery to government agencies and professional services.
This conversation includes a family of volunteers, black saturday at the valley homestead, the lions club steps in, water trucks and the first responders, distributing $120,000 with care and farm vouchers and fire truck support.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 02:31
I'm really happy to have you here. I'm excited, you know, I, I, from the moment we met, I, I knew that you'd have a, a great story. Uh, I love your energy and your optimism, and, uh, thank you for putting your hand up to share your story about what was a difficult time.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 02:49
Yeah, it was at the time on the ground. Uh, it's been about 14 years now, so there's sort of Just never forget, because there was so much recovery effort and response from the community to put it all back together. And obviously we had another bushfire since then. Myrtleford in the Alpine regions has its natural disasters. We don't have fires, we have floods. So yeah, anyway, that's just what the way of life is at the moment.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 03:15
Yeah. And look, I just want to point out, like, there's been a couple of people I've spoken to with this series who spoke about the 2009 fires. And for those that are listening and might wondering, well, why is— why are we talking to people from different fires or different regions? And I think it's because the people heal at different stages and in different ways. But what we do know is that it takes someone 2 to 3 years to even get back on the ground after a fire and even get into their house. The healing kind of starts around then, but it can take up to 10 years, and that's what the research shows. And it's so important that people share their stories. And I know that it's probably pretty hard for some people from the 2020 fires, 2019-2020 fires, to actually talk about it because they're not ready yet. Whereas you've had 14 years, you're able to articulate and get this out. And I think it's important for people to understand that, that time gives you that ability because you've been through a lot of your healing, yeah, and, and the necessary phases of that healing journey.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 04:27
But I wasn't actually a casualty in the fires. I was sort of part of the response from a service club perspective, and that's the story I'll share with you today.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 04:34
Wonderful. Well, let's get into it then, shall we? I'm going to hand the mic over to you and ask you to take us back and, you know, take us through your story.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 04:44
Yeah, okay, well, thanks, Averlene. Look, my name's Darren Murphy, as you've introduced me, and I'm someone— I don't think I'm a hero. I was saying somebody volunteers and steps forward. I suppose that was ground into me as a child when I was in the Boy Scouts, like, be prepared, do your best. And then of course I have a background in the Australian Defence Force and the Army, and you know, when things go to poo, you step forward and try and help. And that's been my story, but I come from a family of volunteers. My grandfather did 63 years in Rotary, my father did 40, and my mother even done volunteer work when she retired as a teacher on outback stations for 15 years. And they've all been, yeah, part of my volunteering. But I really didn't get involved in volunteering until I left the Army because I was moving every 18 months in different communities. But yeah, moved into Myrtleford and I took on a role within the local government arena, and I built a rail trail, which is a disused railway line which has been converted for recreational use. So I actually worked with 3 councils. Then I was working at a technical level with all the farmers, and then I was working at a marketing level with the businesses, and then I was with all the users. And so I've got a pretty good feel about Murrielford and so forth. And, and then I was invited to join the Lions Club, and Murrielford has a great lot of volunteers. We have Rotary, Lions, Apex, CFA, SES, Landcare groups. But you'll find that you'll have the same people in Lions who are in the CFA, and they'll also do Landcare projects, and they'll be running the football club and so forth. So it's sort of— I think there's two types of people. There are lifters and there's leaners, and I like to be categorized as a lifter. My background in Army is that I joined as a a private soldier and did training as electronics technician. But then I was fortunate enough to be considered for training at Duntroon. I was put back into a mechanical engineering discipline and basically trained as a logistician. So as a consequence, I was used to sort of, yeah, being involved in recovery efforts in different parts of the country prior to this. So to me, when all this went down, it was is something that I could get my head around pretty quick, and I had a good network of people in the Lions Club. But this bushfire, as you mentioned, there's been numbers of bushfires. This was probably my third bushfire in 2009 that I've been involved with. In 2000, we had, um, you know, the Stanley fires, and we responded to that because we had Lions Club members. So Stanley had orchards, and we got involved to help Lions member. Then we had the sort of the 2003 fires that was sort of in the national park, and then we had obviously the Black Saturday bushfires. On Black Saturday, I was celebrating my ex-wife's birthday party at a place called the Valley Homestead, which is an outdoor education center for kids on the rail trail. Believe it or not, I've had workings, I knew what was up there. And the reason we went there, because of all the hot weather we had seating Black Saturday was that there was a swimming pool there and it had an air-conditioned dining room and there was accommodation. So we could have a family gathering to celebrate my ex-wife's birthday. And I had family members come up from Ballarat and we had people coming from all around the district. But a lot of my ex-wife's family, they were farmers and very involved with the CFA. So we had a lot of CFA pagers around the swimming pool and the night. And we were already on edge because we knew it was a high-risk day. So when it did happen, yeah, we reacted, of course. We initially thought that we'd stay there, and I suppose that's the big decision in these bushfire situations. Do you leave if they do tell you to leave early, or do you stay and fight and protect the assets? Well, we were in our own homes, so most people chose to go home and protect their own assets. My own family members, well, they chose just to get out of Dodge, I suppose you could say, and they got in the cars and went down the Hume Freeway. And of course, they had the confrontation of seeing fires on either side of the Hume Freeway. So that was a bit sobering to then understand how the enormity and the size of the fires. So essentially, that's where it's sort of the background for me in getting involved. So obviously on a Saturday, We're hearing lots of information 'cause you're in regular contact with your network on the phone. Well, Lions Club, we need to step up and do something here. So in contact with our president, we called an emergency meeting at Lions Shed at the showgrounds and we sort of had members who were already on hoses and had real information for us and we heard which farms had been impacted and where it was. But it was interesting, this particular fire was called the Beechworth or the Indigo Fire. That's where it was initiated. But that was probably about 20% of the impact. It was 80% of it was in the Alpine area. And that had some effects when it came to sort of getting financial support after the fires. So anyway, that's where I was up to then. Now on the Sunday, yeah, we met, had a round table, sort of got more real information about what had happened and how we could respond. And obviously in these situations, we go back to the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and that is that you know, food, water, shelter, support in any way possible. And we were mindful that, yeah, these people are very stressed out. What was the first need? So we thought water. So through the large network of people, we had a water contractor and we engaged him. We didn't know how we're going to pay for it, but let's just get the water truck. You go and visit every farm gate and you fill their water tanks up. 'cause undoubtedly they have used that water in the protection of their assets. And yeah, he was probably the first responder. Farmers and landholders hadn't seen anyone. Next minute, Larry turned up with his truck and, "What are you doing here?" "Oh, well, the Lions Club sent us out here to fill up your tanks. If you want a tank of water, we'll fill it up for you." So that was, yeah, it was very positive. Larry will have a story to share, I think, about that. At the same time I mentioned that family members went home to protect their property, we had some which were landholders of Rosewhite and they were confronted with their front paddocks burning towards their houses. So they actually had to drive up their roads, get in front of the fires and then protect their personal property and their hay sheds. But it was, and they still had lots of damage with kilometres of fences, stock that were killed or had to be destroyed. Injured. Yeah, as you say, it's a pretty horrific scenario that you are confronted. And of course, as a volunteer organisation, we'll do as much as we can, and we might be involved for 1 or 2 months, but beyond that, we've got to get back on with our lives. And the legacy is that these people are then left to their own devices through the government organisations to do their own recovery. In our assessment we identified that there was a need for the people affected to get together also. So our second priority was to get involved with the Mudgie Gonga Hall community, and we arranged the social for them. So we've had Lions and Lions ladies prepared food, and they went out as couples as opposed to just all blokes, because unfortunately we're a club that's all blokes. And having them, because they knew most of the people who were going to be there, and we provide the refreshments, and they were to find out face to face what had really gone down and who was affected and extended their damages and how we could help and so forth. So yeah, as I mentioned, Lions Club, our club got involved, but then the district got involved. Lions Club, Murilford is one of 61 clubs in the V6 district. And all of a sudden, we get a phone call from the district governor. He's got a disaster fund and how can we help? And the consequence of that, we had a bit of a team meeting at the Buffalo Hotel, and I'd sort of gave a presentation and saying, well, this is our first phase, we've responded by doing this, this, and this, and then subsequently we'll be doing other stuff. So effectively what happened was our district collectively gave our Lions Club $100,000 because we make $25,000 a year in our club running the rodeo each year, and we put that right back in the community on Lions programs, including the District Governor's Disaster Appeal. And we've sent money overseas and similarly we receive money from international organisation as well. So I think it's probably $120,000, $130,000 we end up having allocated to us. So how do you spend it? You don't want to give people double the money 'cause the state government's giving money for different people who have obviously lost everything and temporary housing, but you can't give them enough. And just gotta be fair. But another casualty of the bushfires is not just the people who've lost property, it's the business holders 'cause there was an aversion to go into bushfire areas. So the hospitality providers lose a little bit, although they do pick up a lot because all the people come and work and they are accommodated and obviously the cafes do well and so forth. But essentially we worked out there was a group of farmers who, if they earned 51% of their income off their farm, they weren't getting any support from the government. So we thought this is unfair because the reason they're having to go off farm is because there's not enough money in farming and they've had droughts and disasters to deal with it. So we made a program where we would allocate $1,000 to every farm and they could use that as a voucher in one of the 3 farm supply places in Myrtleford. And that worked very well. If they wanted a new lawnmower, go and buy a lawnmower. We didn't means test it. If you needed a a spray unit or whatever. It was never going to be enough money, but at least we were seen to be helping them. Once again, $100,000 is a pretty large sum of money to work out who gets what and how, but our local fire brigade essentially were using private vehicles to respond and do crew changes out at the front line, and that is unacceptable. These are our volunteers doing these frontline jobs.. So if we gave them $5,000, they would be able to get a vehicle and they've been able to keep that since those fires, which is now in use. It gets replaced, of course, but it's nice to know that money was continued to be paid forward and so forth. And I suppose that's one thing that doesn't sit well with me is that with all this bushfire recovery money, yeah, the sport clubs get it because it's a good way of putting money in the community and restoring confidence and all that. But Middleford needs a new fire station. You know, the one we've got is so obsolete. They've got one truck, you know, parked kilometres away in someone's farm shed. And it's just bizarre. And every time we ever get a request in our Lions Club for the CFA, they want cameras, we pay for it. You know, whatever we can give them to do their job is in our own best interest. So essentially I've rattled off a lot of information there, but Essentially, we did some other sort of out-of-the-box thinking, having worked in local government, working on railway lines. There was an old railway line that went from Rutherglen up to Wagga Wagga, and that was being dismantled. So we were able to recover some of that railway line. And we had a Lions member who had a freight business and semi-trailers. So he went over, we picked up all this railway line, and we cut it up into fence posts. We just dropped it at farm gates. Here's your corner posts. You won't have to worry about replacing these ones. So that was well received by members of the community.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 16:40
So yeah, it sounds very proactive and creatively, you know, in your thinking, of course, especially with regards to the railway lines as fence posts. And what a nice gift to the farmers, right, to get the $1,000 voucher for farm supplies, like you say. How do you figure out how to distribute $120 grand?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 17:05
We didn't spend it in a week. It took us best part of a year to think how we would best spend that money so it would continue to pay for and be fair to all the affected people in the community. But as I said, Lions and service clubs, my biggest concern is that we're an aging organization. 14 years ago, our average age was 54. '05, thereabouts. And now our average age is 69 and the replacements aren't coming through. So that's some concern 'cause they, not just us, it's the CFA, the SES, the Landcare groups, and you know, it's all part of the community capacity, I suppose. Yeah.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 17:45
Where were you living? Were you living in Myrtleford at the time of the 2009 fires?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 17:50
Yes. Yeah, no, I've been resident in Myrtleford for 23 years. I, unfortunately, with the rental crisis that's going on in Australia, well, that affected me. I'd been renting and I got asked to vacate my unit and then there was nothing else available. There was some pretty ramshackle houses at exorbitant prices, but I thought no. So I essentially did some house sitting, looking after people who had chooks mostly. They were going on holidays, needed someone to keep their chooks alive. Essentially, about 16 weeks I realised I couldn't afford to live in Myrtleford anymore. Since COVID all these small communities have suffered greatly from the lack of the casual worker because they obviously need to rent properties. As a consequence, there's just nothing to rent. If it is available, you'd have to work 2 jobs to pay the rent. I don't necessarily think that's the way I want to live. In my old age. But, um, and it's the same as the nursing home in Middleton, you know, they've got spare beds but they can't open the rooms because there's no one to service them. And why can't they? Because they won't pay the people who have to service the rooms enough to live there. So it's sort of a catch-22, and this is being played out right across the whole country. I don't know how you fix it. Uh, people smarter than me will work it out.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 19:09
So how did COVID affect— like, you've— sorry, you've just, um, talked about the effect of COVID on rental and you moving. The 2019 fires, 2020 fires, that happened over the summer break, right, that summer period. And then of course COVID hit in March, April, you know, we were in lockdown. How did, how did you see the impact of COVID on the bushfire recovery versus 2009?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 19:40
Yeah, well, I suppose it's— well, bushfires affect lots of people. It's not just the people who are farmers and landholders and primary producers. It affects the businesses. Everyone takes a hit. And then I suppose the COVID thing is we stopped sort of spending money in our hospitality places, and that causes a lot of, I suppose, angst in the community because they expect to go and have a coffee and then they're not open because their mums and dads' businesses and, uh, and they can't afford to pay someone because they're not turning over enough money to make it. Then they've got to close their businesses for 2 days a week. And obviously in the Alpine area, it's a tourist area. And obviously post-COVID, we had a tourism boom because everyone came out of the cities and they basically, um, like the lifestyle that we were living. Like, um, I remember when I came to Middleford in 2000, the visitor center was at the Ponderosa Cabin in the main street and used to close at Saturday lunchtime. And I thought, what's going on here? You know, it's a tourist town, it's closing the visitor center at lunchtime on Saturday. And I suddenly had to think through, what's why people live in rural areas? Because you live there for the outdoor activities that it provides. They go walking, fishing, hunting, and so forth. So the town's changed because of major tourism activities like rail trails and festivals and events that are run in the Northeast. But anyway, yeah, a lot of people came out of Melbourne, obviously having holidays after being locked down, saw the prices of real estate, thought, yeah, this is really good, we'll do that. And, and this is what's happened. All the housing stock has been purchased by people who— some of it's gone on to Airbnb. I wouldn't say that's all of it, but Ben Bryant, the name that they've got, a major housing development being planned. Rural land's been sold and it's going to be turned into residential and there's going to be another 380 houses in Bright. That'll be 1,000 cars. So essentially you can't find a car space now. So I don't know what's going to happen when you have another 1,000 cars there. And that's what's happened. People who are living in Bright don't like what's happened to their town. A lot of them moved to Middleton. And slowly but surely, Murrieta's changed in its dynamic as well. But getting back to your question, yeah, double whammy having bushfires and COVID. Yeah, it wasn't a good time. I was working at a bubble shop and I was very, very busy. People did drink a lot more during those lockdown periods and people found ways. Like, I made a point of going to cafe doors and buying coffees and buying takeaway food from pubs and, and that's still happening now. People have sort of found ways to get around these problems. Um, yeah, but you know, Australia's changed. I don't know how we get the old Australia that we loved and enjoyed back again.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 22:33
You've, you've raised a really interesting point about this, uh, the growth in these little towns, right? Uh, since COVID like, people left the city in droves, and I know, um, what that meant for our region as well, and just thinking about the towns— Myrtleford, Bright, and all around there— they're all fire-prone areas. What— so they've moved at a time where people have kind of got out of that initial stage of the post-fire impact and trauma. You know, people will be getting into new homes if they lost their prop— if they lost their home. Now these new people are coming in that probably see it as a lifestyle change, right? Do they have any awareness of what it means to live in a rural area, and do they understand the history of the fires in that area and how to cope? Like, do they— are they being educated, or do they have any awareness to where they're actually moving?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 23:35
I think you get it through osmosis. There's no formal training or whatever. You talk to the people who are shop holders and all of those long-term Alpine residents. Certainly my experience having moved there is, yeah, you get to know people in the post office, the newsagents, the different places. And I suppose having been through the 2000, 2003, 2009 fires, there's awareness now. We do have things called catastrophic days and they hadn't been discussed in 2000, they are now. And that means you clean up. Council's got a good information plan going out through newsletters and their websites. Everyone's sort of got a smart device now, can tap into this type of information. Yeah, the CFA, they're doing regular inspections of different things, but once again, they're a volunteer organization, very light on the ground. And I just think we need to incentivize volunteering. Um, I think that, uh, wouldn't it be nice if, like in the Army, we had this thing called the Army Individual readiness notice. That means you were fit to deploy and you had to wear a little badge. And I think if there was a minimum requirement in the CFA or the SES, I reckon you should get your registrations for your cars half price, you know, give people a reason. Now let's recognize their contributions in a positive way and have specialized number plates that I'm a CFA volunteer, and you might get a bit of courtesy on the street and you'll get paid forward, I think. And especially in a closely community like Myrtleford. Like, uh, it's sort of, um, I was told when I first moved there, I rented my house from an Italian, he said, after you live in this town for 6 months, you won't want to live anywhere else. And I still feel that way. I still miss Myrtleford. I still ring 3 or 4 people a week even though I have relocated to Ballarat. But, um, it is a wonderful community and, um, it's resilient. And, uh, they all have different programs and activities, um, And look, the amount of activity that's happened in the 20 years now, we've got a new police station, we've got a piazza. There's been lots of major projects. And I think it's up to the service clubs and volunteer organizations to have recruitment programs. People just need to be asked. And I think that, yeah, we had a wood day. The RSL after World War I used to have a program of cutting firewood. For the widows. And they— that still continues in Melbourne to today. Like, we get hardwood— our Lions Club with the Rotary Club and the RSL, and they have— get the football club involved, you know, the foot— or Club Recovery could be on Sunday, and they delivered 15 trailer loads of wood to the infirmed of our community. And I think that's a wonderful program. I had jokingly rang up one of the guys this morning in my club and I said, oh, you're the welfare So I think my mother needs some firewood in Ballarat, but they wouldn't deliver it this fast. Sorry for the interruption. This is Ian Westmoreland, the founder of Katsuki Heroes, and thank you for listening to this story from one of our amazing heroes. Our mission is for these stories to provide hope and inspiration to people experiencing life challenges and to also educate the broader community on how best to provide support. If you would like to help us to continue to produce more hero stories and cover more adversity themes, we would welcome all donations. These can be made via our website, kintsugiheroes.com.au. The donate function is at the bottom of the homepage. We'd also welcome any feedback. You can email me direct using ian@kintsugiheroes.com.au. Now let's get back to the story.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 27:20
I love your insights into the community organizations, and I think the importance of them in everyday life, right? Whether it's getting firewood, getting water, you know, bringing people together. I was having a conversation with another person who will be on this podcast series, and he is a specialist in disaster recovery, and he's a psychotherapist, and he's been consulting to Victorian Government, Red Cross, and various organizations like Lions Club since 1989— since 1983, the Ash Wednesday bushfires. And he talks about the importance of going to the community and learning from others. And by talking about where you're at and hearing and being there to hear what others are going through, you get to recognize the stages of recovery. And, you know, he talks about the different stages of recovery and how long it takes, and, um, but just the importance of having the consistent social networks and knowing that you are supported and having that social, um, bond and, and foundation, whether you're, you're there every week or every month, you know, whatever is right for you. And there are times when you need to pull away, you know, and, and go through your own stuff in life. But he talked about it from a, from an observational, clinical, you know, research perspective about the, the importance of these organizations, and you're coming at it from the human lived experience and, and someone who has volunteered for so many years. Like you said, your family is steeped in volunteering, and I just want to raise that and just talk about how important these community organizations have been in not just you delivering, being a lifter, delivering the support, but also as a as a person? Like, how important has it been for you to be involved in these community groups and efforts for you to get through whatever you've experienced through the different bushfires and, you know, traumatic events?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 29:41
Yeah, I think having lots of different activities in your life you can tap into. Obviously, if you look at your priorities, your personal health and wellbeing, then it's your family, then it's your work. If Lions Club's coming first, well, you've got the wrong priorities. We don't need you because you're going to enjoy what's going on. And we've had a few Lions that, you know, jumped in the deep end. And this continues. People struggle with the pace of life nowadays. It's not just the financial pressure. Mum and dad are both working. Murtleford has a wonderful sports program, or say the Alpine Shot. I wouldn't just narrow focus and say Murtleford. That's the community I've lived and brewed in. There's a bit of rivalry between the towns, as there are in all local small communities, but there's some wonderful sporting and outdoor activities, and they're the sorts of things that keep you mentally, I suppose, calibrated with whatever. And through those, I suppose, family gatherings and networks, you can talk about the worst moments in your life, and people can say, um, look, I'm always mindful that when someone tells you they've been through this and you try and tell them your same story and you think, well, no, I haven't walked in your shoes and I didn't stand there with a hose and fight the fires and see what was happening. I didn't have to go out and live it for 2, 3 years. As Ian has spoken about many times, there's still a lot of damage from all the fires that we've had for the last 20 years and people just don't know that. I think that's real in every community, but I think it's the fabric of your community that gets you through those things. If you have good friends around you, well then you have the ability to share experiences and be— and clear. Then there's obviously professional services that if they do become available. As I mentioned earlier, the volunteer organisation just looks after a small bit of it and we have to step back and get back involved with our own family because our priority is to be to our own family units as well. But, um, no, Myrtleford is a vibrant community. Alpine Shire is a vibrant place to live, and the reason people live there and don't earn half a million dollars jobs in Melbourne, because they don't— they like the lifestyle and, uh, and, and the opportunities that provide to their families and so forth. So, but I think it's just the $64 million question is how we get the next generation engaged and involved and in these social groups where they can talk through some of their problems, which are not just all because of natural disasters. They've got lots of problems for lots of reasons, and that's just the fiscal liabilities they've got ahead in their lives, trying to save up a deposit for a house, meet their outgoings, meet the 25% increase in power and so forth. There are other welfare organisations, and sadly, the churches are disappearing. People aren't going to church, and that's where I got my value system as a child, is that we went to our local church. And not that I'm religious in any way, it's just that it was where I had fellowship and, and able to have a variety of experiences, which I think give you a good grounding in life. And I think, yeah, having those Zoom meetings and computer games and whatever else, we're just going to get kids more grounded about what's out there in life, and it's just more than watching a movie and trying to kill some fictitious enemy on the computer.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 33:05
So yeah, couldn't agree.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 33:07
We're covering a lot of broad range of subjects here, aren't we?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 33:10
Aren't we? What's been the most, um, looking back over the 2009 fires, Darren, what was your biggest learning from that that you then have carried with you?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 33:24
I suppose from a Lions Club perspective is that I'm one club of 61 and collectively we could gather resources to do some wonderful things on the ground for the communities. The same way we'll respond to the flood events in Echuca and Rochester and these sorts of things. And yeah, like Lions motto is that we serve. And but yeah, that was a real sobering thing for me to see. The support that we got from 61 of the clubs. And I haven't visited those 61 clubs, I've been to a few other ones, but yeah, couldn't thank them enough for getting involved and committed from the top down. And, uh, um, yeah, and as I said, you know, fodder programs, you know, that was running out of the Corang Lions Club and they did a magnificent job. They did that through the Victorian Federation of Farmers. And, um, and then obviously people in the district provided adjustment for animals that needed to get onto some grass to be to recover from them because they were casualties in themselves. But yeah, no, I think that was the service club perspective. I suppose the other thing is how quickly the community comes together and supports every endeavor. If there's a fundraising event or there's information, everyone comes, listens, and learns. And I think all the information's there. I'm talking about new people that come into our community. They've just got to get involved. And lift and don't lean. And I think that's the secret to a good community, a resilient community, and one that will continue to grow and heal from these major events we now have.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 35:01
Absolutely. And how do you think Myrtleford and the Alpine region has gone in that process since the 2019 fires?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 35:11
Yeah, obviously my focus is narrow. I think the councillors would be looking at the broad picture with the expertise they can tap into at the state and federal level. But yeah, I think, look, I don't see the bank balances of farmers like they've just come out of a good farming period where they're getting good prices for their animals, but that's just hard now. And all of a sudden, half their income's gone. So do they need another flood or a fire event to contend with? No, they don't. But that's That's the challenge of being farmers in Australia. It's not just Victoria that suffers it, it's right across our whole country. Having been in the Army, I was in Darwin during the Catherine Flood event in 1998. One thing that did grow out of the Black Saturday bushfires was BlazeAid and the butlers out of Kilmore. They did a remarkable job. Pulling together people, like-minded people. And they were basically the Grow Nomad Brigade that were traveling and all of a sudden they came to BlazeAid sort of camps at different locations and help with fencing. They would go in and remove the old fencing, help, you know, dispose of stock. And, uh, I got a bit involved with that when Bridgewater got flooded. And another mate of mine who's a retired major set up a flood recovery camp using the BlazeAid bushfire assets. And amazing, once again, all these non-government agencies like First Bite Program, food becomes available. It's just having people with knowledge. And I think what you and Ian are doing by making these podcasts available just make you realize that you only find out stuff by asking. And then through experiences and tapping into resources within the community, because people are a valuable resource and everyone's got a good idea. Like when you join Lions Club, you ask, you don't ask them to do jobs, you ask them what their motivation is and then give them that job. You know what I mean? Not everyone's going to do the same job. Yeah, you get an older head, a wiser head as you get older. And yeah, people learn through their experiences and hopefully just survive the ones. And obviously with bushfire fighting in the northeast now, there's really got some good programs where you just stay and fight or go early because there's only a few number of roads coming in and out of Myrtleford and you can get caught out. And I can remember being in the Alpine Shire Recovery Center overnight in Old Senior Citizens in Smith Street, and I had a couple come in saying they're going to lie down in the tobacco paddock and if the fire comes, 'cause green tobacco doesn't burn, unknown to me. I said, "Okay, well, I can't tell you what to do. It's a personal choice, but I was thinking of the Three Little Pigs. I'm going to go for a house of bricks every time, and you're most welcome to come and be in the centre here," which was set up to provide that immediate first aid in the response phase for the people to get into a safe haven. And yeah, but I suppose everyone's gotta be mindful of the Alpine risk, and that is, yes, you are in a rural area, it's very isolated, there's not enough ambulances and response assets, and you're not necessarily gonna see a fire truck turn up to the door 'cause it may be looking after a vital asset within the town. So you got to have your own assets available and keep a tidy household.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 38:52
So, yeah, and that's really wise and a really important point that a couple of people have actually made as well, you know, and that is to be responsible and you've got to effectively look after yourself, be ready and not assume that some helicopter or a fire truck is going to come and save you. And it goes back to your point of getting involved in the community and these, the, the resources that are available, um, because there are these things that have popped up from these natural disasters like Catastrophic Day, and there's different efforts to educate and get people's properties ready. And I think it's really important that people are aware, especially these new people that are coming into these towns that think, oh, this is really lovely. Yes, okay, there was a fire, but you know, I'll be okay.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 39:45
You know, it was in the Army, you'd get posted to a unit, they'd have an induction program, you'd have a week of orientation into the community to find out things. Now perhaps we need induction programs in communities. I don't know which organization runs it, but just to talk about— but there is a community guide which the Alpine Shire produces every year and sends out to every resident. Within that, it could be, you know, a bit like the old phone book, you know, used to have all the emergency procedures inside the COVID But we're an IT sort of literate community now. These things could be online, but that's good when the power's running. But if you haven't got the power running, what's the next thing, you know? Like, I remember when the first bushfire was around, the first thing I did was fill the bath full of water because if the power goes out, the pumps go out and you've got no water. And they're sort of lessons learned. But needless to say, I didn't get burnt, but we did have ash falling in the town, which makes you wake, sober up and realize what could potentially happen. And there's some beautiful trees around Mittelford and they're all pretty close to people's houses. But yeah, I think, yeah, combined there's an understanding that in rural areas you just gotta be aware of your environments, listen to the information that's coming through all the different media, PTV, radio, As I say, SES get the job to knock on doors and tell people in the flood situation, you better start packing up 'cause this is far away. But you can go online and look at the river systems and where the major flood marks are and work it out pretty quickly for yourself. So yeah, I think, yeah, people who are in a flood-affected area need to know where the high water mark is, when was the last time it went to that point, because yeah, taking your equipment to higher ground is safe. Having to replace it because insurance will never be enough. And, uh, yeah, it's, yeah, we'll keep unfortunately learning and failing to learn lessons from the past. And, uh, yeah, like I just had a Zoom meeting for my housing where I'm living now, and I'm in an owner corporation, and they've told us the insurance will go up 20% this year. And, uh, and that's just the realities and Can't change it, just got to wear it. And you're not going to go in life and not have radically insured yourself. And that's something else people need to consider in rural areas. Yeah, what is your actual house worth and what does the fine print actually say? You know. Yeah. And so in the Northern Territory example, in Katherine, um, I was taking a vehicle from New South Wales up there, but as soon as I crossed into the Northern Territory, it wasn't insured. They don't cover vehicles in Northern Territory. Once again, small small tip for young players. At the same time, then, water damage is water that falls from the sky, not water that rises out of the ground. And that's another, you know, the fine print. So you've really got to look at your insurance policies and understand that. Anyway, we're getting a lot of target. I'm a volunteer and we did some good recovery work. And, uh, yeah, I thought it was, uh, it was good that we could get involved and make a little bit of a difference to the people affected. Did we do enough? No, we didn't. Could we have done any more? Yes, we probably could. But as I said, everyone has to get back to their own lives. And, um, uh, you look, our priority was to look after our Lions Club members. We had some sort of members directly affected, and we tried to help them first and foremost because they're your friends and your family. And unless there's something else, is there's peer support, you know, there's extended families and neighbors and You know, that will always happen in rural areas, as it should happen in cities as well. But unfortunately, we just live in our shoeboxes in cities.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 43:21
So, and, and that's one, one of the things I think that makes the country areas very different, you know, that community aspect and, and that sharing it togetherness that, you know, knowing who your neighbors are. So I guess for those people who have moved to these areas in the last couple of years, uh, or probably 18 months, I guess, since lockdowns ended and flooded these small rural towns. You know, it's important for them not only to learn the ways, learn the history, get educated and ready, but also meet people. You know, join these groups, join these community groups as much as possible. And for the existing people, just, you know, put their head over the fence and meet their neighbors and talk and create these, you know, get involved. It's very different to being in the city. And it's to me, but what's coming out of all these conversations, Darren, is this need to connect, the need to talk, the need to share. And that's going to be the fabric of survival. Really in all of these different disasters that happen?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 44:37
Yeah, it's communication in every way possible through every medium and just making people aware that catastrophic days have some serious consequences if you don't start thinking about it a month before. You just can't turn the tap on and expect all those things to happen. You can contact the CFA, like I got involved in lots of other organizations in Myrtleford, but I just felt that I would stay within the Lions Club organizations. As I mentioned, my grandfather and father were in Rotarians, and I thought I'll be a Rotarian, but they meet every week, and I thought a fortnight meeting was enough for me. And in my 23 years in the club, there hasn't been many roles I haven't done. And then I've been involved with festivals and rodeos and all that sort of stuff, but Yeah, fundraising is a big part, and there's only a certain amount of money that people are prepared to allocate to charities and organizations. But getting people who are passionate and involved about their community— because, you know, Myrtleford is a wonderful place, and Alpine Shire, I should say. I should not continue to say Myrtleford because other people other than Myrtleford people will watch this podcast. And, uh, but, uh, I would say that Yeah, don't be a spectator. Get involved and be a lifter.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 45:56
Brilliant. Now, just— we're coming to a close shortly. I've got a final question for you. Looking back on the experiences you've had with the different bushfires, Darren, if there was one thing that you could say to someone who maybe is going through it or just has gone through it, like another natural disaster or bushfire, what's the one thing you'd say to them that could help them with their journey of recovery?
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 46:27
Communicate. Don't bottle it all up. Getting connected to the various organizations and agencies. Don't be proud to talk about it or shy. Don't think that you're weak or anything. Just accept that, yeah, depression is a real thing and it's accumulative. And yes, these events will stack on top of one another. We did some critical incident debriefing from our exposures to different stuff, but we're not professionals. But there are professionals offered at the end of these activities. But yeah, I would just say, yeah, stay connected to all the organizations in your community. And get involved with the ones you think suited to you, because not everyone's profile would necessarily match to the organizations available. But as I say, I just think, yeah, getting people in volunteering roles, you know, there's shows and there's lots of different events that they can get involved with. And once you get within one group, you'll find yourself migrating into other groups, and your network will become stronger. You'll have a bigger circle of friends and you'll enjoy life more.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 47:37
So wonderful. Yeah, great advice, uh, spoken from someone who's been through a lot, been there, done that many times. And you know, I love what you're doing with Lions and, um, all the different efforts that you've instigated and supported and helped with over the years. It's been— it sounds wonderful. It's great. Yeah.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 48:01
One other thing I'll just share with you, this doesn't need to be recorded, but because of the example of the Black Saturday bushfires and the money that was available, we as a Lions Club got a letter from a Melbourne Lions Club asking us to donate money for a house accommodation for families that went from rural areas to Melbourne for cancer treatments and other surgeries, 'cause it's quite expensive to go to Melbourne and be there for a week. Anyway, in the backdrop of that, one of our Lions members said that, well, hang on, my mother-in-law is going over to Albury-Wodonga and they're staying in motels. The need is not in Melbourne for us, it's actually on the border. So as I was secretary at the time, I'm not blowing my own trumpet here, but essentially I wrote a note to the zone meeting, which is the next level above club meeting, and saying that there's a need for a accommodation on the border. And anyway, that was then taken to a district meeting, and then I— and from that we grew and became involved in a project over in Albury-Wodonga, which was being sort of run by Fight Cancer Rotary and Zonta, which is a ladies' service club organization. And once we got the V6 Lions involved with 61 clubs, all of a sudden there was $200,000 found., and it got the money across the line. And now there's a 26-bed accommodation facility next to the Albury Cancer Hospital in Albury. And so our Lions Club was the one that sort of pioneered or championed that to the district. And, uh, and as you say, you know, have a good idea, bring it forward, and that's it. The willpower, you'll get it to happen. At the same time, my motivation was there because my father was going through cancer at the time. And, um, and, and then myself, I had a cancer journey and I stayed in accommodation at Peter Mac. And, you know, it's sort of— it's just, yeah, you know where the needs are and you know how to serve. And, um, yeah, so, yeah, Lions, all I can say is, if— great organization. And same as Rotary, same as Apex, same as all the service clubs. Um, just get involved and be part of it.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 50:10
Yeah, brilliant. Love what you're doing. Thank you so much, Darren. It's been a pleasure talking with you, and I, I love your energy and everything that you've been doing and what you're all about. It's great, really, really inspiring and very positive. So thank you. Thanks for joining me today.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 50:26
Yeah, well, thanks for the work you're doing too, Evelyn, with Ian and others.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 50:30
You're very welcome. Thanks. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes with the Alpine Bushfires Special Series. Please like and share the show to your friends so we can get this out to even more people. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please reach out using the contact details below and join us for our next hero story. Until then, keep being you and remember that we are all heroes grows in our own unique way. Only when it's broken, only when it's broken, when it hits you in the middle of the night and the truth burns so bright, only when it's broken. Only when it's broken. Take pride in those cries, it's only for tonight, and then you rise.
Darren Murphy (Guest) · 51:42
Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
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