World War II on the Home Front with More Bushfires

There may not have been any serious bushfires in northern New South Wales in 1941, but by the end of the following year the local authorities were gearing up for another big fire season.

Bush Fire Prevention

Police, Shire Council to Form Bush Brigades

Members of Murwillumbah police force and Tweed Shire Council were appointed at a public meeting at Murwillumbah yesterday as a central bush fire brigade control committee to organize the formation of bush fire brigades at all country centres throughout the Murwillumbah police patrol. It was emphasized that it was intended that the organization should be permanent and not merely for the duration of the war.

 

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Sat 21 Nov 1942 Page 2

Bush Fire Prevention

The Winter of 1943 was very cold and dry on the northern rivers of New South Wales and the farmers knew it would be an early start to the fire season. By the middle of September, their fears had been realized.

Fires in the South Arm Area

Several bushfires were burning last night in the Kunghur, Terragon and Midginbjl districts.

So far they have not caused any serious damage, the burnt country being mostly bladey grass and rubbish. but it was stated last right that if a strong wind sprang up today the fires would be likely to menace valuable property. After recent rain, a number of farmers lit fires to burn off rubbish on their properties and some of these got out of control when fanned by a strong wind.

The strongest gale for nine years blew at Kunghur last Saturday, causing the fires to leap from tree to tree. One big fire burning from Byrrill Creek towards Blue Knob was reported last night to be only two miles from Kunghur village in the direction of Kyogle. A number of men were fighting this blaze last night in an effort to prevent it from getting out of hand if a strong wind rises today.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Wed 22 Sep 1943 Page 2 FIRES IN SOUTH ARM AREA

 

South Arm Fires Out of Control

Driven by the worst gale experienced for years, bushfires raging throughout the Upper South Arm area were out of control last night, stated a late report from Kunghur.

Two farm homesteads on the Kunghur-Mount Burrell Road, those of Mr. Arthur Baxter and Mr. C. McMahon, were being menaced and firefighters were standing by to put out sparks and bits of burning timber whirled on to the buildings by the strong wind.

No injury to persons or stock losses were reported.

At Mr. McMahon’s property cattle were herded for safety into a small paddock near the home.

A fire also was burning fiercely on Mr. C. T. Grant’s Mt. Burrell farm. Practically the whole of Mt, Burrell was alight and fires were raging along the Kyogle Road. Another fire was racing towards the Nimbin Road, while a fire at Byrrill Creek was sweeping towards Kunghur and was expected to link with the fire in McMahon’s farm. A new fire broke out yesterday at Kunghur Creek, and at the top of Perch Creek last night a big fire was sweeping through the back of a number of properties, including

those of Messrs R. A. Clark, E. W. Roberts, and W H Smith. A fire also appeared to be burning at Terragon, the report added.

60 Miles an Hour Gusts

Efforts made on Tuesday night to minimize the danger of the fires breaking out again were reduced to naught when a terrific gale sprang up about. 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon. Old residents said it was the worst they could remember, some of the gusts being estimated at 60 miles an hour.

The wind fanned the smouldering fires and they quickly began to sweep onward, burning valuable grassland.

Last night, it was stated, the glow of fires lit the countryside at Kunghur as brightly as moonlight.

If the weather does not change: it is expected that thousands of acres of grassland will be burnt.

A later report at midnight stated that fresh fires were springing up in many directions, apparently as the wind whipped smouldering logs into flame. The wind was still as fierce as ever. Some telephone lines were out of commission, apparently due to the wires having been crossed by the wind or being broken down by falling limbs.

The countryside in the district is extremely dry. The rainfall so far this year has amounted to only 21.55 inches, the lowest for 20 years.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Thu 23 Sep 1943 Page 2

SOUTH ARM FIRES OUT OF CONTROL

South Arm fires Under Control

All the Bushfires in the Upper South Arm area were under control early last night, according to a report from the Kunghur correspondent of the Tweed Daily.

The strong gale which blew on Wednesday night dropped about 2 a.m. yesterday the gangs of firefighters were able to burn breaks. Women and children assisted the men in the early morning to get the job done quickly in case the gale sprang up again. The day was comparatively calm and the opinion was expressed that unless a further heavy gale occurred the position was safe.

Mr. C. McMahon. a farmer on the Kunghur-Mount Burrell road, was the heaviest sufferer, losing about 400 acres of’ grassland including 300 acres of a 316-acre block and 100 acres of a 640-acre block and 100 acres of a 640-acre in the same vicinity, also had a fairly large area of grassland burnt

So far as is known, the fires at Perch Creek did not cause a great deal of damage.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Fri 24 Sep 1943 Page 2

SOUTH ARM FIRES UNDER CONTROL

Google Images-Australian Rural Firefighters-2020

The following November 1944 saw everyone on edge over bushfires and it looked as if it was going to be serious.

Destruction By Bushfire at Kunghur

A bushfire at Kunghur, started when a tree was struck by lightning nearly a fortnight ago, has caused some trouble for a week, and during the weekend many men were busy controlling it. About 100 acres of grass and valuable fences and gates have been destroyed.

The tree which started the fire was struck on Mr. C. M. McMahon’s property and spread through bladey grass and shrubbery along the Nimbin road.

Losses have not been heavy, and the work of the fire-fighters of the area has been directed towards confining the fire to Mc Mahon’s property. Some standing timber was burnt, and the dead trees caused blazes that lit up the countryside for miles each night.

The flames had died down largely by last night, though the smoke nuisance was unpleasant.

Yesterday the thermometer at Kunghur post office reached 103 degrees but it is doubtful whether the fires contributed towards this degree of heat. On Sunday, when the fire was a little worse, the temperature reached only 100 degrees.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Tue 21 Nov 1944 Page 2

Destruction By Bushfire at Kunghur

By the end of 1945, the war had ended and all the young men returned home to take up farming again. However, they had hardly set foot on home soil when the fires broke out early.

Grass Fire Spreads at Byrrill Ck.

A grass and brush fire’ started at Byrrill Creek yesterday afternoon and

last night was reported to be spreading rapidly.

The area, particularly involved was that leased by Mr. Arthur Baxter from

Mr. Harry Solomon.

If the fire was not brought under control by this morning approximately

 3000 acres of grassland in the Byrrill Creek-Kunghur area would be threatened, stated the Kunghur correspondent of The Tweed Daily.

Many cattle agisted in the area would be in danger if the fire was not controlled today and the owners of the cattle were advised to check up, in their own interests, early this morning, to ensure removal of their cattle from any area immediately threatened.

A small party of volunteers went to the outbreak,, but due to the dryness of the country and the wind then blowing it would be practically impossible to control the fire last night, added the correspondent.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Fri 2 Aug 1946 Page 2

Grass Fire Spreads at Byrrill Ck.

 

The Upper South Arm farmers believed it was now time they banded together to have their own brigade and equipment close by when needed. Accordingly, a meeting was held in the Kunghur Hall on the 17th of August.

There was good support and Arthur Baxter was elected as President of the Fire Brigade Committee. A neighbour, Richard Jarrett was elected as Secretary with another neighbour, George Walters elected as Fire Captain. The McMahon’s who had been burned out on previous occasions during the war had sold up and retired to Murwillumbah. George Walters had purchased their farm on the Upper South Arm at Kunghur.

The farmers on the Upper South Arm felt more secure now that they had their own brigade and equipment close by. James Arthur (Jim) Baxter, Arthur’s only son also joined the brigade, when he returned from war service. He was a member for over fifty years, many of which he served as Fire Captain.

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World War II Experiences on the Home Front- Bushfires

Halfway through 2019, the topic of conversation among friends, family, and neighbours was ‘the drought’ and how it’s protracted nature was bringing so many close to ruin. Everyone was looking for those Spring showers and early storms. However, they didn’t arrive and within days there was only one thing on everyone’s mind – ‘the fires’.

For us, the fires began in August. A farmer several kilometres away was burning off when gale-force winds sprung up and drove the fire directly towards us. Within the hour the fire had raced through several kilometres of bushland and was threatening several homes near us. Fortunately, we had the Rural Fire Brigades, water-bombing planes and many friends and neighbours with fire- fighting equipment all throwing everything at the raging fire. They were finally successful in defending our homes and properties and brought it under control. We were the lucky ones. Over the next weeks and months, others to the north and south of us lost everything- homes, businesses and even lives.

We had bushfires through the area in 1993 when several neighbours  lost sheds and outbuildings as well as pastures, but none of us could compare that fire to what we faced in August.

That week in August was a defining moment in our lives which changed everything.

 

Our bushfire scare brought to mind my maternal grandparents, Arthur and Harriet May Baxter, who were farmers on the South Arm of the Tweed River in northern New South Wales. I had heard family stories and I knew they had come close to losing their home to bushfires in the 1940s.

I talked to the only living member of the family, my mother’s youngest sister, who was only a child at the time, but she could still recall the frightening experience. She could not recall how many times but knew it was more than once and it was during World War II when all the young men of the district, including her brother, were away at war. That left the older men, women, and children to fight the fires.

A search of the local newspapers on Trove on the National Library of Australia website gave me more details of these fires. The first was in 1940.

 

Fires Rage In South Arm Area – Pastures Burnt Over Wide Area

The period of extremely dry weather experienced by the Tweed and Richmond districts for the past six months culminated yesterday in a serious outbreak of fire which destroyed valuable pastures over a wide area between Uki and Nimbin.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) ,Tue 5 Nov 1940 Page 2 , Fires Rage In South Arm Area

Extensive Damage from Fires

Grassland and Timber Destroyed at South Arm

Considerable damage was caused to grassland, fencing, timber, and roads from the grass and bushfires which raged through sections of the South Arm district on Monday and yesterday. Last night, while sections were still burning, it was stated that they were being watched carefully, and were under control. The southerly wind yesterday assisted the firefighters, who had been kept hard at work for many hours. Women helped the men at the arduous work.

The Tweed district has been enveloped in smoke since Monday, and the nearby hills have been practically obscured from view. The fires ravaged an area from Lilian Rock on the Kyogle Road to Uki, a distance of about 15 miles, and spread for varying distances from the road, through valuable pastures and timber. Some homesteads were endangered, but all were saved.

On Monday, after a report from the burning area, First-Class Constable McDonald and Constable  Fullwood, of Murwillumbah, and the Shire Engineer (Mr. A. L. Hornman) motored to Nimbin and Lillian Rock, where they met Constable Griffen, of Nimbin.

The trip to Lillian Rock and back to Murwillumbah by the police party was most uncomfortable, and at times hazardous, as the fire raged on both sides of the road and big trees were falling.

Clearing Roads

The party was expected back in Murwillumbah shortly after 1 o’clock yesterday morning, but it was not until after 5 o’clock that it was able to get through. The members were compelled ‘to clear the ‘road of fallen timber at frequent intervals, and at one point a large bloodwood, three feet in diameter, blocked their progress for some hours.

While some members walked through the blackened country for about three miles for a saw, one of the police officers set to work to cut through the big log.

Shire employees with a caterpillar tractor were sought to haul the timber off the road, and the gang was kept busy for many hours clearing a path for many other cars that were held up on various parts of the road.

With timber burning on both sides of the road throughout yesterday, many other trees fell and gangs will be employed to-day clearing the road. In places, the heat of the fires, which encroached to the sides of the road and the burning timber caused extensive damage to the bitumen surfacing.

Valuable Grassland Destroyed

It was estimated last night the fires had swept through at least 500 acres of grassland, and unless early rain falls the position in the South Arm district will be serious. Already there has been considerable movement of stock to the reaches of the river where more feed is available, while some owners have sought agistment in other parts of the Tweed district.

There were further outbreaks of fire yesterday and a close watch had to be maintained by owners, but it was stated last night that the position was well in hand. The fires raged throughout the day on Monday and many homesteads in the South Arm area were menaced.

The fire even encroached to within a short distance of the Church of England building at Kunghur, but was kept in check before any damage was done.

Traffic on the road between Uki and  Nimbin was dislocated on Monday through burning trees falling across, but little difficulty was experienced yesterday in getting through. No reports of serious damage to property have yet been received, although, fencing on many farms has been burnt. It was earlier reported that a house and outbuildings owned by Mr. C. Way at Byrrill Creek had been destroyed, but this was contradicted last night. It was stated that the fire got to within a short distance of the buildings but the firefighters managed to get it under control in time.

Fires in Forest

A thick, smoke haze could be seen over the Mebbin forestry area, but it has not been ascertained whether there has been any serious damage. Firefighters battled for six hours in the Whian forestry area on Monday night to get a big blaze under control.

It was stated last night that there were many blackened areas in the Midginbil, Kunghur and Mt. Burrell areas. where practically every available man helped to fight the fires on Monday.

A number of farm buildings was endangered when the fires, aided by a strong wind, ran swiftly through the pastures. In the Kunghur area, the blaze had to be fought to save the properties of Messrs. A. Baxter, C. McMahon and W. H. Taylor.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Tue 12 Nov 1940 Page 2 Destruction Of 3,000 Acres

A young man was charged with arson under the Careless Use of Fire Act (1912). When all the evidence was laid out, none of the farmers chose to prosecute him.

The full story can be found here.

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 – 1949) Thu 14 Nov 1940 Page 8 Youth Fined £52 On Careless Use of Fire Act Charges

That was the first but not the last of the fires on the Home Front during World War II.