Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Pauline Cass on Gamba Grass and Cracker Night

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Pauline Cass on Gamba Grass and Cracker Night · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We all know that crack and night it's set to
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: happen well at the height of the fire season on
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: August twenty nine. Many people have raised concerns about that
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: date and the conditions which could be expected. Over the weekend,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: we saw fires in the rural area and some pretty
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: tough conditions for our firefighters and volunteers. Now joining me
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: on the line to talk more about the concerns for
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: locals in the rural area is Pauline Cass from the
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Gamber grass Roots Group. Good morning to.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: You, Pauline, Good morning Katie, Thank you.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: So much for your time. Firstly, what do you think
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: of Michael Gunn's announcement that August twenty nine would be
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: the date that we'd be able to let off fireworks.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: I think that having track and night in August is
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: pure insanity. You know where it's the driest time of
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: the year, it's already a high fire is time, and
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: to add fireworks into that mix of lots of long
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: dry Gamber grass every week and the dry conditions, it's
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: going to be chaos.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Pauline, I know that you live in Humpty do were
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: out in the rural area, and as I understand that
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: you were actually in a situation last year where you
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: came close to losing your house to a bush fire,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: didn't you.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Yes, not just me, but my neighbors as well. You know,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: I had the fire come under my back brand and
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: under the car port. The fire went under the neighbors
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: car port. We came very close to losing our homes
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: and it was only the quick hard work of the
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: volunteer firefighters and the professional firefighters that saved us. And
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: then the following week it seemed all the rest of
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Humpty Do burnt all around the golf course Pioneer Drive area.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: And that was Augus last year, when you know we
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: nearly locked homes right across Humpty Do. Really so they
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: were accidental buyers that started. You know, a spark from
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: a lawn mower or a welder or a grinder will
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: start a major fire accidentally at this time of year.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: And to think that there's going to be people's right
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: across the top end letting off fireworks, it's disastrous is
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: the only word that comes to mind to describe what's
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: going to happen.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Well, some of you must be feeling pretty frightened as
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: well at the very thought.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely and you know, one of one of the
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: big factors that is coming into play is the amount
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: of gamber that we have across the top end. Once
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: upon a time, we've had Guy Bauk's Night in November
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: in the territory, but we didn't have gamber grass then
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: like we do now. You know, you just have to
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: go for a drive around and you see the gamber
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: on people's properties, and Crown Land seems to have the
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: most gamber of ball. We were promised the Gamber Army
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: at the last territory election, which we had for one
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: wet season, and they were really focusing on the gamber
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: on Crown Land and National parks and reserves and doing
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: a fantastic job. But then we learned in the last
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: territory government budget that there's no more funding for the
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Gamber Army. So there's a lot of gamba that's not
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: getting managed and eradicated on government lands that then infests
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: our private properties and adds to the burden for us
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: as private property owners trying to manage our own gamber.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Pauline, I know that you are part of
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: the Gamber grass roots group. How are residents managing gamber
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: grass at the moment, and you know some of the
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: other fire threats, but well, mainly gamber grass that we
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: have in the rural area.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: At this time of year. The only thing we can
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: really do to manage our gamba is to try to
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: get it down so it's not stand But of course
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: flashing and mowing at this time of the year is
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: dangerous because the sparks if you hit a rock, will
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: start a fire. So for me personally, I've been out
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: there with a brushcutter and cutting it down with a brushcutter.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: In the wet season, you know, when the game is
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: actively growing, that's the time when people can spray it.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: It's also when the ground is is moist, so you
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: can pull it out by hand easier if it's only
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: a small clump. But at this time of year, really,
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: you know, the aim is to make sure you've got
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: your fire breaks in place and just try to knock
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: the gamber down any way you can. Some people drag
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: car tires behind their vehicles around their blocks to knock
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: it down, but just reducing the height helps to reduce
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: the height of the flames. And you know that the
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: speed that I will move.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: Through that I'm Pauline, I know even on Friday and
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: towards the end of last week, over the weekend as well.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: You know, we had even tough conditions when we talk
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: about about our bush fires out towards the rural area
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: and beyond. You know, what do you think could potentially
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: happen if we go ahead with the August twenty nine
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: dates to let off fireworks and you know the conditions
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: are not good. I know that obviously if a fireban
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: is put in place, people will not be allowed to
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: let those fireworks off. But there's still that concern, isn't there?
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Absolutely? I mean the fire that we saw on Friday
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: which continued on into the fash day in Humpty do
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: you know that was one fire. Imagine if there was
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: multiple of those fires happening all at once. You know,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: that fire at Humpty Do had all the brigades there
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: to fight because they were all needed, you know, and
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: the water bombers and stuff. But what if that fire,
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: like a similar fire was happening simultaneously in Humphy Doo,
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: in Howard Springs, in Palmerston, Holtz Marrack Kite like, do
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: we have the capacity in our fire brigade to handle
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: lots of those big fires? Simultaneously at a time when
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: it is so dry and windy.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: I think it's a very valid question to ask, Pauline.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: I mean, we are just twenty days away now from
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: that date when we are supposed to be able to
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: let those fireworks go. If the government is listening this morning,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: what is your message for them?
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Change the date, change the date and bring back the
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Gamber army.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Pauline Cass, I really appreciate you having a chat with
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: me this morning. Enjoy the rest of your week. We'll
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: talk to you again soon.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Katie, thank you.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: That's Pauline Cass there from the Gambit grassroots group. And yeah,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: I know that there's a lot of concern in the community,
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: particularly from those residents living out in the rural area
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: and beyond after a difficult weekend when it comes to
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: fighting those fires. Then when we look at that August
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: twenty nine date and letting off fireworks, plenty of us
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: really enjoy letting those fireworks off, but not if it's
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: at you know, not if it is going to see
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: a dangerous situation for residents. And as I said, I
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: know that people that live out in the rural area
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: and beyond are pretty concerned about it,