After introductions, they set to work. Justin surveyed the lie of the land, the water sources and the bush. Then they set about clearing and burning back the undergrowth to protect the buildings should a fire spread their way. It was hot and dusty work under a full, blazing sun. Despite their fight, Justin and Ben soon settled into the easy working routine that had developed between them over the years. Each knew exactly what the other was doing.
The volunteers proved to be hard workers, and Justin soon found himself falling into training mode: he didn’t just tell the men what to do, he explained why they were doing it.
‘Don’t ever underestimate the speed at which a fire can move, especially with a good wind behind it.’
‘And if we can’t get out of its way?’
‘Dave, right?’
The man who asked the question nodded.
‘Wherever you are, keep an eye open for a safety zone. Be aware of any water or gullies where you can seek refuge. And every homestead should have a safe place on standby. I can give you some advice for building one here, if you like.’
‘Thanks.’
‘And of course, it would be great if you joined the RFS volunteers here. Not just Dave, but all of you. The beast is bigger and stronger than a single man. But a community can beat it.’
The group nodded and Justin made a mental note to talk to Jake at the pub about following up their offer.
By mid-afternoon, the fire threat was looking a lot less. Except in one direction.
‘What’s over there?’ Justin pointed to a thick patch of scrub with a white building partially visible through the trees.
‘That’s the neighbour. You may know of her. Carol the koala lady,’ Dave offered.
Beside Justin, Ben stopped moving.
‘She looks after injured wildlife. We help her out when she needs it. I was planning to suggest it would be good for both her and us if we tidied her place up a bit today too.’
‘We don’t have time—’ Ben started to say.
Justin spoke over the top of him. ‘That’s a good idea. We’ll do that. In fact, Ben, why don’t you take a couple of guys over there and get started? The rest of us will follow when we are finished here.’
His brother looked daggers in his direction, but Justin knew he wouldn’t say anything. For all his problems, Ben was a professional. Justin nodded to a couple of the guys and they threw their tools into a farm ute. Ben swung into the back of it and they drove off.
***
The drive to Carol’s house took only a few minutes, but by the time they got there, Ben was running a full head of steam, most of it directed at his brother. How could Justin send him here, knowing how things stood between him and their mother? Was this some sort of punishment for getting drunk last night?
As the vehicle came to a stop in front of the weatherboard cottage with its crisp white paint, Ben’s thoughts drifted back to a cottage so very like this one. The paint on that cottage had been faded and peeling. That yard, not neatly mowed like this one. The garden, if you could call it that, around the house he’d grown up in had been unkempt and ugly. No flower beds, not even a swing set for two energetic boys. Inside the house had been as clean and tidy as possible with two boys, but the floors had been covered with cheap lino and the furniture had, as far as he could tell, all been second hand or very well used. They had been poor, with no money for treats or school outings or the like. But poor didn’t have to mean neglect or dishonesty. It didn’t excuse the lies.
As he jumped down from the back of the ute, a woman appeared from behind the house.
‘Hello,’ his mother said. Her face was white and her expression stiff. Part of him was glad that she was as put off by this unexpected meeting as he was.
‘Hi, Carol. How are you? Are the repairs we did on that wombat enclosure last month holding up?’ one of the two men with Ben said. They obviously knew and seemed to like the woman he could barely bring himself to face.
‘They’re great. Thanks again.’ Despite her reply to his companion, Carol hadn’t taken her eyes off Ben.
‘We’re here to help you clear a firebreak,’ the man continued. ‘Around the house and the cages. They’re saying this bushfire season is going to be a bad one.’
Carol nodded, her gaze never shifting from Ben’s face. ‘Did Justin send you?’
Ben was the only one who really understood that the question was aimed solely at him.
‘Yes,’ he answered abruptly. ‘He’ll be here shortly with some more help. We need to take a good look at the outside of the house.’ He strode off before she could answer.
He saw them as he rounded the corner of the house, three enclosures, each with a sunsail spread above for protection from the summer heat. Each enclosure had two sides made of corrugated iron and two of wire mesh. The enclosures were well thought out and well constructed. Inside, thick tree branches and parts of tree trunk provided homes for the occupants. He could see some of them. Koalas. Of course, Ben thought. There were always going to be koalas.
