Darcy Fogarty has thrown his support behind the State Government SA Bushfire Appeal after he and his family were directly impacted by the recent Keilira Bushfire in the South-East.

While recording a short video message urging South Australians to dig deep and donate to a very worthy cause, the Lucindale product reflected on his own experience, which started on December 30 last year.

The clock had just ticked past midday on what seemed another typical hot summer’s day.

Darcy was in Robe, on SA’s Limestone Coast, preparing for New Year’s celebrations with his brother Tom, when an alarming phone call came through.

“You need to get back to the farm.”

His mother Jackie was passing on the message from her partner Greg, who was back on the family farm facing a fast-approaching fire front.

Darcy and Tom immediately jumped in their ute and began the 80-kilometre journey, having little idea of what they were about to drive into.

It was only when they neared their hometown that the magnitude of the disaster became evident. 

“It was pretty scary. It was my first fire, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Darcy said. 

“Me and my brother got to a spot in the road where there were trees growing on one side and there were tyres there to support them, so smoke from that was thick as. 

“We had to cross there and as we went through, the fire was on each side of the road, roaring up.

“Where we were, probably three kms away, the smoke looked like it was right on top of the house.

“We thought we were in a bit of strife.”

One of the most dangerous aspects of a bushfire is the radiant heat it releases, which the Country Fire Service describes as “the main cause of people dying in a bushfire”.

For Darcy, the feeling of intense heat infiltrating their vehicle was the “scariest time” of the whole ordeal.

“The fire was probably seven metres each side of us so to feel the heat from that through the car was crazy,” he said.

“You see it coming through the scrub, and if the wind changes and it comes back on top of you, there’s nothing you can do. When the fire’s going forward there’s nothing you can do.

“You can’t stand in front of it because it’s moving that quickly. It’s pretty crazy.”

When Darcy and Tom finally arrived at the farm, they were relieved to discover the family home was still intact despite thick smoke billowing everywhere and multiple fire units on site.

“It (the fire) probably ended up getting about 500 metres away, so we got pretty lucky in the end,” Darcy said. 

“We rocked up and all the fire units were there, heaps of farmers helping out (and) volunteering. It was crazy to see the support.”

The community spirit was overwhelming, with local farmers rallying around one another during the bushfire.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Darcy said. 

“You’ve got strangers rocking up in utes with water tanks, they just go out. They’re putting their ute and themselves at danger just to try and help you save your farm and save your house. It’s a pretty selfless thing that everyone does.

“It’s easy enough just to stay at home and look after your own property, but for 20-odd people to rock up and try and save yours, it’s a pretty special thing.”

When it comes to expressing gratitude for the support received, he said it was a near-impossible task. 

Although Darcy is more than willing to repay the kindness, he hopes he will never have to.

“I don’t reckon you can (truly say thank you),” he said.

“You can say thanks as much as you want but until push comes to shove, you can’t actually show that you’re willing to do the same.”

Once the bulk of the fire was gone, Darcy and Tom spent the next two days driving around the property in a ute, extinguishing any embers or spot fires which started. 

It was 48 hours of being on constant alert, dousing tree stumps and little sparks which posed threats of triggering new grass fires. 

“There were two days where fires lit up, and the first day we were just driving around trying to stop all the grass fires when it’s out on an open flat,” Darcy said.

“The second day we were just keeping an eye on it so it didn’t light back up.

“To experience what goes on and know how the fire works, it’s just crazy for what they’re going through (in disaster zones like Kangaroo Island).  

“The hoses on the back of people’s utes aren’t strong enough, so unless the fire trucks are there with a little bit of pressure and that foam stuff they use, she’s near impossible to pull it up straight away.”

With recovery efforts ongoing in Lucindale, the emerging Crow missed Adelaide’s first two training sessions this year, granted additional leave to assist on the farm. 

“I rang Nicksy before we had to come back and asked if I could stay back and help out for a couple of days. He didn’t even think twice about it, he just let me, which is really good,” Darcy said. 

“Greg appreciated it heaps, because it’s just an extra set of hands on the farm that make things go a lot quicker.

“For them to do that for me was unreal.”

The Keilira Bushfire destroyed approximately 2,500 acres of Darcy’s family farm, with close to 100 livestock animals perishing or having to be put down from their injuries. 

The next steps involve rebuilding fencing, replacing the destroyed feed and waiting for the rain to replenish the feed to allow some livestock to return to the burned areas of the farm.

About the SA Bushfire Appeal

The State Government’s SA Bushfire Appeal is raising much-needed funds for South Australians directly affected by the recent bushfires on Kangaroo Island and in the Adelaide Hills – and everyone is encouraged to give generously.

100 per cent of money raised will go directly to the community in need – there are no administration costs.

For more information on the SA Bushfire Appeal, go to sa.gov.au/bushfireappeal or facebook.com/sabushfireappeal

About the Keilira Bushfire

The Keilira Bushfire was started by dry lightning and burned more than 25,000 hectares.

It destroyed three properties, with one being occupied and the other two being unused farmhouses.  Of equally significant impact, the fire destroyed approximately 2,000+ bales of hay, hundreds of kilometres of fencing, up to 400 head of cattle and 3,000 sheep.

On January 10, Tony Pasin, the MP for Barker, announced that the Federal Government’s Disaster Recovery Payment and Disaster Recovery Allowance have been extended to now include the Kingston local government area.