Cherry Gardens Bushfire

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (15:28): Mr Speaker, as you know, the Cherry Gardens fire, which ignited on the afternoon of 24 January 2021, burnt at least 2,700 hectares and destroyed two houses, 19 buildings and two vehicles. It was deliberately lit and only extinguished through the dedication of CFS brigades from across the Hills and the state and after heavy rain. I wish to acknowledge and record in this place the extraordinary work of volunteers and local businesses who assisted the Hills community in the course of the fire.

At Mount Barker Oval, Kerry Hunt, founder of Hills Horse Evacuate Support, assisted by Annalise Johnston, Bek Smith, Katie Ann Chandler and members of the community, established a refuge for horses and livestock. I am deeply thankful for their quick thinking, experience and commitment to the health and welfare of livestock and, of course, livestock owners. I also wish to acknowledge and thank the many local businesses and community groups who rallied to assist at the oval, including X Convenience, Pizza Giovanni, Cafe Acqua, Mount Barker Lions Club, From The Butler's Pantry, Flint Community Care, the SES and the Red Cross. It is also right to record and thank a farmer who drove from Mannum to deliver stock feed and slept in his car.

The risk of fire is deep in the psyche of my community. We are also still recovering from the Cudlee Creek fire. It is for this reason that the Cherry Gardens fire naturally raised anxiety levels and caused very deep concern, as of course you are well aware, Mr Speaker, the fire having impacted your community heavily too. As the member for Davenport, Steve Murray, rightly observed, the fire started, as members will recall, in Cherry Gardens in his electorate.

We often talk about the scale of losses in a bushfire and not the protection offered by the CFS. In this fire, it is estimated that the CFS saved 60 homes. This is extraordinary and deeply appreciated. I want to thank the member for Davenport, the member for Heysen and the member for Mayo for their local leadership and the Premier and the Minister for Emergency Services for being immediately available and committed to the recovery effort in Cherry Gardens and before this in Cudlee Creek and other areas of the state very badly impacted last year.