18 January 2003 firestorm - Mount Stromlo stories

Kim Rawlings

It was a January like every other, Vince and I had the National Youth Science Forum and Science Teachers Summer School groups touring Stromlo. We worked on three nights the week before the fire, watching the plumes of smoke in the distant Brindibella’s grow night by night. Little observing was possible because of the smoke (I commented to Vince that during these ‘summer fires’ I had never before experienced ash blowing into my eyes - a very uncomfortable feeling). Nevertheless our groups left happy after a stimulating lecture and tour of Stromlo’s main telescopes.

On Saturday 11th January, we had our last night at the 74inch telescope finalising our MultiViewer program for it’s grand launch on February 7th. Although smoke was obvious in the distance, it was not unusual for this time of year in that area, so no-one worried. It was a successful night imaging spectacular astronomical objects and I remember clearly looking at a superb Saturn through the Multi-viewer – tragically, it was to be the final time light was observed through the majestic 74inch.

Friday 17th was a normal working day, then in the afternoon Vince called to tell me that the staff on the mountain had been told to secure their offices as there was a possibility of a fire coming through on Sunday. I immediately felt sick, as I remembered horror stories of the ‘great fire of 1952’. But I was thinking fire, NOT firestorm! Hoping the prediction was wrong (and quietly confident that it would be so) I reassured Vince and put the phone down.

Saturday morning came and off we went to the Museum of Australia for the Leunig exhibition. We came out of the building at 2:30pm to see the most horrifying sky we had ever seen in our lives. We had watched the fires the year before from the same place but this scene was much, much worse. The sky was a mix of blood red and dirty brown smoke, billowing straight overhead. It was frightening. Vince turned to me and the look on his face said it all – he knew it looked very bad for Stromlo and I knew he was right. We then heard the warnings over the radio and drove home.

Then the panic began.

We spent the rest of the weekend glued to the TV and listening to the ABC trying to hear SOMETHING about Stromlo but nothing was said. Vince paced back and forth in our lounge-room like an expectant father, extremely tense and frustrated. I tried to ring Graeme and Laura who lived on the mountain, but of course couldn’t get through. I then rang ANU Security on campus who had recent contact with Graeme and told me everyone was safe. But what of Stromlo itself? We were both so panic stricken at this stage, however Vince was absolutely lost. I believe he felt in his heart that Stromlo was gone but I couldn’t accept this so I kept ringing friends who lived in the Weston Creek area, trying to get some good news.

Then the ABC said the RSPCA was gone and so was part of the AFP Complex and houses in Chapman and Duffy. We knew Stromlo was in the middle of these, how could it not have been burnt Vince said over and over again, but I just could not admit that it was gone. No. Vince was right, Stromlo had no hope. We spent all Saturday night not knowing for sure.

Early Sunday morning John Norris rang with the shocking news, and when the TV showed images of Stromlo, reality hit. It hit hard. And it hurt.

Then the media blitz began; Vince’s media contacts were ringing practically non-stop from 5am until well after midnight every day for at least the next fortnight.

Twelve months on, the site is still very hard to cope with. My first visit after the fire was so completely devastating to me – no photos can describe what I saw that day. The smell was unforgettable, the scene was truly one of the saddest in my life, the feeling of loss was as deep as can be, I was horrified. When I first glimpsed my beloved 74inch I cried and cried. Just looking at the dome was difficult. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was too horrible.

Vince was stunned by what he saw yet appeared so professional while walking around the site after the fire, but I knew how deeply he was hurting. After all, he had been a big part of Stromlo for 38 years when the fire came. And Stromlo was and still is a special part of his life. He feels the loss every day, as many of us do. We will always remember the “old” Stromlo, and confidently look forward to “bigger and better” astronomy with the new one.