William, Anne and Kaye Noonan in the remains of the shearing shed on their property, Morago, which fronts Mates Gully Road near Tarcutta and was hit by Tuesday’s firestorm. Picture: DAILY ADVERTISER
TARCUTTA might have escaped the full impact of Tuesday’s fire emergency but the sight of properties along Mates Gully Road to the village’s north told the tale of devastation.
Anne Noonan was at work when she got the call her parents’ and grandparents’ properties along Mates Gully Road were in the line of fire.
“I just ran out,” she said.
“As I was coming down Mates Gully Road the fire was on both sides.”
A shearing shed was lost at Ms Noonan’s parents’ property along with more than 80 per cent of its fencing, while large swaths have been reduced to nothing but scorched earth.
But she and her family have vowed to rebuild despite conceding it could take years.
“It could have been a lot worse than it was,” she said.
“Everything will grow back and fences can be replaced.”
No lives or homes were lost but the fire burned out more than 1600 hectares of farming land and it is too early to tell what price stock and cattle in the area have paid.
Ms Noonan believed all stock and cattle were accounted for at this stage.
She had 15 minutes to prepare for the inferno.
“I just turned on some hoses, grabbed the animals and opened the gates so the cattle could move,” she said.
She was still shaken yesterday as she came to terms with the ordeal.
“It certainly caught me by surprise but it’s always in the back of your mind that something could happen on a day like Tuesday,” she said.