For almost two weeks, Tom Sheather, 16, has been fighting to protect his family's Corryong dairy farm, alongside his dad, two brothers and friends.
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Together the family has been able to save the three houses on their land, but their dairy farm has been razed, five animals died, and another 15 were injured and sold.
"We've lost probably 80 to 90 per cent of our paddock and about 50 per cent of our silage is burnt," he said. "It makes things pretty hard.
"There's no words to describe it really, seeing the hills roaring with flames... it's an indescribable feeling to be honest.
"It's certainly not the school holiday I planned to have."
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On Saturday, from a burnt out paddock next to the airport, Tom watched as a C27J RAAF Spartan containing AusNet workers arrived.
The 16-year-old has always been interested in aviation, and is training to become a pilot, hoping one day to become a crop duster and water bomber pilot.
"Now I know what it's like to go through a fire it's made me want to pursue it even more," he said.
"There's been fairly regular water bombing in Corryong and our home is in between the airport and hill."
Tom said currently his family property was not at risk, but a lot of friends and family were still in the fire's path.