Geraldton mother and bushfire victim Gail Holmes says kindness of fireys, community has shone through darkness

The bushfire that tore through the community last week turned life on its head for many locals, but for Gail Holmes and her eight-year-old daughter Harper it is a personal nightmare that still feels unreal. Ms Holmes had been at work when she heard about the fire emergency on Sunday, November 30. Like many others, the childcare worker at first assumed the blaze was distant and under control. Early reports suggested the fire had been contained. But those hopes quickly vanished. Smoke thickened, the wind turned, the power went out and after a short time the police told her to evacuate her Waggrakine home immediately. She said the moment was frightening — she remembered seeing flames from a distance that were the height of two power poles stacked on top of each other. With no time to think, Ms Holmes grabbed her family members, pets and whatever she could before ushering Harper into the car. All she cared about was getting her daughter to safety. At the evacuation centre in town, Ms Holmes felt completely lost. Updates were slow and for a while she believed they had dodged a bullet. However, when the news came she described it as a punch in the chest. A neighbour phoned her and said firefighters were breaking down her front door because the flames had entered through the roof, they were putting their hoses in and flooding her home. Her knees went weak at that point. After the fire subsided, she was eventually granted a brief visit to the property. From the street the house still stood, tricking her eyes into believing the damage might not be so severe. But as she stepped closer she was hit with an overpowering smell. She said it was the thickest mix of smoke, ash and water she had ever breathed in and it clung to her clothes and skin. Inside, the truth was devastating. Christmas decorations she had lovingly put up with Harper were melted or warped. A favourite Santa she had owned for years was gone. She said she instantly regretted decorating so early because seeing those twisted pieces cut far deeper than she ever expected. Among the rubble she found a section of her own ceiling that had collapsed. On it, written in marker by firefighters, was a brief message of compassion. “We are so sorry that we could not save your house. All the best from all the firies.” Ms Holmes said that note will stay with her forever. It showed the humanity of people who had already risked everything for strangers. In a lovely community gesture, Harper later met the fire crews involved in saving what they could. She got to sit inside the big engine and handed them a drawing of thanks. Vouchers were given to help the family, with several firefighters paying out of their own pocket. Ms Holmes said their kindness helped her breathe again. She said she now jumped at the sound of sirens but she also knew the people behind those sirens were the reason her daughter was safe. She said she hoped they realised how grateful the community was and how deeply their efforts mattered. “I don’t know what the next couple of weeks are going to be like. Harper doesn’t understand what’s happened, she keeps asking if Santa is still coming, she keeps asking questions I am finding it hard to answer. She’s so young, she doesn’t understand Christmas is going to be to be very different this year,” Ms Holmes said. “She knows there was a fire, but she’s not seen it. All she knows is that we are not home and she feels insecure. “I feel the family has been thrown into chaos, my boy has a disability and is now stuck down south. It’s not right for him to come up, he wouldn’t cope and we literally don’t have anywhere for him to stay. I just can’t articulate what help would look like.” The news that 11-year-old boys had been charged on suspicion of lighting the fire hit hard for Ms Holmes. She said she simply wanted justice, not a gentle warning that teaches nothing. Ms Holmes said the alleged culprits should stand in the ruins, smell the ash and see the melted toys and decorations. She said they should face the adults and emergency workers who risked their lives. She said they should help clean debris in a safe way and witness what was taken from families. Only then, Ms Holmes said, might they understand the damage they allegedly caused. “My daughter is younger than them, she knows right from wrong — you can’t tell me they didn’t know exactly what could happen,” she said. A GoFundMe launched by her colleagues to help Ms Holmes and Harper recover and rebuild has begun gathering support, with more than $6000 raised so far. To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gail-rebuild-after-the-geraldton-fires