The roads to Omeo were closed as fires surged towards the small East Gippsland town.

Locals retreated to the Recreation Reserve to camp in outbuildings and halls clustered around the football field.

Then out of the heavy smoke, birds appeared, Chinooks and Black Hawks offering an escape to some of the community.

This is the final episode of Season One of From the Embers, a nine-part series sharing first-hand accounts from Australia’s devastating summer of fire. 

Guests: 

• Natalie O’Connell
• Leonie Pendergast
• Ann Peterson
• Dennis and Jill Riethmiller
• Graeme Symons

Credits:

• Producer: Anne Wall
• Additional assistance Alice Ansara and Lisa Burns
• Executive Producer and Sound Design: Sarah Mashman
• Production Management Team: Vicky Rouse and Abe Killian
• Engineering: Tegan Nichols
• Script Consultation: Zoe Ferguson
• Theme: Oliver Beard

This podcast has been brought to you by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, and is supported by The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas and The Paul Ramsay Foundation

 

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