Thank you Warren.
Very tragic situation. . I lived and worked in South Australia from '69 to '83. . Three of our sons were born there. . Wonderful country & people.
Got to know a terrific family in Adelaide whose family roots are on Kangaroo Island, just a few miles offshore, one of the country's largest islands.
In '85 their daughter, Josie, married a sheep farmer, John, from K.I. and so she moved to the island where her father, uncles, aunts, grandparents had been born. . Last week, John and Josie lost their home, farm, sheep, vehicles, everything, to the fires, but they themselves and children were safe.
Last time I saw John and Josie was 5 years ago when they came to visit us here. . We keep in touch. . We are very much feeling their losses and the losses of the country that we grew to love as our second home. . One of our IAP members, Robutacion, lives at Mt. Compass on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide and just a few miles across the strait from K.I. . You can be sure he is "feeling the heat". . Some fires have been burning for many weeks in the hill country not far from Mt. Compass and the city of Adelaide. . Another IAP member, PenPal, already mentioned above, lives in Canberra, the country's capital city. . Canberra is heavily affected by the huge fire zone just to its east and south from which news reports come to us daily, if not hourly. . We have quite a number of members living in or close to those areas. . It is so hard for me to hear some prominent citizens in all parts of North America (and elsewhere) play down the threats, and now even the evident ravages, of climate change.