Hidden Heroes of the Ash Wednesday Fires
On 16 Feb 1983 the Ash Wednesday bushfires ravaged much of Victoria including the Otway Ranges and the Western District. Geoff Hall was an engineer working for the Field Engineering South West Section of the then Telecom Australia in Geelong and part of his role was as an Emergency Services Liaison Officer (ESLO).
Both the fires fell within scope of his Field Engineering South West Section and they were involved in setting up emergency phone lines during the crisis and the subsequent restoration work. The Section was awarded a Certificate of Merit which hung outside the Supervising Engineer’s office. When the section was disbanded in a later reorganisation, Geoff was the Supervising Engineer so he kept the award for safe keeping. He never was able to find an appropriate home for it and so he has kindly donated it to the Geelong Historical Society for safekeeping and recognition of the work done by so many in very dangerous conditions.
On 16 February 1983 the Ash Wednesday bushfires ravaged much of Victoria including the Otway Ranges and the Western District.
Planning for disaster management at that time was known as DISPLAN and was based on Country Fire Authority (CFA) regions with the DISPLAN coordinator being the Superintendent of police. His role was to coordinate the various authorities that would have a role in the management of any disaster. These bodies included the police, local government, CFA, water and power authorities, Red Cross, Education Department and Telecom Australia. Regular coordination meetings were held and exercises conducted before each fire season.
Whilst each authority had its own communications arrangements (radio or landlines at that time) Telecom Australia’s role was to provide any additional communications facilities needed during and after a disaster. Pre-planned lines were installed in strategic locations (eg public halls) and these would be activated as required. Telecom Australia’s South West Field Engineering Section was responsible for the area west from Little River to the South Australian border so was involved in both the Otway Ranges fires and Western district fires.
During the afternoon and evening of 16 February numerous requests for addition lines were actioned. Sadly at this time Telecom Australia lost a lineman who was trapped by the fast-moving fire on the road between Lorne and Colac. Additional lines were requested and provided at the Aireys Inlet fire station late afternoon only for the fire station itself to be burnt down later that evening.
After the fires were controlled, massive areas had been burnt out and many powerlines destroyed. Whilst the small rural exchanges had back-up batteries they were never designed for long power outages. All these exchanges survived the fires (some with a bit of scorching) but needed an alternative source of power so petrol generators were brought in. These were supposedly not meant to be operated on a day of total fire ban but sanity prevailed and the small exchanges surrounded by burnt out paddocks continued to provide service.
Telecom Australia had installed much of its network underground but many above ground access points were destroyed. In places where aerial cable had been used because of the terrain (eg along the Great Ocean Road) it, along with the poles that carried it, was totally destroyed.
It was a massive task to restore the network but was eventually accomplished. When Telecom Australia’s management did their in-depth review of the disaster, they saw fit to award this Certificate of Merit to the Field Engineering South West Section where it hung outside the Supervising Engineer’s office until the section was disbanded in a reorganisation.
