Athenry of Diggers Rest - A History with a Fiery End

In the early morning of Monday, 26th May 2014, a building of heritage and dispute was burned to the ground under suspicious circumstance.

Photo by Saskia Spahn of Athenry at the time of dispute

For over two months the fate of the building divided the community, while the Melton Council rejected an application from property owner DivCorp to demolish the house to make way for a roadway into a planned residential estate.

Photograph by Paul Stanley - Approximately 3:00 am Athenry burns

Why was the building important and what happened on that balmy Autumn night?

A History In Brief

Athenry  (Named after Athenry  of Ireland - meaning "Ford of the King") was designed by Englishman Albert Tame some time before 1935 to resemble a castle.  The house included medieval and nautical characteristics and it is believed adaptations Mr Tame made after the 1930s came from materials salvaged from the Edina, one of the longest serving steam vessels.

Photograph of the SS Edina 1854

The house was owned by the Kilgariff family from 1951, the house was sold in 2001 after years of drought and low wool prices and is now earmarked for demolition to make way for residential development. Mr. Mike Kilgariff was distinguished community gentleman being a former Mayor of Melton and President of the local Lions Club.

The house was vacant from that time.

The Dispute

The building was owned by DivCorp who submitted an application to demolish the house to make way for a roadway into a planned residential estate. However the council was denied access to the property by the owner to conduct a heritage assessment until early 2014.

Div Corp Pty Ltd, project manager Charlie Watson (a former Melton Councillor) said the house was beyond repair and inhabitable.  

Mr David Kilgariff, son of Mr. Mike Kilgariff, said that, “We need to retain some of the little history Diggers Rest has left.”

Some local residents took sides on the arguement and formed lobby groups to approach the Melton Council who then sort an amendment to the Victorian State planning scheme to protect the house.

The application was in progress when the building lit up the night sky. 

Eyewitness Accounts Of The Fire

Around 2:30 am, Monday 26 May, an unidentified lady drove pass Coimadai Road property to see flames lighting up the sky and threatening the surrounding trees. She immediately called 000 then, fearing for the safety of adjacent people, roused them from their sleep. By the time the neighbourhood was awake, approximately 10 emergency units were battling the fire. The blaze was well contained by the fire crews and continued to smolder until after sunrise. 

Diggers Rest Talk has been informed that all people living in the adjacent houses were asleep when the fire was reported.

Suspicion

Melton Criminal Investigation Unit Sergeant Ron Briz said given the house had no electricity or gas connected, early indication were the fire was suspicious. He said, “The house has been completely destroyed and CFA investigators are on their way to determine the cause, but it looks suspicious.”

Do you know more about the history or fire?

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The Castle In Ruins

Another fire claims history at Diggers Rest.

Photo by Glen Nind: Shortly after the fire at Athenry

Around 6:00am this morning the CFA were alerted to a blaze at Coimadai Road. Unfortunately the the fire crews were unable to extinguish the fire in time before the house named, "Athenry" was destroyed. At this time there are no reports about the cause. More news will follow as information unfolds.

Related Articles:

• Diggers Rest 'Castle' Ready for Wrecking Rescu
• Heritage or Development?

 

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CFA Fun Day Was A Terrific Turn Out

Kids from all over came to have fun at the Diggers Rest fire station on Saturday, 5 April 2014.

Photograph by Josh Logan (Copyright ©)

The turnout of families exceeded expectations and children came from as far as Pascoe Vale to play.  The games went on for the whole day with a jumping castle, face painting, colouring competitions, the animal and a great Easter egg hunt. The mums and dads loved watching and joining in as the day went on without a hitch and the fire crew smiled as they ran the activities. 

A BBQ provided delicious egg & bacon sandwiches as well as sausages in bread. A raffle and coffee helped raise money to cover the costs.

It was the fifth year of the Diggers Rest CFA fun day and the community really got behind our local heroes. 

Photo gallery by Josh Logan

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Thank You Firefighters & Volunteers - Facebook Group

Join a Facebook group who are grateful to the firefighters and other volunteers who keep us safe year in year out, even at the risk of losing themselves at times. 

Every day all around Australia those brave men and women help is in many ways - not just in Summer when fires break out. Firefighters & Emergency Service people, WE THANK YOU for your dedication and bravery. Those men and women are heroes and deserve all the thanks and recognition we can give.

Join the Facebook Group, "Thank You To Our Fire Fighters, Volunteers & Emergency Services"

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Total Fire Ban Declared Tuesday 11 March 2014

A Total Fire Ban has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, South West and Central Districts for tomorrow, Tuesday 11th March.

Extract from the CFA

CFA Deputy Chief Officer Greg Esnouf, said the Mallee, Wimmera, South West and Central Districts was still hot and quite dry. “This should serve as a warning sign for the rest of the state too,” he said.

During a TFB, subject to exceptions, no fire can be lit in the open air or be allowed to remain alight in the open air between 00:01 and 23:59.

A full rundown of what can and can’t be done during a TFB is available here.

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Cindy - Out Of The Ashes

This little lady was found by CFA firefighters last Thursday - she’s still a pouch baby but she was found on her own with badly burnt feet following the Mickleham fire.

Cindy the Joey, Photos courtesy of Sue Kirwan, Help for Wildlife.

A story by the CFA News
 

The incident control centre called the Wildlife Rescue Emergency Centre and Sue Kirwan from the ‘Help for Wildlife’ team spoke directly to firefighters on the ground.

"I asked if they could wait until I got back up there and they did," Sue said. "Those poor crews, four tankers and a couple of support vehicles, who had been working all day, waited about 40 mins for me to return. 
They then escorted me in and helped me catch this little girl."

With lots of love and attention from wildlife rehabilitators, Cindy is (almost) back on her feet! She will remain in care for at least another 12 months to make sure her burns are fully healed and she makes a full recovery.

For information on what to do if you find injured wildlife, check out the DEPI website.

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Fires Threatened 13,000 Lives

13,000 Mickleham-Kilmore residents, some within a few kilometres of the fire area, could have been affected within minutes by sudden wind changes.

June McKennie and George Breen on her property on Wednesday. Photo: Joe Armao

Extract From The Age, Thousands at risk on urban fringe, CFA fire map shows, 13 February 2014

The Mickleham-Kilmore fire was a threat to the lives or safety of 13,000 people as it spread rapidly towards 5000 homes. The figures, based on CFA mapping, illustrate the gravity of the threat to Melbourne's fast-growing outer fringe and nearby rural communities.

Deputy incident controller Tim Butcher, said the numbers illustrated the complexity of the fire and its vast impact.

''It really highlights the importance to communities and property owners to actually develop their bushfire survival plan. And to work out what they're going to do in cases of fire,'' he said.

''While we have a very modern, capable, volunteer response force in the CFA we cannot guarantee that individual houses will be safe, we cannot guarantee that we can protect all property.

''These fires can be spreading at 20 kilometres an hour.''

Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said livestock losses from the Mickleham fire ''could be as high as 20,000'', and the fire would be a setback for many farmers. It is believed it affected about 500 farms. Mr Walsh feared some farms were severely affected, suffering big stock, pasture and fencing losses.

''It effectively means they'll have no income for this year. And, depending on when it rains and when they can actually re-stock the property, they're looking at negative incomes for two or three years probably,'' he said.

The impact of the fast-moving fire on the rural community of Darraweit Guim was apparent early on Monday. Every couple of minutes shots rang out as charred livestock were destroyed. In some places the shootings started on Sunday night.


Volunteers are needed desperately to help. Contact Blaze Aid if you want to do something meaningful for the farm victims.

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Fires Will Quickly Become Uncontrollable

Extreme and severe heat will strike Victoria this weekend and the entire state is ready to burn warns the CFA.

Photo from Black Saturday Bushfires

The CFA has declared a Total Fire Ban (TFB) for the whole state of Victoria for the weekend ahead of hot, dry and windy conditions.

With severe and extreme conditions predicted, Chief Officer Euan Ferguson said he wanted people to be vigilant and prepared.
 
“The whole state is very dry and ready to burn. With hot, windy conditions predicted over the weekend, the fire danger is extreme,” he said.
 
“A fire could start anywhere in the state and if one starts, it will travel fast.
 
“Now is the time to talk to your family and friends, make your plans and prepare.
 
“If you’re thinking of travelling somewhere this weekend, be aware of the conditions in that area and stay informed.”
 
Fire Danger Ratings over the weekend are very high, severe and extreme in parts of the state on Sunday. As these are updated regularly, please keep up-to-date by checking the VicEmergency website:
 
During a TFB, subject to exceptions, no fire can be lit in the open air or be allowed to remain alight in the open air between 00:01 and 23:59.
 
A full rundown of what can and can’t be done during a TFB is available here.

For radio updates, stayed tuned to ABC 774.

Brief from CFA HQ briefing for CFA members

We wish everyone stays safe this weekend.

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CFA Warns Hot, Dry, Windy Start To Week

Article From The CFA

The fire services are expecting tomorrow (Monday, 3rd February) and Tuesday to be significant fire days with hot, dry and windy weather predicted.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a strong southerly wind change on Monday which could be accompanied by lightning.

 

“Victoria is very dry and ready to burn, as we have seen over the past two weeks,” he said.

 

“We are in the middle of another hot spell and Monday is predicted to be a particularly tricky day due to the early, strong wind change.

 

“This southerly wind change could pose a significant risk for fires that are currently being managed and any new fires that start.

 

“It will enter western Victoria early in the day, reach Melbourne by late morning and leave eastern Victoria late afternoon.

 

“Following the wind change, temperatures will drop on Tuesday but the fire risk will remain high due to dryness and continuing strong winds.”

 

Mr Lapsley said there has been about 34 new fires start in the last 24 hours. He also revealed that on Tuesday last week, eight of the 51 fires that started were believed to be caused by cigarette butts. 

 

“Fires can start almost anywhere and anytime so people need to be aware of what is happening around them - including monitoring warnings - and know what they will do to stay safe,” he said.

 

“School is also back and parents in areas of fire risk need to adjust their bushfire survival plans to include contingencies for school pick up on bad days like Monday.

 

“They should also talk to a teacher about their school’s bushfire plans.”

 

Mr Lapsley also reminded Victorians to take care of themselves in this hot weather and check on sick or frail relatives, friends or neighbours who may need help.

 

“The Department of Health has a number of heat health alerts out for Sunday and Monday and the risk posed needs to be respected," he said.

 

Read original article on the CFA Website

 

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Important Heat Wave Information from the CFA

Riddells Creek Fire Brigade advises that Victoria is about to enter a prolonged period of extreme heat. 

The BOM advises that we can expect dry and above average hot temperatures with no rain for at least the next fortnight. 

Please start to consider your respective fire plans now. Victoria will experience fires during this period. Are you truly prepared if we have a significant event in the Macedon Ranges? Visit the CFA web site or contact the Riddells Creek CFA via private message if you have any questions. 

Don't Wait Until Its Too Late!

Keep in touch with the Riddells Creek Fire Brigade Facebook page

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A Helping Hand For The Fireries

The Melton and Moorabool Weekly newspaper reported that our Diggers Rest CFA crew were helped out by a quick thinking Janine Meyer and her daughters Shelby and Jemma. The girls took the initiative to raise money with their Facebook friends. While the crew was battling the fires around town, Janine rushed to buy some drinks and food for refreshments.

 Helping hand: Janine Meyer and daughters Shelby and Jemma Magnone with 

firefighters (back, from left) John Veitch, Steve Hynes, Chris Kieselbach 

and Rachael Campbell. Photo: Wayne Hawkins of the Melton Weekly

The CFA don't ask for much and put their lives on the line for our safety. So it was a great idea and the crews were pleasantly surprised when they received the gifts.

Its not the first time residents have brought drinks to the Diggers CFA. The Skinner family quickly took refreshments to the crews when the Hotel and Post Office burned down several years ago. Other folk have also taken the initiative to help.

The CFA really appreciate our gratitude. Can you think of other ways to support them?

Read more about the event in the Melton and Moorabool Weekly

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CFA Teams Stretched But Saved Us On The Day

CFA Article Excerpt
By Blair Dellemijn CFA Member

On the 14^th January, multiple Triple Zero calls were received for a reported grass and scrub fire in the Mitchells Lane and Moore Road area in Sunbury.  With Sunbury, Gisborne and Diggers Rest paged, Sunbury FCV, with Station Officer Adam Whitford on board, proceeded directly into Moore road to find a medium sized grass fire spreading, while Tanker 2 started to tackle the fire.

 Photo: Grass and Shrub Fire at Moore Rd, Sunbury by Blair Dellemijn

With high winds fanning the flames, the fire started to jump onto the Calder Freeway median strip, and threaten to cross the freeway completely into paddocks and bushland.

With the District 14 Ground Observers enroute, along with Operations Officer David Clancy arriving, a call to police to close the freeway so that Tankers could attack the fire was requested.

A number of Strike Teams were activated by RDO14, some coming straight off the fireground of the previous Little River fire. An Emergency Warning was also issued, and at the height of the fire an Emergency Alert (text and voice messages) was also sent to a small group of residents under direct threat of the fire. The Emergency Warning was downgraded to a Watch and Act message a short time later once crews had the fire under control.

With the head of the fire extinguished by some fantastic work by initial ground crews, the extra resources were sent along the freeway to stop the lateral spread of fire from jumping across the freeway, with air support dousing a number of large burning pockets of fire behind houses in Barrington Lane.

Due to the severe conditions, a number of firefighters needed to be checked over by Ambulance Victoria with heat exhaustion, with ambulances staying onscene for the duration of the incident to provide welfare and support.

An ‘Under Control’ wordback was placed on the fire nearly 2 hours after the first page, by Gisborne ICC, who took over control early on, freeing up the Incident Controller to run the fire on the ground. The last Tankers to leave the fire was after 10:30pm on Tuesday night.

Read the complete article on the CFA website
Thank you to Blair Dellemijn

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Plumpton Fire 6 Hour Fight

Aircraft and ground crews worked for around six hours as a Plumpton fire burned in swampy grassland making access difficult. Smoke could be seen billowing over west Diggers Rest and Gisborne South until the CFA, MFB and DEPI crews stopped the 20 hectare burn.

Image source: Herald Sun

The blaze has been contained to farmland and there are no homes under threat.

The CFA had to advise surrounding communities including: Rockbank, Sydenham West, Hillside, Plumpton, Taylors Hill, Ravenhall, Caroline Springs, Sydenham and Toolern Vale to stay informed and monitor the conditions while the fire was fought.

Crews and dozers will remain on scene for some time mopping up.

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Toolern Vale Fire Brigade Captain Craig Dunshae Chosen For Leadership

The CFA chief officer Euan Ferguson has carefully selected 20 volunteers to work with him in 2014 on a leadership program. We're proud that Craig Dunshae of Toolern Vale was one of the members chosen.

Craig Dunshae. Source: News Limited

Craig is a very active CFA member who has involved himself in public exhibitions and talks including the World Fire Fighting Games and "An Art of Fire Fighting" display.

He is very pleased with the invitation to participate in the leadership role that involves weekend sessions and home study. Craig says, "This program is potentially life-changing and is an opportunity to not only become a better leader but a better person," and is impressed with the way the chief speaks openly about himself and the force.

Craig encourages other firefighter to learn and improve so that their lives could also benefit.

Congratulations to a local volunteer and all of the best in 2014.

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Diggers Rest CFA Photo Gallery

Our CFA crew do a great job at saving people's lives and property. But there's more to being a fireman than hard work, it can be a lot of fun too. Some of the crew preserve their adventures on the Oz Emergency Services site.

Take a look at the photo gallery by Tim Welshe, Braydon K, Cameron C, and Trev W.

View the CFA Diggers Rest Photo Gallery

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Know Your Fire Risk Warns The CFA

Residents living in suburbs on the edge of Melbourne and large regional cities are being urged to understand they’re at risk of fire as part of this year’s Fire Action Week.

As residents of Donnybrook and Epping discovered on February 18 this year, grassfires can threaten homes, and even lives, in the suburbs.
In just a few hours, it burnt 2040 hectares, destroyed a house, nine sheds and a number of farm machines and 3000 hay bales were lost. There was also significant damage to fencing in the area.
CFA Northern and Western Metropolitan Region’s Manager Community Safety David Allen said the incident showed the threat of fire was not limited to regional and rural Victoria.
“Under the right conditions, a fire can cause significant damage in a short amount of time. So many people still think it won’t happen to them, but the grassfire risk is very real in urban interface areas, and residents need to plan accordingly,” he said.
“Anyone living in an urban rural grassland area holds the responsibility of knowing the risks they face and should be preparing now - you need to clear weeds, sticks and leaves, and remove firewood, rubbish and other fuel from around your property.”
Mr Allen said as important as it was to prepare your property, it was just as important to prepare yourself for fire.
“The risk posed by these urban grassfires can be quite different to a bushfire. Often, simply sheltering in your home, or moving one street back from the fire is the safest option. Either way, you need to plan what you’ll do now, ahead of the summer fire season.”

Find out more about fire prevention and protection at CFA Victoria

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