Memories forged in the flames of ‘67
THERE are few moments in Tasmanian history that have affected the state quite like the 1967 bushfires.
It was February 7, 1967 — a day remembered by many as Black Tuesday — when 110 separate fire fronts ripped through about 260,000ha of Tasmanian land, claiming 62 lives and injuring 900 others.
In total, 7000 Tasmanians are estimated to have been left homeless following the natural disaster that racked up a damage bill of about $40 million — resulting in the largest insurance payout in Australian history. It is estimated more than 60,000 farm animals died in the blaze.
Former Lachlan Brigade chief David Gleeson remembers battling the blaze and defending his family home alongside his father as a 19year-old.
He recalls lying in the middle of the road to catch his breath while trying to escape the smoke and flames.
“It was a very scary time. Fires were spotting up to 3km in front of the main fire. It wouldn’t have mattered how many waterbombing choppers there could have been, it was out of control,” he said.
Mr Gleeson said his home lost power for about six weeks after the fire started.
“It made it hard to keep up to date with the news about it. We occasionally saw newspaper stories about it.”
He credited advancements in technology for preventing fires of similar scale from breaking out in the years since.
Multiple bushfire outbreaks in January destroyed about 200,000ha of Tasmanian land and claimed seven houses. No lives were lost.
“Thankfully the January fires were mostly out of suburban areas,” Mr Gleeson said. To mark 165 years since the
Mercury’s first edition, we are reprinting historic front pages as special commemorative posters all week.