Bushfires help ‘humbling’

When Sergeant Daniel Burton stepped into the O¯ hakea air force base terminal, his 5-year-old daughter Sarah leapt into his arms.

It was one of several emotional scenes on Tuesday night as army personnel returned from helping fight the Australian bushfires.

Burton was among 48 engineers, plant operators, and environmental health and medical staff to spend three weeks helping.

Army liaison officer Major Ron Christmas said it was good to come back to his wife and children, but the Defence Force was always ready to help when called on. ‘‘In some cases we’ve fixed tractors or pumps, which might seem like a small job, but it has meant a lot to the farmer.

‘‘We’ve also carried out jobs that might have taken one person a couple of weeks . . . [but] send in an army unit, it’s done in a day.’’

On Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide, engineers and plant operators cleared routes and removed trees blocking roads.

More than 120 kilometres of fire breaks were dug and a waterpurification unit was set up to turn seawater into drinking water for Stokes Bay.

Koalas and other wildlife that survived the fires were taken to wildlife centres in Adelaide by the soldiers. They also carried out building work at wildlife centres, including koala-feeding stations.

Medic Sergeant Zac Conchie, 27, who was based in the Adelaide Hills, said fire had burned through the area last month, so those communities were in the recovery phase. .

Tasks included ‘‘cleaning debris from fully burned-down houses – and most of the time the owners would be there helping out. There were a few sad stories from people who had had their whole lives burned down . . . Most of them didn’t have anywhere to live,’’ Conchie said.

The Defence Force has deployed 118 personnel to Australia.