By JESSE GRAHAM
THE fifth anniversary of the tragic Black Saturday Bushfires will be marked with the opening of memorials across the Yarra Valley which will pay tribute to those who died and to the resilient and rebuilt communities.
Black Saturday memorials in Healesville and Yarra Glen will be unveiled this summer in the lead up to the fifth anniversary of the fires
Local artists have been at the helm of the monuments’ design.
In Yarra Glen, artist Ernst Fries has created a piece in McKenzie Reserve that he said is more of a quiet area for reflection and meditation than a sad memorial space.
With a three-panel screen constructed with transparent, faceted, coloured glass depicting the ferocity of the bushfires, the recovery after the event and the hope for the future in the aftermath, the sheltered piece is lit at night for visitors.
The lights at the memorial commemorate those who lost their lives and a bronze plaque mounted on a rock in the space will show the extent of the fire in the Yarra Ranges, along with a brief description of the event.
In Healesville, a memorial of a different kind has been constructed by artist Ali Griffin.
A bench has been erected in Queens Park, etched with the words and stories of those in the community who were affected by the fires.
Ms Griffin said the bench is a way of showing many people’s different memories and points-of-view and aims to to capture the community’s sentiments about the tragedy that struck the area in 2009.
Both memorials were completed in November and other memorials have also been constructed in Chum Creek, Steels Creek, Dixons Creek and Kinglake National Park.
The fifth anniversary of Black Saturday will fall on Friday 7 February 2014.
In 2009, the Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people, injured 414 people, destroyed 2100 homes and displaced 7562 people.
For more information, visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
