A Dogs Welcome

I would like to share this picture that I took yesterday of my dad, Kevin Daly, being welcomed home from the fire ground by our 2 dogs. Dad is a Paramedic and a volunteer fire fighter with the Dunalley brigade. He has lived in Dunalley his entire life and on Friday stood on the front line with the fire brigade and fought tirelessly to save his hometown. Dad has been on the fire ground since last Thursday and has remained there ever since. My mother and I and our 2 dogs fled to Nubeena at 2pm on Friday and were stranded until late Saturday night when we escaped to Hobart on a ferry. It wasn’t until late Sunday afternoon that we were finally reunited with dad and able to return to Dunalley. We are one of the fortunate ones, our family home still stands. The rest of the town has not been so fortunate, My nan’s house, the home where my father grew up, has completely gone, as has my grandmothers house, 2 of my uncles houses, 2 of my cousins houses and many of our close friends houses along with the primary school where generations of us have attended. Although our hearts are broken the community spirit remains strong. The stories I have heard about my father and the lengths he went to on Friday to try and save his town are truly amazing. I am so proud to be his daughter! He has always been a hero in my eyes but now he truly stands a real hero.