Photos by Ash Long

We are working on our Commemorative Edition of The Local Paper ahead of the 10th Anniversary of the Black Saturday fires on Thursday (Feb. 7).

The Local Paper circulates in the centre of the bushfire area: communities such as Kinglake, Marysville, Flowerdale, Yarra Glen, Murrindindi, Yea, Alexandra, the Diamond Valley, Yarra Glen, Healesville and surrounds.

The dilemma: to respectfully remember all affected by the 2009 fires, to pay tribute to the 173 who perished at the time, to recognise the thousands of people involved, but also to respect the privacy of everyone involved.

We have decided not to attend any of the commemorative events on Thursday (Feb. 7). Most local groups have decided on ‘media free’ events. Even though we are ‘locals’, we would not wish to upset the privacy of a single person. So please understand if our coverage has a few ‘Swiss holes’.

We have also decided to let our 2009 photos tell most of the story. As a photo-journalist, I have hundreds of pics that I took at the time. Many are too horrible to ever see the light. But we have assembled some photo pages that we hope may assist in the memories, but also help in moving forward.

Here is a sample page of the 2009 recovery efforts. More pages in Wednesday’s edition of The Local Paper, in print and online.

– Ash Long, Editor, The Local Paper