The new moon singed with red, speaks to me of disaster
While mercury rises to thirty three,
bush fires rage even faster
The thick air stifles me as I sprawl out on my bed
But I thank the stars outside; I've somewhere to rest my head

As the moon moves behind the hills, it takes on a ruddy glow
In direct response to the bushfires, it mimicks the earth below
Sadly it's seen this man made rage, far too many times
Since arsonists in Australia, get away with minimal fines

How do they get pleasure from observing people's pain
As they watch their victim's faces and see their brains strain
While standing on a charred site, that once was their home
Knowing this memory will haunt them for decades to come?

The devil comes in many forms with his horns, fork and tail
Fuelled by burning desire to hear good people wail
But good wins over evil, otherwise we wouldn't be here
Strong-minded people learn to live without fear

And so, at the end of the day, the arsonist has to hide
Since he chooses to set himself a fearful, treacherous ride
Of internal pain and misery, from which there's no escape
Since his mind is bent on harming; full of venom and hate

For the people who lost their homes, in East Gippsland
You will, in time, regain your strength
and shake your neighbour's hand
With a much firmer grip and a much wider smile
You'll walk with your head held high you'll walk with style.

* * *

Letter to the Editor

Arsonists and Bushfires

For twenty years in Sydney, I worked closely with burns victims and their families; was a consultant on scar management in hospitals Australia wide, and attended annual seminars run by the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association.

I saw it all first hand.

The results of the Ash Wednesday fires in Victoria are firmly planted in my mind since I attended a forum there with many of the dedicated medical specialists who saved lives and rehabilitated badly burned patients. It is time the Federal Government stepped in regarding suitable deterrents, by way of fitting punishments, for arsonists. While they might commit this terrible crime which affects scores of people and government services, for “kicks”, or because of their perceived “mental instability”, some common sense is now called for.

Arsonists know what they’re doing … deep down.

For years New York City was a fearful place due to the presence of the Mafia until Mayor Giuliani used their tactics against them. He cleaned up the city. Also, after years of people disobeying the road rules, he introduced a new policy which stated that if drivers did ‘A, B, or C’, the city of New York would simply take their car and keep it forever.

This worked.

In Dubai (voted by NATO the safest country in that part of the world, including Europe, for seven years running), the crime rate is around 4%. There’s a very good reason why crime virtually does not exist there. Punishments are harsh! In my mind, this put things clearly into perspective about people knowing the difference between good and bad… Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year counseling the “poor criminal”. Maybe it’s time for the government to consider the poor victim for a change.

2009 is a “Time for Change”, so let’s do something about this appalling situation.

Sophie Boswell,
JINDABYNE