(Book) Beneath an Ominous Sky: Personal Accounts of the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires

Description

The world watched in horror as the Black Summer bushfires ravaged the Australian landscape taking lives and livelihoods with it.

As 2019 came to a close, and before a new decade could be ushered in, the world held its breath while Australia burned. Culminating in perfect storm-like conditions on New Year’s Eve, the people and communities of the Far South Coast of New South Wales would be changed forever. Frequently described as “hell on earth,” there was loss of life, loss of livelihoods and devastation beyond comprehension. Shrouding this, there was a loss of innocence.

In the shadows of the catastrophe, emerged a group of local writers who felt compelled to capture their emotionally raw and harrowing tales of those events and the aftermath, of what is now known as Black Summer.

While writers are naturally good at expressing themselves, suddenly there was an even greater need for them to bare their soul and bring the deepest of healing to themselves and others.

The Secret Society of Words (SSOW) along with other local writers poured their hearts into Beneath an Ominous Sky: Personal Accounts of the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires in an attempt to pay homage to all who were directly or indirectly affected by the bushfires in Australia. Giving you a direct, on-the-ground insight into what everyday people endured, it’s as courageous as it is compelling.

The message is clear: Your pain is real and you will never be forgotten.

I was one of 17 local writers who showed that:

The pen is mightier than the pain.

Beneath an Ominous Sky demonstrates firsthand that healing can be achieved through storytelling.

The other contributors are:

• Bonnie Atteridge
• Paula Boer
• Rhonda Casey
• Louise Falcioni
• Rosemary Frances
• Gary Keady
• Petrea King ­– bestselling author of Your Life Matters wrote the foreword
• Linda Kennington
• Arlene Liang
• Jennie Marie
• Suzanne Newnham
• Cat Sheely
• Rosie Toth
• Judy Turner
• Laura Tyler
• Anke Ziergiebel

As a local author and podcaster this is how I described my feelings as a contributor to Beneath an Ominous Sky:

“I can’t read over my piece without tearing up. It gets me every time and takes me right back there to that day. Yet, every time I do this, I feel a little less broken, a little more soothed, and a lot more peace. If this experience has taught us anything, it’s that out of great suffering comes great healing.”

Editor Cat Sheely added:

“As an editor, my goal is always to ensure the story is being shown not told; that it is being conveyed clearly and is compelling to the reader. When I looked over the stories submitted by the SSOW members, I knew my editor hat could be surrendered because how do you begin to change something that is so real and raw? The answer is you can’t and so I didn’t. That’s the beauty of this whole project, we’ve provided a space and a voice to the unimaginable. And it will allow us to rise again.”

There are still plenty of reminders of that day as communities along the South Coast continue to rebuild. Beneath an Ominous Sky was created to remind those communities that while the fire took so much, it could never take their fighting spirit.

Softcover | 6 x 8.5 in | 102 pages | ISBN 978-0-6451493-0-2

Published by Secret Society of Words Publications.

Listen to the episodes NSW South Coast Bushfires from 10 January 2020 and Reflection and Healing from the Bushfires from 7 February 2020 on Kris and Shaz in the Mother of All Roles Podcast.