Donegal man tells of destruction of home

DONEGAL MAN Tommy Doherty says the noise from the fire that destroyed his home in Hurstbridge, 37km northeast of Melbourne, was “like a rocket”.

Mr Doherty and his Italian-Australian wife, Fran, lost their house on Saturday in the most destructive bush fires Australia has ever seen.

"The noise was shocking," he told The Irish Timeslast night. "It came in like a rocket. It went pure black all of a sudden.

“We live on a few acres; it’s all black now,” he added. “The house was destroyed but we got out and we got the horse out. The house is insured, we’ll be all right.”

From a Letterkenny family of 12 girls and eight boys, Mr Doherty (62) has lived in Australia since 1971. None of his four children and four stepchildren was still living at home.

Mr Doherty was Melbourne’s Irish-Australian of the Year in 2005 and for many years has ridden a pony and cart in the city’s St Patrick’s Day parade.

Remarkably, although the shed containing the cart was mostly destroyed, the cart itself was unscathed.

“Right in the middle of the shed, my father’s sidecart that came all the way from Ireland was untouched,” he said. “My daughter said granddad must have been looking after us.”

Another Irish family had a very fortunate escape when a fire roared past their home. Gareth and Maggie Mulvey from Dublin and their teenage daughter, Molly Rose, were uninjured and their house was spared.

Marion O’Hagan from the Australian Irish Welfare Bureau (AIWB) in Melbourne said she did not yet know if any other Irish people were caught up in the fires. The AIWB, Gaelic Park GAA club and the Celtic Club have organised a fundraiser for victims on February 28th.

“The musicians are performing for free and the staff in the Celtic Club are donating their wages to the fund,” Ms O’Hagan said.