Item 04: Memoirs of a Colonial Boy by Robert Joseph Stewart, ca. 1971 - Page 453
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[Page 453]
(11)
country-side from Harden to the coast was left a grey swirling ash-heap; a desolation of burnt houses, outbuildings, fences and sheep. It travelled across "Afton Water" from the general direction of Janie's Corner, jumping the main road and completely consuming the little school building opposite, as it raced towards the house. The permanent hand, a young fellow Tom Varden, and my Father managed to save the house by dint of liberally hosing the ground in the surrounding garden and a few yards beyond; but the galvanised water-supply pipes were delivering almost boiling water, and glass bottles stacked along the back fence were melted. The fire continued across "Dingo" where about seven hundred wethers, fully insured, were burnt to death.
It so happened that, at the time, I was travelling down the far South Coast on a business trip which was to continue out to Hay, via Wagga and Narrandera. So, very opportunely, I was able to deviate conveniently to "Afton Water" for the weekend immediately after the fire. I motored across the Monaro Ranges from Bega with trees still burning all around me. Naturally I found my parents in a state of great distress, but still full of faith in their future. On the Sunday morning the fire-loss assessors, who had come down from Sydney in a hurry, arrived at "Afton Water" to hear my Father's claims and to assess his losses. They were a sorry sight after spending two days riding on horseback among ash-covered, still smoking, hills, in extreme heat; a performance to which they were neither used nor suited.
They arrived by car, and asked Dad if he had any horses on which they could ride out to"Dingo". On Dad replying in the affirmative, the pair of them then inquired as to what the horses were like; I think they already had blisters on their behinds. "You should know", said Dad, "you've been riding them for the past two days". None of the neighbours had any riding horses, and had borrowed Dad's.
Anyhow, Tom Varden guided them out to "Dingo", and after he had pointed out about a hundred dead wethers, they decided they would take his word for the other six hundred, and go back to the house.