Ash Wednesday Fires - Legacy

Legacy

Along with Cyclone Tracy, Ash Wednesday is arguably the natural disaster to have had the greatest impact on the Australian national psyche. For the next quarter century, it was used as the measure for all bushfire emergencies in Australia, most notably the 2003 Canberra bushfires, which experienced very similar severe fire weather. The disaster caused 75 deaths, which is the second highest death toll for a bushfire in Australia. The 2009 Black Saturday bushfire disaster has since surpassed Ash Wednesday on the list of disasters in Australia by death toll, with 173 confirmed fatalities as of 30 March 2009—although the 1983 fires still remain the worst in Australian history in terms of property loss.

Over two decades have passed since the disaster, yet victims and their families still suffer the effects of that day. Many psychological studies were undertaken in the months and years after the fire and found that the events left many in the affected communities with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The lasting impact of Ash Wednesday was highlighted in 2008, when its 25th anniversary received much public and media attention. Commemoration sites have been set up in areas that were hit worst by the fires, with museums hosting exhibits inviting survivors to tell their stories.