Amid the horror of Australia’s devastating bushfires that have killed 23 people and destroyed thousands of homes, there are glimmers of hope.
They include heartwarming moments of humanity among the ashes, selfless acts of bravery, extraordinary leadership, and everyday Australians helping each other.
More than 100,000 volunteer firefighters have battled blazes across every state, saving countless homes from destruction.
Alongside them are people donating their money, time, and spare rooms to help victims get back on their feet, or rushing to save their neighbour’s house.
Australia’s devastating bushfires have killed 23 people and destroyed thousands of homes
A kookaburra perches on a burnt tree in front of a trail of bushland devastation in Wallabi Point on New South Wales’ mid-north coast on November 12
Tens of millions of dollars, rising every minute, is being raised for fire efforts, reconstruction, and the 500 million animals affected by bushfire.
These are some of Australia’s bushfire heroes and the stories that inspired the nation during such dark times.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons
As his state was engulfed by dozens of fires burning an area bigger than Belgium, the volunteer firefighting boss never wavered.
His leadership acted as a beacon of inspiration for his 70,000 volunteers and the state of NSW at large through his handling of the crisis.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons, 50, drew universal praise for his calm and composed delivery of information as a reassuring presence in countless press conferences.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has become Australia’s hero for his leadership during the bushfire crisis
He didn’t sugarcoat dire warnings to residents in the path of the fires and gave clear advice unencumbered by political spin or police jargon.
Balanced with this was his capacity for empathy, on display as he barely held back tears when announcing the deaths of volunteer firefighters.
Emotional photos of him pinning a medal on the chest of the 19-month-old son of fallen firefighter Geoffrey Keaton last week are already iconic.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons filled a leadership vacuum left by state and federal politicians and won the admiration of the public.
‘This guy is an incredible leader. As far as I can tell the guy hasn’t slept in two months,’ Sydney councilor Darcy Byrne said on Sunday.
‘Morning and night, he’s calmly and compassionately directing resources, providing information and keeping us safe.’
Emotional photos of him pinning a medal on the chest of the 19-month-old son of fallen firefighter Geoffrey Keaton last week are already iconic
A long exposure picture shows a car commuting on a road as the sky turns red from smoke of the Snowy Valley bushfire on the outskirts of Cooma (pictured)
Allison Marion’s photo of her son Finn fleeing the advancing bushfires in the seaside town of Mallacoota in Victoria’s far east has become an symbol of this year’s bushfire crisis
Firefighting is also personal for the 30-year veteran, as his father George was killed by a controlled burn gone wrong in 2000.
‘It strengthened my resolve to be part of this organisation,’ he said in 2009.
‘And in making sure the strategies, equipment and operations that we deploy are done in a way that maximises firefighter safety. Every family has the right to expect their loved ones to come home after a shift.’
Celeste Barber
The comedian known for poking fun at Instagram models and celebrities had no idea the impact she would make with one Facebook post.
Barber on the afternoon of January 3 put up a Facebook fundraiser for the NSW RFS that has since raised more than $30 million.
All she said was ‘please help any way you can. This is terrifying. We need your help’ and the Australian and international public did the rest.
More than 800,000 people have so far thrown an average of $40 each into the pot and inspired numerous other donations.
Comedian Celeste Barber on the afternoon of January 3 put up a Facebook fundraiser for the NSW RFS that has since raised more than $30 million
Barber was stunned by the huge reaction to her fundraiser and refused to take the credit for herself
Celebrities like Pink, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and Ash Barty were spurred into pledging huge donations and marshalling their fans to give generously.
Other fundraisers have raised millions more for Victoria’s fires, burned koalas and other animals, and victims who died or lost their homes.
Barber was stunned by the huge reaction to her fundraiser and refused to take the credit for herself.
‘People are amazing. Power to the people. Someone needed to do something and the people have done something,’ she said.
Toni Doherty and Adam Mudge
Ms Doherty was declared a hero by thousands after she ran into burning forest to rescue a struggling koala from certain death.
She spotted Lewis the koala in fires around Long Flat, near Port Macquarie, NSW, and scooped him up in her own clothes.
Viral footage showed Lewis, with patches of fur missing, running close to the fires before Ms Doherty poured bottles of water onto him and wrapped him up in a blanket.
Toni Doherty was recorded running into an out-of-control bushfire in the New South Wales town of Long Flat to save the injured marsupial
‘We just jumped out and I knew I needed to put something around him as I ran to the tree so I just took off my shirt and covered him with it and tried to get him out of the fire,’ she told the Today show.
‘He was being burnt. He was burning underneath, on his little back legs when he was approaching the tree, I’ve never heard a koala before, I didn’t realise they could cry out.’
Ms Doherty said she wanted to get Lewis out of the fire as soon as possible and was glad to be wearing a good bra so she could remove her shirt.
Lewis sadly died of his injuries days later, so weak he was only able to eat one gum leaf every hour, but his story raised more than $1 million for other koalas.
Eight more of the marsupials were rescued by volunteer firefighter Adam Mudge from a fire near Cudlee Creek in South Australia.
Lewis sadly died of his injuries days later, so weak he was only able to eat one gum leaf every hour, but his story raised more than $1 million for other koalas
Adam Mudge, a member of the South Australian Country Fire Service, was praised online after six koalas were snapped huddled together in a laundry at Cudlee Creek, near Adelaide
His fire crew left them with a nearby elderly couple who houses them in their laundry, a photo of which went viral online.
Mr Mudge said it was the couple who cared for them who really deserved the praised heaped on to him.
‘We were just there. We had a job, we saved that house,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘At the end of the day, they were the ones who took the koalas in, who had to take them to wildlife rescue.’
Andrew O’Dwyer, Geoffrey Keaton, Samuel McPaul
These three RFS volunteers were killed in two tragic truck crashes as they battled raging bushfires in NSW.
Young fathers Mr O’Dwyer, 36, and Mr Keaton, 32, died on December 19 when their truck rolled off the road after hitting a fallen tree in Buxton, south of Sydney.
Their deaths prompted outpourings of grief and became emblematic of the thousands of firefighters risking their lives without being paid a cent.
It also kicked off the backlash against Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was forced to return from holiday in Hawaii soon after.
Andrew O’Dwyer (left) and Geoffrey Keaton (right) were killed when their truck rolled off the road after hitting a fallen tree last night at Buxton, south of Sydney
Volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul (pictured with his wife Megan) was tragically killed when a 10-tonne truck rolled
Mr McPaul, 28, died on December 30 when his truck rolled after being hit by a huge gust of wind whipped up by a ‘fire tornado’ near Albury.
Two of his colleagues suffered serious burns before they were rescued and rushed to hospital.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons, appearing visibly shaken by Mr McPaul’s death, explained the ‘firenado’ formed ‘cyclonic-type winds’.
‘That has moved across the fire grounds and has literally lifted up a 10 or 12-tonne fire truck and lifted up its roof, tragically killing Sam in the process,’ he said.
Tens of thousands of dollars was donated to the three men’s families through several online fundraisers.
Jawad Nabouche, Talal Kanj, Belal Shmait, Huseyin Jasli
Four friends went above and beyond in their desire to help exhausted and starving bushfire victims and firefighters.
After seeing the devastation on the NSW Mid North Coast, they drove 450km from Auburn in Sydney to the town of Willawarrin, west of Port Macquarie.
After the more than five-hour journey, the Muslim men put on a free barbeque to lift the spirits of locals and feed those who lost everything.
Days later they returned for a second cookout, armed with 30kg of sausages and meat, bread rolls, and 30 boxes of water.
Belal Shmait, Talal Kanj, Jawad Nabouche and Malek Eid travelled five hours from Sydney to the small town of Willawarrin to throw a free barbecue for bushfire relief
The men became overnight heroes when they threw a free barbecue in Willawarrin
‘It’s the least we can do, to try help the community and help everybody up here and put a smile on everybody’s faces,’ Mr Nabouche told the ABC.
‘We can’t fight fires but we can put a barbecue on.’
Locals ‘adopted’ the quartet and expressed their gratitude at the incredible lengths they went to just to help complete strangers.
Others in Australia’s Muslim community have also stepped up, organising massive donation efforts and bringing much-needed supplies to hard-hit areas.
Kale Hardie-Porter
Mr Hardie-Porter’s RFS crew was just one of thousands who saved countless homes during the fires, but the note they left warmed hearts across the world.
Paul Sekfy returned to his rural property in Yarranbella on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast in November to find his house was still standing.
On his kitchen bench was a handwritten note left by Mr Hardie-Porter reading: ‘It was a pleasure to save your house. Sorry that we could not save your sheds. PS we owe you some milk.’
After Mr Sekfy shared the note on social media, he explained how his crew successfully battled the fire.
Paul Sekfy found this note on his kitchen bench when he returned to check on his house after a bushfire swept through the Nambucca Valley on the NSW Mid-North Coast
The firefighter who wrote the note, Kale Hardie-Porter (pictured on the job this weekend), explained how he and three colleagues beat back the fire but couldn’t save Mr Sekfy’s sheds
Residents wearing wide-brimmed hats defend a property from a bushfire at Hillsville near Taree, 350km north of Sydney, on November 12
‘I’m happy to know that my note got to you in one piece, knowing that the house survived once we had to leave,’ he said.
‘We took refuge in your house for a moment and that’s when we discovered the fridge.’
Mr Hardie-Porter was soon contacted by media and appreciative people around the world as his note became a symbol of firefighters’ selfless work ethic.
‘I am truly humbled by the overwhelming support that we have received. It’s astonishing to see how this little note has touched so many people around the world,’ he said.
Australians who rallied to help their neighbours
Many more upheld the great Australian value of helping their mates, neighbours, and anyone else in need, however they could.
Peter McMahon and a hundred other Irish tradies banded together in November to bring vital supplies to fire-ravaged towns.
The convoy of nearly 100 trucks transported $100,000 worth of water to families in tears in Armidale, northern NSW, whose lives have been devastated by the bushfires.
Nearly 100 trucks transported $100,000 worth of water to families in tears in Armidale, northern NSW, whose lives have been devastated by the bushfires
Crane operator Declan McDonald, 25, was spotted dropping off the Emu Export beers at a Salvation Army appeal set up in Yanchep, north of Perth
Mr McMahon said he was inspired to help after he watched a crying farmer on television who had to kill his livestock.
‘There were people crying at the side of the road and it gave me shivers… our whole crew was tearing up, this has been life-changing for a lot of people,’ he said.
Water wasn’t the only thing firefighters were given to drink after hard days battling blazes from coast to coast.
Crane operator Declan McDonald, 25, was spotted dropping off a case of Emu Export beer at a Salvation Army appeal set up in Yanchep, north of Perth.
‘I had been cutting trees back at my parents’ place and knocked a couple back myself and thought the crew out there would enjoy a few cold ones,’ he said.
When fire came to South Turramurra on Sydney’s upper north shore, the Sikh community brought bags filled with homemade food and hundreds of bottles of water for firefighters and local residents
Dozens of local Sikhs brought food and water to residents and firefighters before they headed to worship at a nearby temple
Back in Sydney, when the fire came to the north shore suburb of South Turramurra, worshipers from the local Sikh temple turned up to help.
They brought with them bags filled with homemade food and hundreds of bottles of water for firefighters and local residents.
And in Melbourne, an Indian restaurant cooked hundreds of curries and sent them to Gippsland, Victoria, where a huge fire destroyed dozens of homes.
Elsewhere, thousands of ordinary Australians are donating food, water, and firefighting supplies, sewing pouches for baby animals, and turning their spare rooms into accommodation for evacuated families.