Dear Friends - We were extremely lucky on Saturday 7^th February.  I had just returned to the mountain after a few days “downtown” and listened to the progress of the fire on the radio, feeling that it was rather close, but being told by Steve not to overreact.  By the time I had made up my mind to go, it was too late.  I busied myself with looking after my children.  A distance of 200m away seemed very close that night.  The children and I were led off the mountain by a Strike Team midmorning the next day and driving down the hill to Whittlesea, all the landmarks were gone.  Poor Josh was screaming in the backseat for a feed, but I daren’t stop at the bottom of the hill, I just wanted to drive as far away as possible. We stayed with Mum and Dad for a week, whilst Steve took the week off work to watch over the house and animals.  Many friends houses are no longer, or “broken” as Rosie says.   On behalf of the businesses in my community, I invite you up.  The area is no longer only black and brown – grass is growing, and it is almost too bright.  We have a wonderful bakery and café – The Flying Tarts – who make fantastic bread, pies, roast veggie wraps, éclairs etc etc and have also been supplying our foster family with veggie scraps: Wilhelmina (oink oink), 2 goats, chooks and Disco Duck.

I am starting a Steiner Playgroup at my house next term.  It is something that I have resisted for a year, due to our “full life”, but now I feel that I really have no choice but to begin.  There are four families in our Steiner Community that I know of who have “lost” their houses and I aim to provide and warm and nourishing atmosphere for these parents and children.  I have a wonderful wonderful playgroup leader for our group who will be travelling up from Watsons Creek and I want to pay her.  I do not feel in a position to lead the group at the moment as I am ridiculously busy with making the house and garden safe; caring for Rosie and Josh (who requires additional therapies etc for his Spina Bifida); training as a member of the Kinglake Ambulance First Response Team, and, as we are “relatively unaffected” by the fires, supporting others who have lost much of the framework of their lives.  My vision for this playgroup is for it to be a children’s space, a simple playgroup.  But I would also like to support the parents in their journeys with a resource library; weekend craft workshops (maybe one a term) so that they can make special toys for their children and, in the future, craft evenings.  I feel that it is important that parents pay a little money to attend the group to cover costs such as insurance, morning tea and craft materials and some money towards paying our leader.

I ask for any help that you feel you are able to give to us.  It is not easy to ask for money, and it is my plan that we are a financially self-sustaining playgroup by the beginning of next year.

On behalf of the playgroup, I thank you for reading this letter. Please call and visit if you are visiting the Kinglake Ranges.  We would love to introduce you to our animals and show you our amazing strawbale house that Steve is building on the weekends with his own hands.         Sue Rundle Maslin