On the evening of Sunday, December 29, David Packman was sitting on the deck of his home in Broken Head, a stunningly beautiful nature reserve on the east coast of Australia.
With him and his wife Kate were his sister-in-law and eight year-old nephew, who were visiting for the holidays.
They watched from their unique vantage point as a lightning strike sparked a major bushfire, turning their night upside down and – as harrowing experiences often do – prompting a time for reflection and change.
David has captured the event as it unfolded in a series of haikus that were first published by The Good Men Project, which have been accompanied by a series of photographs by Kirra Pendergast, who happened to be visiting friends next door. The fire burned well over 700 hectares over the following days, but fortunately, there were no lives lost or property damaged.
Zeus throws down his spear
Smoky sky turns orange mad
Eternally etched
Evacuated
Beach the hasty night retreat
Neighbours by our side
Separated now
Driving past the leaping flames
Sleepless night awaits
Ashen breaks the day
A fleeting return to scene
Eerie the scorched earth
