It was a bushfire emergency in the Upper Clarence that set Lyn Brereton on a path she never expected to walk.

“I came home one day to my newly built home to find a large number of people sitting on my verandah waiting for me, they wanted to set up their operations base in front of my house, because I live on a hilltop and the best place for radio reception in the area.” said Lyn.

Ms. Brereton’s house is on the Bonalbo road five kilometers from Urbenville and is a cleared area at a high point surrounded by hills and valleys.

In 1994 an extreme bushfire emergency occurred when large areas of hardwood forest around Urbenville burned for three week.

The flames were fanned by hot dry winds and the army was called in to help hard pressed firefighters and SES volunteers.

With all the firefighters and army personnel came another army of volunteers.
Women who made sandwiches and drinks all day and all night, a fruit van, and a baker with fresh bread every day, an amazing cavalcade of people all working together, and even though people were exhausted, they kept their spirits up and just kept coming and working until the job was done.
“I had a wonderful introduction to a village that will come together, and work so well together in times of need.” said Lyn.

Lyn, originally from New Zealand, had planned an easy retirement after twenty-five years as a sales representative, her life on the Gold Coast had been very happy, but a quieter lifestyle was planned until the bushfire experience changed everything.

Lyn throw herself into community life in Urbenville and introduced the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Club to the Urbenville Festival Committee.

Lyn is now the president of the Urbenville Development Association and hopes to develop an annual village festival or party that will bring all of the people from the village and surrounding area together to share a community spirit.
“You will only get out of life what you put in, so we should all put in.” said Lyn.