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Bushfires prove the Aussie spirit is more alive than ever, says Olivia Newton John

As much of the country continues its bushfire recovery, Australians have again shown their commitment to the cause — and one another, writes Olivia Newton-John.

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Australians have this amazing ability to rise above things and stick together.

I have been watching the coverage of the terrible bushfires from my home in California and it got to a point where I couldn’t watch it anymore. It’s too difficult to see people losing their homes and what has happened to the animals, it just broke my heart.

I know a lot of people have been suffering, I’ve heard about the smoke levels in the air. I’m coming home to Australia in a couple of weeks so I’ll get to see it for myself. I can’t even talk about the loss of animals, it makes me cry. I’m so grateful to all the zoos, Taronga Park and Australia Zoo, all the places taking in the koalas and the other animals who’ve been injured. Terri Irwin told me bats have been falling out of trees so they’re treating them.

It’s terrible, but there’s also been amazing things happening between humans and koalas that shows we’re all connected on this planet, animals and humans alike. That’s been very touching to watch.

The Australian spirit is definitely a real concept.

Olivia Newton-John says recent bushfire tragedy has shown the best of the Australian spirit. Picture: Sarah Matray
Olivia Newton-John says recent bushfire tragedy has shown the best of the Australian spirit. Picture: Sarah Matray

Aussies have an amazing way of dealing with things and getting it done. The Australian spirit has always been amazing that way and this would challenge anyone.

It’s always been get on with it. I saw a video of a farmer water skiing in his paddock after a flash flood, I thought that was a perfect example of making something good out of something difficult.

It’s been incredible watching people donate to help the firefighters and help people rebuild. I saw Andrew Forrest gave that $70 million donation. Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, the Minogues, Pink and people who’ve worked over there and love the country have been helping out, it’s been fantastic.

I’m so grateful to be a small part of giving back by playing the Fire Fight Australia concert in Sydney, where the music industry can do our bit. One of my friends wrote to me and said ‘Are they doing a fire relief concert?’ I wrote to (promoter) Paul Dainty and he said he was already working on something so I said ‘Obviously count me in’. I haven’t really performed in a couple of years, so I’m going to do a duet with Farnsey (John Farnham), he’s my favourite. That’s going to be fun.

Bushfires, like those in Gippsland’s Bunyip State Park, have devastated much of Australia and its people. Picture: Alex Coppel.
Bushfires, like those in Gippsland’s Bunyip State Park, have devastated much of Australia and its people. Picture: Alex Coppel.

There’s been a lot of international coverage of the bushfires, almost every day someone asks me how it’s going in Australia? Asking are my friends OK? Just about every single friend of mine has written to me about it, it has reached so far. I’ve talked to my family a lot, and my best friend Gregg Cave who runs our Gaia Retreat & Spa in Byron Bay - I’ve been getting a blow by blow. Everyone is so worried and concerned.

It hasn’t damped the Aussie spirit but it’s made people aware of what’s going on. People who weren’t aware of global warming and what’s happening on the planet, it’s hit home to them. It’s tragic when bushfires happen anywhere, but Australia’s always been known for its beautiful wide open spaces and billions of animals. And that’s the tragedy, we’ve lost so much of that.

But it shows that we’re all one and we all need to help each other and be aware of this problem and do what we can to protect the species, our own species, as well as the animals. It’s been a very scary time. There’s always good that comes out of bad.

Thousands of homes have so far been destroyed by fires, including this property in Tonimbuk, Gippsland. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Thousands of homes have so far been destroyed by fires, including this property in Tonimbuk, Gippsland. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

This will wake people up, it’ll wake the Australian Government up to making changes in their policies about fossil fuels and look into more natural options like solar and wind. Sadly, sometimes you have to get hit in the face to make change. I’m hoping that change happens. I imagine that the public will hopefully make their opinions known but everyone has been touched by this tragedy in some way.

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I was going through my books and I found a book on the rainforests that I wrote a preface to about 30 years ago, it talks about exactly this, how we’re all connected and the burning of the rainforests. It’s been happening in Brazil, we’re losing a lot of the plants that could be the answer to our health. And what’s happening in Australia now is on an even bigger scale than the fires in Brazil so we have to wake up.

We can talk about all the plants and trees and animals we’ve lost but as humans we are the ones that are threatened, and maybe that’s just hit home. We’re going to cause our own downfall if we don’t wake up pretty quickly.

— Dame Olivia Newton-John (AC, DBE) is an Australian actor and activist

Originally published as Bushfires prove the Aussie spirit is more alive than ever, says Olivia Newton John

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/bushfiresupport/bushfires-prove-the-aussie-spirit-is-more-alive-than-ever-says-olivia-newton-john/news-story/60a1ec7ce36cec43980163575e7b7ffb