Black Summer ‘haunts me, every night when I sleep’: Shoalhaven bushfire victim

A devastated farmer who lost his beloved border collie and his livelihood during the Black Summer bushfires says he is still haunted by the scenes of the inferno and loss he endured that day.

Retired farmer Frank Condello, a victim of the Black Summer bushfires, is still haunted by the devastation of that day. Picture: Jeremy Piper

A devastated farmer whose life was destroyed during the Black Summer bushfires says he is still haunted by the scenes of the inferno and loss he endured that day.

Frank Condello’s property was once a thriving nursery and cafe but the trauma of the disaster pushed the Yatte Yattah local to retirement.

The south coast business was renowned for its scones, collection of decades-old bonsais and the adorable border collies that greeted customers.

But in a matter of minutes on New Year’s Eve in 2019, Mr Condello lost all of it, including his home.

“It was a weird day, we had fire pumps set up, half a dozen water containers, not much was happening,” Mr Condello, 81, said.

Frank Condello with his dogs Bear and Georgie at their Yatte Yattah property in the Shoalhaven area. Frank’s home and nursery were destroyed during the Black Summer Bushfires – but most heartbreaking of all was the loss of his border collie Ryder. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“A neighbour phoned up that morning saying, “Frank, I’m worried, there’s a lot of fire around here, what will I do?

“I said, ‘If it comes, just jump in the lake’.”

January 2020: Frank surveys the damage to his property and livelihood. Picture: David Swift

After an eerie build up of suspense and fear, Mr Condello got the call no person wants to receive.

“I’m patrolling the house and she rang back half an hour later and she said, ‘Frank, we’re in the lake and everything is gone, it’s coming’.”

What he saw next was like something out of a horror movie.

“I can still see it, this great big fireball out of the sky popped up – it came from across the paddock and landed at my front gate,” he said.

The farmer retired after Black Summer, too “defeated” to rebuild his business. Picture: David Swift

“I rang my neighbour and said, ‘We’re all in trouble, the fire has jumped the highway and landed on our properties, I don’t know what to do’.”

Despite having the appropriate precautionary measures in place, Mr Condello said nothing could have stopped the inferno.

“The fire was rolling around like a big surf, all the water in the world couldn’t have stopped that,” he said. “No one could have saved us.”

Trapped from all angles by the flames, Mr and Mrs Condello watched helplessly as their world was destroyed.

What really keeps Mr Condello up at night is the loss of one of his border collies, his best friend, Ryder.

“I collapsed trying to save my dog, I relive it every day,” he said. “I’ve had trouble handling this, it’s terrible.

“I couldn’t save him, his airways were impacted by the smoke and all sorts of things.

“The things I lost are irreplaceable, he was a great dog.”

The heartbroken farmer, who lived in a caravan with his wife for two years while his home was rebuilt, said he was simply too “defeated” to restart his business.

“It took me 30 years to build the business up, I don’t have the energy anymore,” he said. “My friend tried to save some of the stuff but it was all damaged and to this very day I haven’t plucked up the courage to see what’s left, it just haunts me, absolutely haunts me, every night when I sleep.”