Sydney family trapped on south coast thanks Tony Abbott for his work on the firegrounds
A northern beaches family has detailed their encounter with Tony Abbott, while he was fighting bushfires on the NSW south coast, which included a laugh from the former prime minister after a cheeky question was put forward to him.
Manly
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A young Narrabeen family on a round-Australia camping adventure had a close encounter with a tired volunteer firefighter from the northern beaches who had just spent nearly a week fighting one of the fiercest fires ever seen on the NSW south coast.
The Lawsons were in Milton earlier this week after spending a harrowing few days dodging the eastern edge of the Currowan megafire when they bumped into former prime minister Tony Abbott and a Rural Fire Service strike team.
The crew on the Ingleside Brigade’s 1B tanker were refilling it with water after saving homes at Bendalong and Manyana when Sarah and Ben Lawson and their three sons, Kale, 9, Jye, 6, and three-year old Taje pulled up alongside.
The Lawsons had been staying in nearby Mollymook after being evacuated to Ulladulla by fishing boat from a caravan park at Bendalong. They drove to Milton to top up their supplies.
“We came across an RFS truck filling up water. It had Ingleside written on it,” Ms Lawson said.
“We cheered and thanked them because they were our home town locals, then we saw Tony Abbott jump up onto the truck and check the gauges as they filled it with water.”
After the tanker was full, Mr Abbott jumped down and stuck his head in the back window of the Lawson’s 4WD and said hello to the boys and answered a few questions.
One of the boys asked if Mr Abbott was “the big boss of the country?”
He smiled and replied: “For a fleeting moment”.
Kale, an avid surfer, asked him: “What beach are you from?”
“I’m with the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club,” Mr Abbott said.
Then dad Ben chipped in and asked the former PM if he had a spare RFS firefighters’ uniform.
“Why?” Mr Abbot asked.
“For Scott Morrison,” Mr Lawson said.
Ms Lawson said Mr Abbott laughed, but didn't say anything.
“He told us they had been out fighting fires for four or five days and he sure did look it too.
“It looked like he’d been through the wringer, but kept on smiling.
“We thanked him for what he’d been doing and told him it was good too see him having a go.”
The Lawsons are now in Narooma, waiting to see what the expected warmer temperatures this weekend will bring before setting out on the next stage of their 12-month trip.