After the horror, raindrops of hope in southern NSW

As fire surrounded his property, Wayne Schaefer was trapped in his ute, unable to move because of the flames’ intensity.

Helen and Wayne Schaefer fought a terrifying battle on New Year’s Eve; their daughter Leah, 18, was in nearby Cobargo when the firestorm came though. Picture: Sean Davey

Rain came to the NSW south coast yesterday. Weeks late and barely enough to dampen the scorched earth.

Power poles and trees still smouldered on the road into Helen and Wayne Schaefer’s place. But it was rain, nonetheless. A first sign, perhaps, that the firestorm that has laid siege to the area will one day pass.

As Scott Morrison called a press conference in Canberra to announce $2bn towards national bush fire recovery, the Schaefers were counting their blessings after emerging intact as the fire wreaked havoc around them.

The Schaefers with the family dog, Casey, on their scorched property. Picture: Sean Davey.

Somehow they fought off the blaze in a terrifying battle on New Year’s Eve and saved their home on a 260ha property on Yowrie Road, surrounded by the Wadbilliga National Park about 25km from Cobargo, which was devastated in the fire.

Almost a week later and the enormity of the rebuilding task ahead of them is dawning. Helen, a vet, has been busy since the fire, shooting their own and their neighbours’ burnt sheep and ­cattle. Wayne, who was temporarily blinded in the fire fight, has just recovered his sight.

Their relative Carol Schaefer is homeless after her 100-year-old house was destroyed in a fire she said sounded like a terrible roar.

Mr Schaefer with his ute. Picture: Sean Davey

They are desperately trying to source a caravan for Carol, 75, so she can return to her property and continue living independently.

Wayne’s sister Gail and brother-in-law Murray, who live on the edge of Cobargo, lost their home but plan to build again.

Yesterday, on the charred soil outside their property, Helen and Wayne told of their fight for survival as the fire hurtled towards them.

They had been prepared but the fire came on them faster than they had expected.

Helen had thought the fire wouldn’t arrive until well into the next day, and even then it was meant only to be an embers and grass fire.

But the fire leapt into the trees and nobody could stop it.

About 2am, the Schaefers’ neighbour Timmy Salway — whose brother and father, Patrick and Robert Salway, died in the fire — would leave their property still not fully realising the ferocity of what was coming.

Timmy, who had up to 140 heifers and cows, was preparing to milk his dairy cows in a couple of hours.

“We had no idea,” Helen said. “It wouldn’t have mattered how many fire water bombers were in here, it had a momentum and life of its own.”

Carol Schaefer with her pet sheep George. Picture: Sean Davey

As fire surrounded the property, Wayne, 55, found himself in his ute, parked by the back stairs just metres from his family home, when the fire struck. He knew he was in trouble, unable to get inside because of the flames’ intensity.

“It was a firestorm by then,” Helen told The Australian. “I couldn’t even see him.”

Then Wayne spotted the firefighter hose on his ute’s trailer, still running with water.

Waiting until there was a lull in the wind, he jumped out, grabbed the hose and started watering underneath and on top of the car – worried it would blow up. The hose would save him.

Helen, 53, had been focused on soaking underneath the home’s wooden veranda. She stayed close to the house but the flames were so close she was on the firefront.

Their daughter Leah, 18, was meant to be safe. The family had been preparing for a fire for weeks and had put their fire plan in place early. Helen had dropped Leah in ­Cobargo to stay with Gail on the afternoon of December 30 … but Leah ended up in a dash to get away from the fires, and it would be two days before she would be reunited with her parents.

Leah with the new hose pipe the family bought after the fire. Picture: Sean Davey

By then, Wayne couldn’t see; both of his corneas had been burned as he fought the fire.

The dog kennel caught alight. “That nearly did us in,” Helen said.

After buckets and buckets of water, the kennel fire was extinguished, the firestorm passed and Wayne was able to get back inside.

After the fires, Helen had to put down 80 of her neighbour’s cattle. “I’d texted Timmy not knowing his father and brother were dead. I said, ‘Tim, I need your permission to put some of your girls down’. I knew he’d say yes,” Helen said.

“There were piles of them. The fire had funnelled them in halfway along the road. They were on top of each other and over the edge of the road in the gutter, with legs in the air, the whole bit. We checked every single one and shot about another eight.”

The Schaefers know they are the lucky ones. They still have each other and their house.

“If there’s anything that’s been the problem it’s because the fuel has been building up for decades and they just haven’t done it (hazard reduction) and it’s not smart,” Helen said. “You have to keep the cool burns going.”

What they need now is rain. On Monday as moisture poured from the sky, the charred forest began showing its first signs of new life. Tiny shoots of green grass.