Sparks of life after days of despair for the Batlow family

After years of drought and a horror summer, one NSW family’s fortunes have turned around..

Jack Gould and father Jamie at their Batlow nursery. Picture: Sean Davey

As fires bore down on the historic NSW town of Batlow in January, the eldest Gould children stayed behind to help their father defend the family’s garden nursery business despite the approaching flames and sound of gas explosions.

Rayleigh, 14, and Riley, 13, stood watch over the nursery in the town in the state’s south ­before they were forced to take refuge in a neighbour’s bunker, while 17-year-old Jack stayed ­behind and hosed down any falling embers. The nursery was saved.

Father Jamie was beyond impressed they weren’t even scared.

“Jack was bossing me around and telling me what to do. He had it right under control,” Mr Gould told The Australian.

Jack, a champion runner and school captain at Batlow Technology School, said the fire came close four times before eventually striking. “It came in waves. At first it was just teasing us,” he said.

The nursery has been owned by Jamie and Rebekah Gould for 18 years and was saved in January from a bushfire. Picture: Sean Davey

After years of drought and a horror summer the Goulds will never forget, the family’s fortunes have turned around with plant sales “going through the roof” due to the number of people stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I thought we’ve survived the fire and that’s really good but then the coronavirus came along and we thought we would have to shut up shop,” Mr Gould said. “But now we are having the best time we’ve ever had.”

His wife, Rebekkah, said the fact nurseries had been classed as essential services meant the family business was now “busier than ever” with sales up 50 per cent on what they would be in spring.

“It’s really disappointing that a lot of businesses can’t operate when we’re doing really well,” Mr Gould said. “You feel a bit guilty, but it’s been from one extreme to another. We’ve been battling drought for years in the nursery game, it hasn’t been easy. We survived the fire. We deserve this moment.”

Among the neat rows of plants exploding with colour, Mr Gould showed off one of his favourite ­additions to the nursery: a new variety of Crowea plant, with pink star-shaped blooms, that sprung up after the fires.

“This is a chance seedling, that is named after our daughter, who bravely stayed and helped defend our family-owned nursery business situated in Batlow, from the Dunn’s Road Fire,” its description tag reads.

The family has obtained a government bushfire recovery grant after sustaining $15,000 worth of damage to a greenhouse.

The royal commission into the summer fires starts on Monday.