‘We have lost our patch of paradise forever’

Matt Bath and his partner, Marina Schiewer, were forced to flee their home as the ­severity of an oncoming blaze became all too apparent.

Matt Bath and his partner, Marina Schiewer, survey the ruins of their family home at Wallabi near Taree on the NSW mid-north coast. Picture: Jane Dempster

It was the bush that first enticed Matt Bath and his partner, Marina Schiewer, to build a life in the ­village of Wallabi, on the NSW mid-north coast, and a bushfire that has now seen them vow to move away for good.

The stonemason couple was forced to flee their home, about 20km southeast of Taree, on Friday night as the ­severity of an oncoming blaze became all too apparent. “We saw the sky turn black on Friday, so we just packed our bags and left,” the father of two told The Australian. “When the evacuation orders came in, we’d already left.”

When they returned on Saturday morning to collect more supplies, much of what was once their home was gone.

“We knew we were vulnerable backing up on to the bush here, but we just never expected it to be like this,” Mr Bath said. “It was all so beautiful here, with the trees. We lost our patch of paradise.”

Looking at the charred remains of their home on Monday, Ms Schiewer said she knew things could have been much worse.

Their son’s bedroom was darkened and smashed open, the pool where they played with the family dog, Roy, was blackened, and their business’s shed out the back was reduced to rubble.

Taking in the devastation, she said the family would now move away from Wallabi permanently; her children too precious to risk losing to future bushfires.

“I don’t want to be here … we’re not living here anymore,” she said.

As they began to clear the ­debris of their life, they watched in mute despair as their heroes — the tireless crews of the Rural Fire Service — conducted backburning on surrounding scrub.

Tragically, the hazard reduction work has come too late for them, but the stoic couple is proud of how much of the town firefighters have managed to save, and they wish them the best for the days ahead.

“I don’t blame anyone. The weather just hasn’t been suitable to backburn, it’s been too windy the past few weeks,” Mr Bath said.

“They did an amazing job, saving what they did.

“The men who came here are heroes, they tried so hard, and they saved so much.”