“I saw a flash of flames across the lake and that’s when my whole life changed. 18 minutes later I was out there trying to save this house from a bushfire.”
“Hollywood can’t ever portray what it smells, tastes and sounds like to experience a bushfire and fight to save your home, then watch it burn down in a matter of minutes right in front of your eyes. And following that trauma, the recovery and rebuilding process is harder than anyone can possibly expect.. I felt utterly lost.. I’m 66 and I never imagined I would be building at my age.”
“FORTIS House has been the first recovery project I’ve seen that was truly led by the community and has delivered something practical that will save homes, lives and prevent the heartache of rebuilding after the next bushfire. And we know, thanks to climate change, the next one is probably coming again in a matter of years.”
“This is still my home. It’s just that I’m building another house on it and I’m going to live with the bush now and I’m going to be prepared this time. That’s all there’s to it. I can’t go through this again.”
"The thing I love about FORTIS is that it’s practical, and it’s for anyone – you can build it in a modular concept, you can build it yourself if you’re an owner-builder – all the tools are there for you to pick up and run with. It’s not only resilient, but sustainable too. A house that burns down is not sustainable – our house is going to be around for at least 100 years, I’m sure of it. We need to be prepared, and build resilient homes with the help of experts. We just want to keep living in our happy place."
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