Hilda now lives in a nursing home and poetry is still one of her loves. She has shared with the Manning River Times a poem she recently wrote about our brave fire fighters.

An unearthly scream, "Fire! Fire!" rent through the air,

Scorching hot flames aglow, a living nightmare,

Fierys worked hard, conditions difficult, intense heat,

Trained volunteers in action, a perilous feat.

Choppers came, 'Angels of Mercy' heaven sent,

Top gun were our fire-fighters, dicing with death,

Fires running rampant across the dry land,

Come together and give these fierys a hand.

Saving homes, these saviours on whom we rely,

The fires spread, fanned by strong winds making sparks fly,

Flames leaped across roadways reaching the other side,

Dousing flames, gave these Aussie fighters a sense of real pride.

A blinding smoke haze, polluted the atmosphere,

Creating havoc for drivers gasping for air,

Helicopters dropping water, reload and repeat,

At ground level, fire fighters faced the extreme heat.

Many families from farms and villages lost their homes,

Evacuating to the Town Hall, they were not alone,

Taking their pets, whose lives they'd not risk,

The rest of their possessions left, burnt to a crisp.

Two kilometre fire front, winds at seventy kilometres an hour,

Was consuming the forest and now gaining power,

Destroying, thousands of hectares, it was at its peak,

No rain was forecast here for at least a week.

The wildlife were suffering, they had to flee,

The koalas climbed higher into the canopy,

They always felt safe by going much higher,

But there were no rules for an out of control fire!

The Supermarket shelves bare, the banks have closed down,

B/Doubles queued at a Servo, twenty miles out of town,

We had to make do with the food that we'd got,

The trains not running, transport came to a stop.

Four days of waiting, the good news had come,

Police have opened traffic on highway number one,

With great anticipation and heartfelt awe,

Most were overwhelmed by the sight they saw.

Some homes still standing, others burnt to the ground,

They couldn't believe the devastation they'd found,

Everyone thanked the fierys for their great expertise,

Many lives were saved by these heroic rural fierys.