There is a fascinating exhibition as part of the commemorations for Black Tuesday about items that real families took when they left their homes, fleeing the bush fires.

There are stories of hidden jewellery, war medals later found in the rubble, precious items that survived heat that could melt a telephone. Furniture and possessions piled out in the front yard.

One mother packed a small case filled with toys and cardigans for the children, nappies for the baby and the family photograph album.

As the drama unfolded for the adults, the children at Sorrell School were evacuated to open ground. A circus was in town and camped there. So the children remembered the excitement of seeing elephants wading at the water’s edge. One of their best school days ever. A total contrast to other memories of the day.

One unexpected item that many young women took with them was their contraceptive pills. It is something my generation and my daughter’s generation take for granted. We forget how revolutionary it was, how it gave women real control of their fertility for the first time in history. For women born in the 1930’s, forty percent had nine or more pregnancies. The Pill changed that. It was introduced in Australia in 1961, but was still controversial at the time of the fires. Many doctors would only prescribe it to married women, it was relatively difficult to obtain, so it was a precious possession.

What would you take?

50 years ago today, Tuesday 7th February 1967, Tasmania experienced its worst ever bush fires. Temperatures rose above 39°C. Winds gusted over 220 km per hour.

64 people died, 900 injured. Nearly 7,500 people were homeless, with 1,293 houses and cottages destroyed. Schools, churches, factories, post offices, hotels, bridges, telephone and power polls ruined.

Destruction widespread in agricultural communities as well as towns and Hobart city, 1,600 vehicles, 1,700 farm buildings destroyed, 62,000 farm animals were lost, 2,400 km of boundary fencing burnt. The total area affected by fire was 182,000 hectares, across twelve municipalities.

These are archive photos and memories of people who lived through that day.

“The noise of the fire”. “The wind”. “The sky and the heat”.

“The sky was mustard yellow with an orange sun”. Later in the day, “the sky was orange with a dark red sun”. “Then the sky was black with smoke”. “Hot ashes blowing around”.

Children were sent home from school. “At home we helped fill the gutters with water, blocked the down pipes with tennis balls”. “We filled the bath with water, any containers we could find, soaked towels and sheets to cover ourselves”.

People left their homes and waded in the water on the beach, to get as far away from the flames and smoke as possible.

Whole streets were burnt out, with just the brick chimney stacks left standing.

An incredible day of tragedy and heroism and community spirit.