After the Black Summer bushfires: embers of hope
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After the Black Summer bushfires: embers of hope
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On the morning of New Year’s Eve 2019, the day that would end with her NSW South Coast home and art studio razed to the ground by bushfires, artist Penny Lovelock shut herself inside and played the clarinet.
Outside, the mercury had topped 38 degrees by 8.30am, and the backburn that was meant to protect Conjola Park from the Currowan fire, was ablaze. Sirens were blaring from fire engines on the Princes Highway, and helicopters hovered above her home gathering water from Lake Conjola to douse the flames. Rather than panic, the painter turned to her musical instrument to keep her cool.