Australia holds national day of mourning for wildfire victims

Princess Anne joined Australia’s leaders today as the nation held a national day of mourning for the victims of wildfires that killed hundreds.

Bells rang out across Melbourne and beyond to start the ceremony. Inside the venue, a sports stadium, Anne, prime minister Kevin Rudd and other dignitaries walked two-by-two up to a wreath standing before a large stage, each adding one white flower.

A digeridoo droned solemn notes as firefighters in uniform also added flowers to the wreath.

The Princess flew to Australia to attend the ceremony and hundreds of survivors were brought on buses from the stricken region.

All of Australia’s television networks interrupted their normal programing to broadcast the ceremony live.

Survivors were promised the nation would support them in the massive task of rebuilding.

Mr Rudd said the hellish blazes of “Black Saturday” on February 7 – which killed more than 200 people – had tested the country’s character and the response was courage, compassion and resilience.

“In recent days we have witnessed unspeakable suffering,” Mr Rudd said. “We have lost mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, we have lost brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, the tiniest of children.

“All these are precious lives. No words can provide solace for grief so personal. But simply know this: You who suffer are not alone,” he said.

Mr Rudd said governments at all levels had failed communities hit by tragedy in the past and this must not be allowed in the fire-devastated towns.

He promised “a solemn contract with each of these communities to rebuild, brick by brick, home by home, school by school, church by church, street by street”.

He also announced the tragedy would be marked each anniversary by the lowering of flags on government buildings to half-mast and a moment’s silence.

Thousands of Australians gathered at ceremonies large and small across the country for victims of the country’s deadliest wildfires. Survivors gathered at parks and city residents in public areas where giant screens broadcast the ceremony.

Forensic investigators in the disaster zone took a break from their grim search for more bodies among the ruins. The confirmed death toll stood at 209 today, but officials said they were still finding bodies in the ruins and the tally would grow further.

“These fires have united us all in grief. They have united us all in our response, and they unite us all in the task of rebuilding. Because we will rebuild,” Victoria state premier John Brumby said at the main ceremony, where Mr Rudd also spoke.

Helped by years of drought and furnace-like conditions, the fires ripped across more than 1,500 square miles, burning all before them. More than 1,800 farms and homes were destroyed.

“We are picking up the pieces after the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history,” Mr Brumby said at the ceremony.

At a dusty field in Whittlesea, next to a relief centre that has served as a gathering hub for survivors who lived in the devastated surrounding towns, mourners sat silently as bells tolled, some quietly crying.

They clutched damp tissues and each other. Despite their grief, all seemed determined to move forward and rebuild their lives.

“We’re all strong and we’re country folk,” said Lena Petkovsky, 42, of Flowerdale, whose home and pet dog were destroyed in the blaze.