CERAMIC STATUE OF SITTING BOY FIRE DAMAGED

The statue was being stored with other ceramic items in Terry Patrick's shed by his sister, Mary Woodbridge. The shed caught fire during the Roleystone Kelmscott bushfire on the 6th Feb 2011. It burnt and smouldered for a couple of days destroying all of the contents in the shed. Terry's sister had recently moved over to WA from Queensland.
On the morning of 6th of February 2011, a bushfire was accidentally started by an individual using an angle grinder outside, during a total fire ban. Sparks from the angle grinder set nearby dry grass on fire. High easterly winds caused this scrub fire to quickly turn into a bushfire. Over the course of the rest of the day, the fire spread westerly out of Roleystone, down the hill and into Kelmscott. 150 firefighters were on the ground during the peak of the bushfire. Residents in the path of the fire were ordered to evacuate immediately. Over 4,000 people were evacuated during the bushfire. Many families lost their homes. 69 homes were destroyed with another 71 badly damaged. Residents were evacuated to the Armadale Arena on Townly Street, which was turned into the emergency evacuation centre. Most residents spent the night there and it was not for a few days before they were allowed back into the area to see if their homes had survived.
The Armadale Arena remained a one stop resource centre for victims of the bushfire for 2 weeks after the event.
This bushfire is now regarded as one of the worst in WA history due to the number of homes lost. No one was killed during the bushfire.
For further information, see the Birtwistle Local Studies Library.