Julie Hunt - Tyenna

THROUGH MY EYES

AUSTRALIAN DISASTER ZONES

Tyenna (bushfire)

Mia (cyclone)

THROUGH MY EYES

NATURAL DISASTER ZONES

Hotaka (Japan)

Shaozhen (China)

Lyla (New Zealand)

Angel (Philippines)

THROUGH MY EYES

Shahana (Kashmir)

Amina (Somalia)

Naveed (Afghanistan)

Emilio (Mexico)

Malini (Sri Lanka)

Zafir (Syria)

Hasina (Myanmar)

First published by Allen & Unwin in 2022

Copyright Julie Hunt and Terry Whitebeach, 2022

Series concept series creator and editor Lyn White 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

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ISBN 978 1 76087 701 9

eISBN 978 1 76106 390 9

For teaching resources, explore www.allenandunwin.com/resources/for-teachers

Cover and text design by Sandra Nobes

Cover and text images: Girl by Juris Teivans / Alamy Stock Photo; pencil pines by Daniela Brozek; flames by PrasongTakham / Shutterstock; gum leaves pattern by Namartsy / Dreamstime

Set by Midland Typesetters, Australia

This story takes place in lutruwita/Tasmania on Big River Country. We acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the palawa people, who belong to the oldest continuing culture in the world and who cared for and protected Country for thousands of years. We honour them and pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.

The novel is set during the bushfires that occurred in the Central Highlands of Tasmania in 2019. The characters and many of the locations are fictional, to protect the privacy of communities and individuals. We have also altered the details and the chronology of various events, for the sake of the story. For example, we compressed the time frame the actual fires went for more than a month and involved multiple emergency evacuations. But the essential truths of the devastation caused by the bushfire remain.

During our research we received generous assistance and much factual information from Central Highlands community members and from relevant voluntary and professional emergency services, including Tasmania Fire Service and State Emergency Service. We have endeavoured to represent this information accurately, but any errors we may have made are ours alone and are no reflection on the integrity and practices of these services.

This is going to be her best holiday yet, Tyenna thinks, as she and Nan head out of the Launceston airport towards the Central Highlands.

Its summer. Tyes turning thirteen, shes back in Tasmania and her lovely pop is waiting to see her. Hes promised her a big walk this year, a three-day trek into the Walls of Jerusalem. And her best friend Lilys bursting with plans for their time together. Plenty of things to look forward to.

As they turn off the highway and head towards Poatina, the Great Western Tiers loom ahead, reaching for the sky. Tye puts her head out the window. The air is so different from Melbourne. Soon they pass fields of dry stubble and Tye can see the pipeline glinting silver, way up high. Then theyre climbing, weaving their way up to the plateau, Tyes favourite place. Chancys Bay is just an hour and a half from Launceston but it seems a world away.

This is the fourth year in a row shes visited Nan and Pop. She loved the winter holidays with snow and roaring winds and the occasional still day when everything sparkled. And now shes here in summer. Nan and Pop are always glad to have her stay. So whats causing a worry wrinkle between Nans eyebrows? And why is she so uncharacteristically silent?

Is anything wrong, Nan? Tye says at last.

Nan sighs. Sorry, sweetie, one or two things on my mind.

Such as?

In short, the weather. We had a shower a couple of days ago. One point two mil in the rain gauge, but thats all weve had so far this month. If this keeps up itll be the driest January on record. Everyones worried about fires. Nan frowns. Im afraid this might not turn out to be the carefree holiday youre expecting, Tye. For starters, Pop and I have to be at a community meeting in Merrick this afternoon.

Tye tries to swallow her disappointment. Shes good at taking things in her stride. But this wasnt what she planned for her first day.

Its a pity, Nan says. But your pop was called out to a blaze down near Lake Sorell even before Christmas and the fire service is flat out telling people to get their fire plans in place, especially the shack owners. Your grandad and the local fire crew are part of it, of course, along with us hall volunteers. Kayll be chairing the meeting.

Kay? What about Pop? For as long as Tye can remember, her pop has been fire chief.

He thought it was time to hand over to Kay. Shes a dynamo as you know and twenty years younger than us.

Now its Tyes turn to be silent, as she thinks over what Nans said. Shes been counting on having fun with Lily this summer after the slog of first year high school. And she cant wait for the walk with Pop. Theyre going to Dixons Kingdom, that special place where the pencil pines some more than a thousand years old have been growing for over one hundred and fifty million years. Shes been looking forward to it for months.

Her heart drops. Maybe the big walk wont happen after all?

Theyve nearly reached the top. Tye looks behind her, a breathtaking view across farmland to Ben Lomond. Ahead is a scree slope and then theyre over the lip of the plateau and heading southwest. Tye puts aside her disappointment. She cant help feeling exhilarated. The big skies up here do it for her every time.

Tell you what, Nan says, her voice reverting to its usual cheery can-do tone, why dont we go straight to Pine Lake for a quick visit? We can pick up Lily en route. That way you get to see your best friend and your beloved trees first thing.

Great! Id love that, Nan.

Send her a text. Shes dying to see you.

Theres rocky terrain and scrabbled bush all the way to Merrick, the main settlement in the Highlands, at the southern end of Broadwater Lake. It has a couple of sealed roads with houses, a shop and service station behind the pub and a row of shacks along the foreshore.