Twelve months ago, I was among many holidaymakers enjoying a memorable week on Kangaroo Island, marvelling at the blue water of Vivonne Bay, visiting Flinders Chase Visitor Centre, and driving through picturesque landscapes of highly-productive farmland to get back to our Middle River base.
What a difference a year makes, with fire having ripped through 210,000 hectares of national park and farmland in a tragedy unlike the island has seen before.
I cannot begin to imagine how it feels to have gone through such an experience. The resilience of Islanders is remarkable.
The same can be said for our CFS volunteers, who have put in a super-human effort for weeks. KI has been battling fires since December 20, and blazes will continue to burn for some time to come.
What worries me is that as a country we'll get too caught up playing the blame game that we won't see the lessons that need to be learnt.
While CFS chief officer Mark Jones only took up the role in September, it seems our local volunteers - be they in CFS trucks or manning farm firefighting units - have made an instant impression. When addressing the media this week, he spoke with pride about the efforts of volunteers.
"They have been fantastic," he said. "They have continued to put their hands up to volunteer from across the state to go and help their colleagues in need on KI, just as we did in NSW, just as we did at Cudlee Creek."
But while our firies have been battling to stop the Ravine blaze's march east, debate has raged across the country about who or what is most responsible for the catastrophe we've seen unfold this summer.
But where should we lay our blame? Climate change? Arsonists? Native vegetation regulations? The government? Or have we been a victim of bad luck at the worst possible time?
Related reading: 'Mammoth' rebuilding effort once KI fire contained
Everyone has their own view, and we'll never come to a consensus. What worries me is that as a country we'll get too caught up playing the blame game that we won't see the lessons that need to be learnt, or we'll miss the prime opportunities to lend a hand to those who need it most.
Calling for the Prime Minister to be sacked doesn't help a farmer rebuild fences to contain the few sheep they have left. And threatening violence against suspected arsonists doesn't help a family sort through the rubble of their house.
As a country we're at our best when we unite, when we work together when the chips are down - not when we're stuck arguing with each other about who is to blame.
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