Two years on: Genetic improvement focus for Symons family after KI fires

The stud lost about 2500 sheep and farm infrastructure in the fires, while stud owner John Symons and his wife Jo also lost their house.

They moved into their new house on-farm in March last year, after living with their daughter Hannah and husband Brian Robins in their house on-farm that miraculously survived the fires.

They also had ram lambs and 1300 ewes survive the fires, which they have since bred back up from to 5400 head, but Hannah expects it will take five years to get the lost genetics back.

They also haven't sold any sheep, except a few rams, since the fires.

"We're back to full stocking rates now, but we haven't disposed of anything, so some are getting very old," Mr Symons said.

"We also mated ewe lambs to build our numbers, but we don't want to do that next year.

"Hopefully we can start selling sheep next year - maybe 1500 head - and become a viable operation again."

The family held their second ram sale since the fires in November, where 33 from 40 rams offered sold to $4000, averaging $1945. They were pleased with the result.

"Finally, we can see light at the end of the tunnel as we now have finished rebuilding all major infrastructure and getting our flock back on track," Hannah said at the time.

"Unfortunately, the fire destroyed two thirds of the stud ewes, which meant we only had 40 rams available for sale this year.

"However, we are pleased that our first attempt at mating ewe lambs has been successful, which will give us an increase of rams available for selection in 2022 of 42 per cent."

RELATED READING: Two years on: KI feedlotter 'making money again' after fires

RELATED READING: Two years on: Fresh start for young KI family after big fire losses

In the past fortnight, the family have crutched and are now shearing the flock, which averages about 17 micron.

They are very excited to be operating in their new AWI-standard shearing shed, which Hannah says is a lot "cooler and better designed".

"The shearers are a little bit more happier about coming here," she said.

Out in the paddock is also more user friendly, as farm fences were restructured after the fires.

"We got independent advice on how to reconfigure the farm, as fences were historically put up as the land was cleared," Hannah said.

"We've put in laneways, which just makes getting sheep in and out a lot easier than it used to be.

"However we do have a big issue that the sheep have no shelter.

"We are still going through what trees we have lost and deciding where to put trees back in.

"We have fenced off all our scrub and that's starting to grow back, but getting more shelter for the sheep is a big priority going forward."

Otherwise there is only small farm tasks left to do, Hannah said.

"We are really happy with where our recovery is two years on," she said.

"We're really happy we don't have to do fencing again.

"We have been extremely lucky in the support we have been given - BlazeAid, the army, the government, the community - the generosity has been really overwhelming."

As a former Country Fire Service volunteer for more than 50 years, Mr Symons hopes National Parks management decide to retain the fire tracks created in fighting the blaze in 2019-20.

"So when lightning strikes, the parks are broken up to some extent, with pre-made areas that can be backburned from," he said.

"That would be really valuable to firefighters. The fires won't burn with the same intensity and there won't be complete annihilations of the park and its wildlife."

But Mr Symons worries that conservationists won't allow parts of the wilderness protection area to be prescribed burned.

"If that's their plan, then they need to figure out how to better protect the area surrounding those areas," he said.

RELATED READING: KI fire frustration lingers, calls to change native veg laws

Mr Symons also fought the 2007 KI fire, which burnt 95,000 hectares of national park and WPA, and said minimal management changes were made after that event.

"So here we are again, allowing the whole park to burn, losing more infrastructure and wildlife, and farmers losing millions of dollars," he said.

"There has already been all sorts of reports, inquiries and plans made since the fires - yet two years has passed and nothing has happened - when are these decisions going to be made?

"If a farmer created that type of environmental damage, they'd end up in jail, and yet parks management continue to let it happen and say they are doing the best they can for conservation.

"It can't be left as all one unburnt area with no mechanism to stop the fire in that park - that's been going on for years and it's not working."

RELATED READING: KI locals pushing for fire breaks, prescribed burns