That was the grim reality that faced graziers and Local Land Service officers yesterday on Gunning’s fire ground.

Seven hundred sheep, including cross bred ewes and lambs were lost in the blaze that ripped through 385 hectares on Wednesday.

There were merinos, bred for their medium-fine wool, on the historic Hume family property, ‘Collingwood.’ Generations of expertise and genetics have been devoted to the enterprise, now operated by descendant, John Emery and wife, Margaret.

We can only feel for Lucy and Charles Knight and others counting the cost of the terrifying blaze.

The community is rallying behind them, as they do in times of crisis.

It’s little consolation but things could have been much worse.

Gunning town could have been wiped out with a change in wind direction. Ms Knight said it was miraculous it didn’t cause more devastation.

Good fortune played a role but the RFS performed a bigger one.

We sing their praises often, but it’s never enough.

Crews were quickly on the scene protecting property. By 4pm there were 100 fighting the fire and four fixed wing aircraft deployed.

They give up their time, most voluntarily, for us.

They too witness the dead and dying animals and feel for their owners.

Spare them a thought as we count ourselves lucky.

Yesterday afternoon their ranks were scurrying to other district fires, started by lightning strikes before a rain storm.

Drink driving frustration

TODAY’s page four story about drink drivers shows the frustration felt by sections of the judicial system.

On Wednesday, Magistrate David Degnan lost patience, saying that the court is sick and tired of excuses when it comes to drink driving. 

And so is the community. 

“If you are driving, don’t drink and if you are drinking, don’t drive. Get a friend to drive you. It is just common sense,” he said, when sentencing Canberra woman Heather Alexandra Lynn after she rolled her car at Lake Bathurst in December last year. 

Lynn recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.165, and received a nine-month prison sentence. Only Lynn’s guilty plea and participation in the traffic offenders program saw this sentence suspended. 

An astonishing 37 people came through the Goulburn Local Court this week, facing charges of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

While we’d like to report that this was just a one-off spike in numbers, sadly, this isn’t far from the weekly norm. 

Mr Degnan can’t be blamed for his frustration over this.