John McEvoy lives in the Alpine Region of Victoria where he is a school teacher and farmer. He tells the story of his experiences during and long after the catastrophic Black Saturday bushfires on February 7th 2009. Although his property did not directly impacted he tirelessly protected and supported his neighbours and the wider community. John has kept meticulous records of that time and pays tribute by naming many of his friends and colleagues who risked and a couple who lost their lives defending their homes and community. He is a humble man who made a massive personal contribution during the fires and the long recovery period. His story ends with a beautiful and touching account of a flock of sheep called the Marauders and a draft horse which defended them from the fire.

Biography

I currently farm with my wife Sharon, we run Angus cattle and Australian white sheep at Dederang in the Kiewa Valley. We were both teachers for many years.

We have four grown up children, three of whom are involved in Agriculture. We love where we live and currently we are diving into Regen Agriculture.

Contact

the6maccas@bigpond.com

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes - Alpine Series.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact.

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken"

by Colin Lillie