Raelene and Neil Burr’s home was destroyed in January after one of their dogs accidentally turned on the stove, heating up a pot of oil left on the cold burner.
A fire quickly engulfed the home.
Mrs Burr said there was little left.
‘‘We lost everything in the kitchen, the dining room and the lounge. The bedrooms and bathrooms were damaged and a lot of things melted from the heat,’’ she said.
In the aftermath, only a few possessions remained, but luckily they escaped with their lives.
Mrs Burr said even her wedding ring was damaged in the fire, but a bit of ingenuity brought it back to its former glory.
‘‘All my jewellery, my wedding ring, they look just burnt and not worth keeping.
‘‘I thought, well, I’m not going to replace them because I wouldn’t have the same kind of sentimental value.
‘‘One day, I decided I would spray WD40 on them and gave them a hot scrub, and now they’re perfectly fine — the diamonds are shiny,’’ she said.
Mrs Burr said, fortunately, they had a lot in storage in their shed.
‘‘We lost a lot of sentimental things, but we had the big shed and kept a lot of keepsakes from the grandkids, photos,’’ she said.
In the wake of such a traumatic experience, she found a way of expressing herself.
‘‘I started journalling. I could never do itbefore. But I started to touch on things, andreally tough things I would have to write as poetry.’’
The community had rallied around them.
‘‘They were fabulous, absolutely fabulous. The police and firemen of course, but even in the beginning there were people bringing us things.
‘‘They brought them to us before we even realised we didn’t have anything left, things like clothing.
‘‘Some of the things I wouldn’t have even thought of, like a handbag, some perfume and things like a toaster and a jug,’’ she said.
Even now, people were still checking in.
‘‘They still show a lot of interest, asking about the house, when it’s going to be built,’’ she said.
Building of their new home is under way — Mrs Burr said leaving was never on the cards.
‘‘I didn’t want to leave. I still don’t really want to go away from here. I really like it here,’’ she said.
After a difficult year she is finally letting herself feel some excitement about the new house.
‘‘I found it hard to be excited. I think I’m still not really sure that it’s happening,’’ she said.
