I don’t buy into debates about what’s causing climate change. I just know it’s happening and that it’s not good.
It’s happened in my lifetime.
Gippsland and Melbourne always had wet winters. Always, but not any more. I played football and hockey on mud heaps.
Melbourne football grounds were always muddy in July and August. VFL Park was a quagmire. The MCG had problems.
I read in Kevin Murray’s biography that Fitzroy was robbed of a grand final berth one year by a wet track in the preliminary final against Collingwood.
I can’t remember the last time I saw an AFL match played on a muddy ground. It was probably in the 1970s.
I read in The Age today that Victoria is a tinder box, expecting a dangerous fire season.
The CFA has a tendency to cry wolf every year about the fire threat. If it had been a wet winter they would have talked about the build up of fuel.
I think this year is shaping as a bad one though.
We had a wet August in the South East of South Australia, but it’s hardly rained since.
I was talking to someone the other day who subscribes to a long-range weather forecasting service. She swears by the accuracy of this bloke.
He’s predicting some wet weather in the next few weeks. That might actually make summer fire conditions worse by promoting weed growth.
I hope I’m wrong. I vividly remember the terrible alpine fires of January 2003. It’s not something you can forget.
