Undefendable: The Story of a Town Under Fire

by Sulari Gentill (Editor), Sarah Kynaston (Editor)

During the devastating Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-20, when it seemed the entire south-east of Australia was on fire, a little town in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains found itself in the path of a megafront. Between November and February those bushfires burnt 18.6 million hectares of land and forests in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Megablazes killed 34 people, destroyed thousands of homes, and claimed three billion mammals, birds and reptiles pushing some to extinction as their habitats were annihilated. On January 2 the township of Batlow, population 1313, was declared 'undefendable' and its citizens advised to flee. This is the story of its survival - against all odds. While most Batlownians evacuated, many stayed to fight for their beloved community. And in the end, the undefendable town was saved by volunteers - by farmers, teachers, electricians, retirees, and boys barely out of high school. A great deal was lost, but much was saved, including Batlow's sense of itself. During and after the fires, the world's media descended upon Batlow. They told the story of the battle for the town, or the parts of it they saw. The townspeople didn't object to that, but later felt the need to tell their story in their own words. Undefendable is a memoir of a town under fire, a curated collection of stories, poems and photographs from the people of Batlow about those terrible days.

178 pages, Hardcover

Published November 26, 2022

About the author

Once upon a time, Sulari Gentill was a corporate lawyer serving as a director on public boards, with only a vague disquiet that there was something else she was meant to do. That feeling did not go away until she began to write. And so Sulari became the author of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries: thus far, ten historical crime novels chronicling the life and adventures of her 1930s Australian gentleman artist, the Hero Trilogy, based on the myths and epics of the ancient world, and the Ned Kelly Award winning Crossing the Lines (published in the US as After She Wrote Hime). In 2014 she collaborated with National Gallery of Victoria to write a short story which was produced in audio to feature in the Fashion Detective Exhibition, and thereafter published by the NGV. IN 2019 Sulari was part of a 4-member delegation of Australian crime writers sponsored by the Australia Council to tour the US as ambassadors of Australian Crime Writing.

Sulari lives with her husband, Michael, and their boys, Edmund and Atticus, on a small farm in Batlow where she grows French Black Truffles and refers to her writing as “work” so that no one will suggest she get a real job.

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, Sulari’s latest novel will be released on 7 June 2022.

Reviews

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
As we approach another dry, hot summer who can forget the summer Australia burned.

In the summer of 2019/2020 the township of Batlow in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains was declared ‘undefendable’ from the fire megafront. While most evacuated, many stayed to fight. In the end, the undefendable town was saved by volunteers – by farmers, teachers, electricians, retirees, and boys barely out of high school.

Sulari Gentill and Sarah Kynaston have delivered a heart-warming collection of poems, recollections and photographs from the very people who were on the ground during the fires of the summer of 2019/2020.

Sulari Gentill is herself a resident of the small close-knit community of Batlow - the town that was declared undefendable against the fires.

With a united front the residents, the Bush Fire Brigade and the Town Brigade banded together to do everything possible to save their town. They took on the fire and they won!

Everyone tells the story of their own personal experiences during that time. Most of the stories are in a conversational tone and told almost two years after the fires the awe and pride the story tellers feel comes through in the prose.
I really enjoyed Edmund Gentill's recollections. His writing is eloquent and with the resilience of youth his words are laced with humour.

Undefendable is a heart-felt anthology that showcases a town united, coming together and surviving when all odds were against them.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘We were told our town was undefendable!’

On 2 January 2020, the township of Batlow (population 1313) was declared ‘undefendable’, and its citizens were advised to flee while they could. This was during the devastating Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020. I remember it well. Much of south-eastern Australia was on fire or under threat. My personal focus was on Adaminaby (161 kms from Batlow via the Snowy Mountains Highway) and on the fires south-west of Sydney near Tahmoor, and then on fires creeping close to Canberra. There were many fires burning across New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

Here are some of the statistics:
34 lives lost.
18.6 million hectares of land and forests destroyed.
3 billion mammals, birds, and reptiles lost.
Horrific fires, horrific damage.

So, how did Batlow manage to survive the fires? While many evacuated, others stayed to fight for their community. This book is a collection of stories, poems and photographs from the people of Batlow. Volunteers saved the town: fighting fires, manning communications, preparing, and distributing food and water, looking out for each other and (where possible) for pets and livestock.
These are some of the stories from those who were there. The editors, Sulari Gentill and Sarah Kynaston, tell us a little about each of the people who have contributed and their connections to the community. Not every property could be saved but given the intensity of the megablaze threatening Batlow, it is astonishing that so much was saved.

And who were the volunteers? From farmers to tradesmen and teachers, from retirees to those who had just finished school. Everyday people fighting for their community and their livelihoods. Each one of them a hero.

This book is important. This is not a media presentation or a political interpretation of events. This book is a collection of memories by those directly affected, by those who fought to save Batlow, those who evacuated and includes a focus on the future.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith