So it is a new year, and for many people 2012 is looking pretty bleak indeed. That is why I am re-posting this old post I did last year. This story can help remind us that even from the ashes of devastation and despair, life and prosperity will once again flourish.
Wishing everyone a very happy new year, and I hope 2012 brings you all good health, wealth, and happiness.
Once upon a time in the hills of the great dividing range of Victoria on the edge of a town called Marysville there was a magical garden. In this magical garden mermaids rested on the sun baked rocks on the edge of cool stream’s while fairy’s and pixies danced in-between the trees as wise old men sat at the base of wise old trees.
Unfortunately for Bruno Torfs and the rest of us this is where the fairy tail ended as on the 7th of February 2009 a bushfire raged through the township, decimating everything in its path without mercy and sadly claimed the lives of many people. Bruno was extremely lucky to survive and the rest of the family are safe and well.
Bruno’s home and art gallery were unfortunately completely destroyed in the blaze. The main attraction, the sculpture garden, was also damaged, but around sixty percent of the sculptures have survived.
The pictures of the aftermath show a very eerie looking place. The ghostly looking remains of sculptures look almost shell-shocked and traumatised, as from a seen from a town devastated by war.
Bruno has chosen to stay in Marysville to rebuild his home and restore the gardens. His passion to share his love of art and the story of life with the world has not been damaged by the fires, in fact you would almost say it has been forged anew by the flames that nearly took it all away.
But as with all good fairytales, this story two has a happy ending. Bruno has been working tirelessly to restore the sculptures and the gardens to their former glory and after months of hard work he declared the gardens reopen on the 29th of November 2009.
Bruno’s words: “The bushfires deeply touched us all in many ways. It allowed me to see that people had a heart for each other, that when things really got dark, the best in us comes out. We have lost a lot, but life also provides us opportunities to gain a new vision, lots of new friends and a blank canvas to play. In the meantime, nature is already regenerating itself. The green is slowly returning and the rivers are flowing, finding new ways”.
All photos are from Bruno Torfs website