Visions from the Fireground: Introduction to the booklet for the exhibition 'Symbols of Loss & Recovery' Thursday 3 February to Sunday 3 April 2011, Montsalvat, Eltham, Victoria. 'Symbols of Loss & Recovery' explores local artistic responses to the 7 February 2009 bushfires and beyond.

Sometimes it can be a struggle to remember the real scale and horror of an event like Black Saturday. Even those who were there, who lived through it, struggle to remember things clearly - not because they are ever likely to forget, and certainly not because the memories have faded, but simply because trauma affects the way memory works. It changes the way we store our memories, leaving us with a disjointed and broken account of the events of the day.

It's ironic really, that an event so hard to forget, can simultaneously be hard to remember. I'm struck by how deep the memories run for survivors of past fires. The scars of Ash Wednesday remain deeply engraven for many. Men and women who fought in those fires still struggle with tears, as they recall what was lost and what might have been. Their faces tighten as the pain and fear floods back-the memories still fresh and alive even after all these years.