Listen to David Thompson
Please be advised that this audio contains descriptions of death or injury that some listeners may find distressing.
- The sky went red and the noise came like a freight train - David Thompson
- We ended up jumping into the water up to our necks - David Thompson
- The housing and the people coming into the town is changing - David Thompson
- I struggle with it sometimes being a builder - David Thompson
- FULL STORY - David Thompson
David has been a builder in the district since the time of Ash Wednesday. On February 16 he was on the way back from Geelong to Lorne when he was stopped at a road block in Aireys Inlet, whereupon he put some CFA overalls on and waited to assist with the fire fighting response.
When the front came there was nothing David and two mates could do except flee for their lives. They sought refuge in the ocean at Gully Beach, but it did not offer the kind of safety they had expected.
David’s long term experience building houses on the coast gives him unique insight into the gradual changes in building regulations and the importance of preparing private property for the worst.