Deep In Bush Is A Tower Of Strength
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday April 27, 1997
For 20 years Alan Lee has retreated to his lonely tower, where, for a third of the year, he guards a domain worth many millions of dollars.
Alan Lee is a fire watcher. It is upon his vigilance that the safety of farmers, foresters and hundreds of square kilometres of plantation timber rests. The people who sit in outposts like Mr Lee's Kendall Fire Tower are a vital part of bush fire prevention.
The walls of his eyrie are marked with compass bearings and a giant map fills its centre. From early December to April, Mr Lee is on watch for most of the day with his over-sized binoculars, scanning the horizon for smoke.
It may not be high tech but Kendall and the string of 10 other southern NSW fire towers are among the most important bastions against bush fire.
Perched 25 metres up on a 900m-high hill in the 26,000ha Green Hills State Forest near Batlow, Mr Lee constantly monitors wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity. His is a vital link between the VHF and UHF radio networks of forestry and local bushfire brigades.
Mr Lee is noted for his ability to pinpoint a fire to a specific farm paddock many kilometres away.
Arsonists, careless tourists and lightning strikes - all are threats. In 1984, the towers logged 92 fires caused by one dry electrical storm during its four-day movement from the Victorian border to Yass.
In peak fire season during periods of high winds and low humidity, quick response forestry crews in their tankers are on alert, waiting for the fire watchers' reports. They try to be at any fire within 10 minutes.
The danger of wildfire in southern NSW was highlighted in 1978 when an outbreak on the Hume Highway burnt 20 kilometres and 30,000ha of grazing land within three hours. "In summer we can spend a month doing nothing but fighting fires," Batlow district forester Steve Horsley said.
"Fortunately, we have had wet summers for the past four years. Kendall and the other fire towers are one of the most important cogs in the fire prevention wheel."
© 1997 Sydney Morning Herald