Gale and fire, red steer loose

A few news items from past times to mull over...

Gale and Fire Nepean Times 13 October 1928 
"Last Sunday was a Black Sunday on the Mountains and in the Nepean district. A fierce gale made havoc with property, and on the Mountains the flames destroyed much property. The whole countryside, from Warrimoo to Lawson, was alight."

Gale and Fire The Queenslander 11 October 1928

"A SCORCHING westerly gale which swept from the inland districts to the coast to-day wrought havoc in many areas. Many houses were unroofed in the suburbs. There were numerous bushfires, one having disastrous consequences. Many reports are to hand of minor damage by the wind. A message from Woy Woy, the popular watering place north of Sydney, states that a fire broke out early in the day enveloped 30 week-end cottages, all of which were destroyed. The damage is estimated at £20,000."

"Red Steer" Loose As Heat Wave Flames The Land 29 October 1948
"THE RED STEER," old bushland name for a bushfire, was loosein the eastern districts of New South Wales in the early part of this week,set free by the hottest October weather in recent years and fanned on its way by scorching westerlies."

Many Bushfires as Heat Sets Four-year Record SMH 28 October 1948
"Most serious outbreak was on the South Coast, where the village of Termeil, 12 miles from Ulladulla, was practically destroyed."

N.S.W. Under Smoke Pall Townsville Daily Bulletin 24 October 1951

"SYDNEY, October 23.— Bushfires are burning in nine State forests in New South Wales.Over 100 separate bushfires were reported during the dayand night.Veteran fire fighters said it was one of the worst days for bushfires in the State's history.The fires extended along the coast from the Shoalhaven and the Tallaganda Shires in the south to the Queensland border. They also raged in the north-west of the State."

Big Losses in Fierce NSW fires The News 24 October 1951

Sydney, Wed.: Bushfires ravaging the northern NSW coast have caused more than £1 million worth of damage. Yesterday fire destroyed, several houses, a sawmill, a banana plantation, a bridge and threatened scores of other dwellings and. several small townships. Police on the north coast said only, a drop in the wind. had averted a "holocaust" today."

BOISTEROUS GALES SWEEP NEW SOUTH WALES BUSH FIRES RAGING Kalgoorlie Miner Tuesday 25 August 1936

"Boisterous gales swept New South Wales to-day, blinding dust storms raged in the inland districts,high seas lashed the coast, and driving rain fell in parts of the southern areas. Gales -are raging over the Tasman Sea, and air services were partially disorganised. The city was encircled by bushfires, outbreaks occurring in practically every suburb. Fences were torn down, trees uprooted, and small buildings unroofed."