Michael Green is a long-time Rural Fire Service volunteer with the Bell brigade, but nothing could prepare him for the fire that took his home in the 2019/20 bushfires.
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"It just kept coming at us and we thought we were safe... and then the next thing you know it's coming at you, you've got people running up and down the street telling you to get out," he said.
"When you hear that roar coming at you, I've never heard anything like it. I've heard it before, but not that close [and personal]. And then the devastation of watching your house burn down."
Mr Green and his wife lived in hotels and a caravan after the fires as they rebuilt their new home. It was in this time that the Lower Mountains community came to their aid.
Morna Colbran, General Manager of Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, brought up vouchers, hampers, clothes and anything else needed to help the Greens get back on their feet.
"After these fires you're very shellshocked. I mean I didn't realise how shellshocked we were... it takes a while, because you can burst into tears over nothing," Mr Green said.
"You think you're strong and you're okay but you're not really... and that's why people like Morna were quite valuable."
By the one year anniversary of the loss of their original home the Greens had moved into their new home, but still retained a good relationship with Ms Colbran.
Today, Ms Colbran continues to work tirelessly to support the wider community, with one of her ongoing projects involving 'street libraries' added around the Mountains.
Filled with books, DVDs and more, the boxes are a place for people to pick up something they need or drop off something they'd like to pass along.
When the idea began, Ms Colbran wanted to spice the boxes up a bit visually, and so she reached out to Mr Green.
"I thought 'It's a good idea not contemplate what you've lost all the time' and I suggested he paint them," Ms Colbran said.
Most recently Mr Green has finished painting four boxes emblazoned with magpies, which he chose as an identifiable Australian icon.
Ms Colbran said it's been humbling to work with people affected by disasters, particularly with the shared experience of many in the Mountains across the past decade.
"We were hit in '13, and we lost 200 homes in Winmalee. So I know exactly what they're going through."
Ms Colbran is working with others on a memorial plaque for Skyline Avenue in Mt Tomah to remember those affected by the fires. She hopes to hold an event for it in late September.
Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre offers various educational and recreational programs at no cost, and runs an emergency relief program that covers Penrith, Hawkesbury, Lithgow, the Central West, and the Blue Mountains.
To learn more about the Neighbourhood Centre's offerings, visit their website at: https://www.winmaleeneighbourhoodcentre.com.au/.
