East Gippsland local John Mulligan, 94, has launched his new book, Our Mismanaged Forests, drawing on decades of experience living and working in the bush.
The launch was held last Wednesday at State Parliament, with local MPs Tim Bull and Melina Bath among those attending.
Mulligan, a survivor of the 1939 Black Friday fires and numerous other bush disasters, provides detailed insights into forest and bushfire management.
The book highlights the consequences of accumulated fuel loads, the lack of consistent fuel reduction burns, and the importance of Indigenous practices in fire management.
Mulligan advocates for communities to learn to live with “good fire” as a means of reducing the risk of megafires.
The book also draws on historical accounts, including observations from early European settlers noting the prevalence of smoke across the landscape, and Mulligan’s own recollections of smoke-filled seasons during the 1930s and 1940s.
Shadow Minister for Public Land Management Melina Bath praised the book as “a must-read that shines a light on science-based, sensible bushfire risk reduction measures”, including cool burns, local management, and weed and pest control, while highlighting failures in state government bushfire management.
Our Mismanaged Forests will be available
at the Book Orchard in Bairnsdale from December 17.
