Until the fires of February this year, the 1939 bushfires were the worst in Victoria’s history. The similarities and differences between the fires, and the past and current Royal Commission will be discussed at a seminar on Monday 9 November at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus.

Judge Leonard Stretton’s 1939 Royal Commission heard evidence in many city and country locations. The 2,600 pages of evidence convey the experience and opinions of the community, from graziers and foresters to sawmill owners, timber workers, and police.

The 1939 Royal Commission witness evidence, found at the University of Melbourne’s Creswick campus, provides a fascinating contrast to the fires of February 2009.

Speakers at the seminar will include:

• Jack Rush, QC, Senior Counsel assisting the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

• Dr Kevin Tolhurst, Senior Lecturer - Fire Ecology and Management, on the similarities and differences between the 1939 and 2009 fires.

• Kate Darian-Smith, Professor of Australian Studies and History, on experiences and opinions in 1939 compared to 2009.

• Dr Leon Bren, Associate Professor - Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, looking at the site of a major tragedy seventy years on.