After a bush fire destroyed Nura Gunyu, an Aboriginal education and cultural teaching property in Milton, NSW, its owners and community members are passionately replanting before rebuilding, ensuring a source of food for native fauna to return to.

Key points: All of the Butler's 100-acre property burnt beyond recognition in January, 2020

All of the Butler's 100-acre property burnt beyond recognition in January, 2020 The property contained seven buildings including a cultural education centre

The property contained seven buildings including a cultural education centre With community support, bush tucker plants are being replaced quickly

Fires had been threatening the property on Wheelbarrow Road on the South Coast for several weeks.

After a 40-degree day, and a hot north-westerly wind, the leaves on the forest floor surrounding the property in Milton were crunchy.

Noel Butler, a Budawang Elder from the Yuin Nation is a qualified teacher, educator, mentor, horticulturist, chef and historian and together with his wife, Trish Roberts, have been teaching, delivering programs and working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adults and children for over 35 years.

Everything lost in fire

"We have 100 acres here and the whole property was burnt and everything in its path," Ms Roberts said.

"We had seven dwellings. Our house, two workshops, a cultural education centre with amenities and a couple of other buildings as well."

"We had been out here half an hour before the fire, hosing the place down but Trish was uncomfortable because an eerie feeling had settled on the place," Mr Butler said.

"It was a really hot day, so I put water in the canoe for the birds, and we left.

"There was no warning.

"No indications that a fire was close, no roadblock, but we left and went back to Mollymook where we were staying."

This is all that remains of the two storey house that the Butler's called home. ( ABC Illawarra: Natal Jimma )

They estimate they would have just arrived at the holiday home friends lent them when their home and livelihood went up in flames.

"It happened so fast," Mr Butler said.

"The wind changed and a big fireball lifted up and lobbed down from the east, plus the southerly wind picked up and made a fire front.

"The two lots of fire met here and created a firestorm — it blew our property apart.

"Seven buildings here have just disappeared, and there's no sign of any roof on our two-storey residence … it's totally disintegrated."

Out on the 100-acre property, land rejuvenation is evident only a few weeks after a fire decimated every living thing. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

'Like a cyclone had hit'

Keiron Tapsell, who lives in Stanwell Park, owns a retirement property on land adjacent to the Butler property.

"Over at my place, it looked like a cyclone had hit it," he said.

"Big trees snapped off. Huge trees were lying over the driveway. I am glad I wasn't there.

"A fire front, maybe a kilometre or two [wide] moved down towards the Princes Highway. The flank of that then turned into a front.

"We had 8 or 9 kilometres of just straight out fire front come through here. There was no way we could save anything."

Keiron Tapsell, a neighbour of the Butlers, said his holiday home and every living thing was destroyed by a wall of fire. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

Planting trees for wallabies

Mr Butler believes people need to change the ways of thinking of how the land is to be managed, rather than how it is controlled.

"I've never heard any stories about fires as severe as this, ever in my life. Not from my dad or uncles or anybody else and I believe it should never happen again," he said.

"The mental anguish and health issues will never end and yet, we've lost millions and millions of our wildlife, adding to the destructive nature that we've experienced in this country of annihilating to extinction more species than any other country in the world in 213 years.

"We have to change our values, respect our land and nature, and help by putting back."

Over the past few months, the Mr Butler and Ms Roberts have been working hard restoring their land, primarily to encourage wildlife to return.

"We've been working at getting the food supply back," Ms Roberts said.

"[We have been] getting plants in the ground that birds in particular rely on; grevilleas, callistemon plants, and fruit species for our pigeons, leaves on trees for wallabies to eat."

The Butlers gratefully accept gifts of trees and other plants to nourish the burnt landscape that used to be their home. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

Providing good sources of nutrition for birds and animals is a priority that they have put before focussing on rebuilding their living quarters.

"If we can do that and get root growth over the autumn time, which we do with native plants, then there will be food for winter and come springtime a lot of those birds and animals will return to their location," Mr Butler said.

"If they do that and there's food, we are encouraging them to start breeding straight away.

"If we don't, birds and animals that have gone into someone else's country will starve as food supplies are consumed by the animals who live on that country."

Some trees are already sprouting fresh new growth which quickly becomes a source of nourishment for insects and birds. ( ABC Illawarra: Natal Jimma )

That was yesterday

The couple have a plan to rebuild and recommence their cultural work, which includes building a new workshop to teach classes to students and tourists.

"Noel needs a workshop to start making his artefacts and blanks, like boomerangs, digging sticks and clap sticks for students and other people who come here to participate in our cultural workshops," Ms Roberts said.

As soon as they get amenities on site, workshops will commence.

"It's good for people to come here and see what's happened and see the bush regeneration that we are doing," she said.

"Noel can talk to them about the land and what we can do to help it heal.

"We need to stay focussed on the future because we will rebuild everything that's been lost and we will continue our cultural work."

Stepping up to help friends and save country

In early January, directly after the raging fires tore through the South Coast, Justine Wellman and her husband answered a Facebook shout-out to help the couple.

Ms Wellman, a horticulturist, had been feeling helpless since the fires and since he owns multiple earthmoving machines it felt like a natural fit.

"We didn't realise exactly what it would be like out here," she said.

"There's a lot more work we are going to be involved in."

Already there has been a lot of clearing up with various local groups helping.

"We've watched the trees come back — every tiny little bud. We all rejoice in it," Ms Wellman said.

Because the inferno was so intense she has had reservations about whether the land would ever recover.

"It's been quite nice to be wrong. Of course they are coming back and the rate at which seedlings are sprouting is surprising."

Justine and Marc Wellman appeared at the Butler's property just days after the fire, jumping right in to help clear the land. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

For Ms Wellman it has been a learning experience noting what has regenerated and what has not.

She delights in Noel Butler's infectious spirit.

"I just want to squeeze him and take all of his knowledge. He gives it freely as well," she said.

"This is all of our culture.

"Aboriginal culture is not just for one, it's all of our land so we all need to step in and take care of that knowledge, take care of that culture."

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