N.B. chaplain provides comfort to Australians affected by bushfires

Chaplain Luanna Dugas of Douglas, N.B., says the thing she noticed most when she arrived in Australia was the ever-present smell of smoke.

"The smell was in the air and it felt like you were sitting on top of a campfire all the time," she said.

Dugas was one of three Canadian chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team who spent three weeks providing emotional and spiritual support in communities dealing with wildfires.

She said they spent a week in Bairnsdale before she and another chaplain moved on to Batemans Bay to assist and provide relief to their Australian colleagues.

She experienced the smoke and saw the colour of the sky changed because of the fires. It was new for her, but she said it had become normal for those living there.

"At two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun is a bright, bright red, as if the sun was setting."

But Dugas said everyone was traumatized by the devastation. She said the chaplains are prepared to deal with that.

"A lot of people were affected by the fires but it brought back memories of even childhood traumas that they lived through," she said.

Dugas said most of their work was helping them cope with their emotions.

Help was offered to first responders who had been battling the fires for months.

"It's very hard on emotional, physical, spiritual — every element of being healthy has been compromised."

Dugas's work also included sifting through the remains of homes to help families find whatever was left.

She related the story of one man, Ean Newell, who lost his home, outbuildings and the equipment he used to live self-sufficiently in the Australian bush. All that he managed to save was the Jeep he called Margaret.

"When he lost everything he didn't know where to turn," Dugas said.

She said she assisted Samaritan's Purse in helping the man find anything in the devastation. They were able to recover a few items, including some coins that belonged to his grandmother.

"You could see the little pieces of his life and it was just something he gets to hold on to. He felt like he didn't lose everything."

Dugas said she was happy she was able to help.

"I feel really blessed that I'm able to go and that I'm able to walk alongside these people in their journey to recovery."