Thank you for visiting the website for Claire Deane. This site is dedicated to honouring the life of an inspiring and beautiful young Australian, who died in the act of protecting homes from heavy loads of accumulated fuel in the native bushland she loved so much.

Claire was one of three children of The Deane Family, of Forestville in Sydney. All her life, she loved nature and, with age, conservation grew in importance for her. And in a personal project she gave expression to this vocation by progressively regenerating an area of degraded bushland next to her home in the quiet Sydney suburb of Forestville, in the north of the city.

This was a passion for her and she had a vision of transforming it from a weed-infested waste ground to a small but beautiful suburban bushland sanctuary. Today it is home again to the flora and fauna of Australia’s native species. It provides for city dwellers and others an example of the natural ecological balance of Australia.

In 2000, Claire commenced work with the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. On her first duty as a Fire Control Officer for NPWS, she was part of a group assigned to undertake a routine hazard control burn in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, to reduce ground fuel loads ahead of the approaching summer fire season. Tragically, the burn went out of control and on June 8th, 2000 Claire lost her life with three others in the party. The remaining three crew members received 65% - 85% burns.

The subsequent inquest concluded with fourteen recommendations to reduce the risk of this type of tragedy recurring with its wasteful loss of life (see inquest findings, on the information page).
Three times a year, Claire’s family and friends gather to honour her life and her commitment to Australia’s indigenous ecology, and to continue her work in regenerating the land at Forestville, which has now been named officially as “The Claire Deane Bush Sanctuary”. This website shows you photographs and a page of more detailed information, and you are invited to post your comments and sign the Visitors’ Book (contact).

• The site has been created at no cost as a community service project by Ivent Web Design Services of Katoomba, NSW, Australia ( +612 4782 4697, www.ivent.com.au )
  
  
• Text and images (other than family photographs) have been supplied at no cost as a community service project by
  Paul Cosgrave, photographer, writer and facilitator of Blackheath, NSW, Australia ( +612 4787 6870, www.photoswordspeople.com )

You are invited to spend time at this site with the enduring spirit of Claire Deane, and to visit her Bush Sanctuary, and your interest is warmly acknowledged. Thank You.

The Claire Deane Bush Sanctuary is located in Coolabah Crescent, Forestville, Sydney, Australia