Bushfires
"The disastrous Gippsland Fires (1898) occurred when I was in Leongatha, and my house had a shingle roof, and was practically surrounded with fire. We had a very anxious time and only by keeping the roof deluged with water was the house saved.
"Indeed one night the situation seemed so precarious that I removed the family to the township, fully expecting that the house will be demolished during the night, but in the morning we found that the fire had passes on and that the house was intact.
"One sad incident as a result of the fires was the death of one of our sons (Norman) who caught cold while keeping the roof wet, developing rheumatic fever and died within a few days."
William Young, the first owner of The Great Southern Star
Many families lost their homes, possessions and family members from bushfires.