Two lives have been lost, hundreds of people have been rendered homeless, and thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused by bushfires in almost every part of Victoria.

Charles Isaac Demby, 55, forest overseer, of Toolangi, married, and John Hartley Barling, 31, forester, of Walhalla Street, Pascoe Vale south, were burnt to death near Toolangi late on Sunday in courageous circumstances.

Barling threw away his own chance to escape in an effort to warn Demby that he was in danger of being cut off by the flames. When the bodies were found it was apparent that Demby had been carrying Barling on his back, refusing to escape without his mate.

...The Chairman of the Forests Commission (Mr Galbraith) blamed careless settlers, burning off, for the disastrous fires.

He issued a strong warning that, unless ceaseless vigilance were exercised, worse calamities than Sunday’s would follow. Because of the drought and heat everything was tinder-dry and a freshening wind might cause havoc.

‘Although it is amazing and hard to believe’, he added, ‘forestry officers have reported that country people have started burning-off fires again, not only threatening the lives of themselves and others, but killing the country.’

‘These men died in self-sacrifice, each trying to save the other and his fellows’, said the Chairman of the Forests Commission (A V Galbraith) [of Demby and Barling]. ‘Both had done splendid work in organising gangs to fight the fires.’

‘This should be a lesson to all who, by carelessness, or selfishness, have helped to start these fires.’

Mr Galbraith added that it was the first time in the Commission’s history that any of its officers had been burned to death in bush fires.

[WT, 14/1/39]

Read more about John Barling's death in the Oral History Section