2009 - Bessie and Jim McMahon of Kinglake

James Peter (Jim) McMAHON (1920-) married Elizabeth Mary (Bessie) EXTON (1925-) in 1946 and they live in Kinglake. In February 2009, huge bushfires swept through Victoria, destroying many towns including their own. Bessie and Jim were amongst the lucky ones whose properties were spared and they sheltered many of the locals in their house, thus saving many lives. They were featured in a couple of Melbourne Herald Sun articles in the subsequent period. This photo is taken from one of those articles.