[ZenGum]

To me, Ash Wednesday refers to February 16th 1983, when devestating bushfires swept through the Adelaide Hills (where I was living at the time) and parts of Victoria, killing 86 people.

For years I thought the day was named after the fires, not the other way around. It made perfect sense.

My school sent me home, where I would be "safe". Duh, no-one else was there. Rest of the family were in the city and couldn't have got back. Apparently I got the place fully prepared - sprinklers on roof, mops and buckets on standby, ladders in position etc etc - but thank god the firefighters held it at the Freeway, maybe 10kms to the north, because I was 10 years old and realistically, I would have had little chance.

I also remain kind of pissed off at the school. They just wanted us off their hands, not their responsiblity, I think.