The tornado has formed and moves towards Dunoon. Photographed at Cross Road, Numulgi by Will Mercer.

Over the following pages residents of Dunoon describe their experiences on Friday October 26th when a tornado ripped through James Street and talk of how a community is pulling together to help those most affected - whether it be physically or mentally. As editor of the Gazette I have tried to avoid publishing too many distressing pictures of the devastation that we all witnessed first hand and will find difficult to come to terms with for who knows how long – if ever.

We all know what happened, we all know what we saw, we all remember the feelings of bewilderment and shock and that eerie stillness that followed as soon as the tornado passed. The sound of sirens breaking the silence as emergency crews arrived; chainsaws; flashing lights; people shouting as the danger of fallen trees and live power lines strewn across roads and houses was realised. We will never forget the panic of parents unable to cross the secured zone (which looked like a war zone) in James St, desperately trying to contact their kids - who were on their way home from school and trapped on school buses at the other end of the secured zone; of residents trying to reach their homes where pets and loved ones were thought to be inside. Residents eager to find out if they still had a home....

Our prayers and heartfelt best wishes go out to those who bore the full brunt of the storm: Mark and Karen Wheelwright, Keith Watts and Bernie Ross who lost their homes; the congregation of the Anglican Church who have lost their place of worship; Little A’s and the Soccer Club who had their amenities building ripped apart at the oval and lost all their sports equipment and to Dunoon Public School who lost 2 classrooms and all their school equipment - by the grace of god, the majority of kids had finished school for the day but the after hours school care group were still in the building..........

A Dunoon Icon. The fig tree that graced the oval at the Sports Club was completely destroyed. Villagers have been playing sport in the paddocks under this tree for over a hundred years. Photo: Leane Kalnins.

I’d like to thank all the people who have sent in photos to the Gazette and to everyone who shared their experiences on the following pages.

Paula McDougall