Just thought i would post this that i found on net ,--------------Published Date: 12 February 2009
A MANX society is still waiting to hear from two members living the Australian state hit by the bushfires.
'We have one member in Alexandra near the fires and one at Harkaway nearer Melbourne that was under fire threat last Sunday,' the Victorian Manx Society's secretary, Liz Newland, told Isle of Man Newspapers.

'To date we haven't heard how these two got on.'

Alexandra is a small scenic farming town, 86 miles outside Melbourne, which has become a popular base for holidays among Australians because of its proximity to national parks, rivers and Lake Eildon.

Australia's ABC News has reported the Yea-Murrindindi fire, which is burning near Alexandra, is estimated to be around 108,000 hectares.

A relief centre has been set up in the town for those affected by fires in the surrounding areas.

Harkaway is a village on the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, approximately 29 miles outside Melbourne.

The blazes – the worst in the country's history – have swept across Victoria, killing at least 181 people and leaving 5,000 homeless. News and footage of the devastation has shocked the world over the last week and firefighters are still tackling blazes.

Investigators say at least two of the fires were started deliberately.

A national day of mourning and a memorial service for the victims has been announced by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

It has been revealed this morning that police are questioning two people over the fires.

The Victoria Manx Society is one of many Manx societies across the globe which unite Manx people in their shared interests and ancestry.

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