The Royal Australian Mint has launched an exhibition of photographs from Canberra’s bushfire season last year, marking the release of a new commemorative coloured $2 coin, honouring the bravery and sacrifice of Australian firefighters across the country.
The work of ACT Rural Fire Service volunteer and photographer, Gary Hooker (pictured) who spent 41 days on fire duty last season, the 14 images on show are just a few of the hundreds he took at the frontline as a record of the ‘Black Summer’.
“As they say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’,” Mr Hooker said, adding that he aimed to capture the history and memories in photos and video clips to record the events as they occurred.
“I feel very honoured to be able to share some of my photos,” he said.
“It gives people a glimpse of what it is like to be one of the tens of thousands of firefighters who spent a lot of time fighting fires during the 2019-2020 Black Summer fire season.”
Mr Hooker said that although the season has passed, its memory will live on with many Canberrans for years to come.
His exhibition is on display in the foyer of the Mint and will be there until 28 January next year.
