ABSTRACT
In December 2001, Sydney's fringe burned. The scene was apocalyptic: thick brown smoke obscured the sun, water-bombing helicopters battled twenty-meter high flames, residents threw possessions into cars and drove away. By the end of it all, half a million hectares of ‘nature’ had been destroyed, thousands of people had been evacuated and houses and parks were left smouldering in a scene that was like something out of a Mad Max film. At the same time, New Year's Eve was approaching and the fireworks spectacle over Sydney's Opera House and Harbor Bridge was planned as usual. But the local response was flat. Were these celebrations appropriate under such circumstances? While many Sydneysiders hesitated, the Lord Mayor took a decisive stance:
… it's important that it proceed … we are the only major world city to have fireworks this year after September 11. New York is only dropping the giant ball in Times Square. London and Paris have cancelled their shows. It's important that we can show the world and ourselves that it's business as usual. 1
