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gold watch and chain from the people of Daylesford; as well as rewards for service
they symbolised acceptance mto the Australian community. Sadly, only four years
after his retum from the war Franklin was kUled in a railway accident at work: after
havmg moved to Pukehou in New Zealand following the war and finding work as a
railway guard, he died on 5 September 1906 at only 25 years of age. He left a small
mheritance to his family, and to WiUiam his gold watch chain and some sleeve links.'*^
As well as the death of their son, the Perini family had earlier that year been
through the trauma of bushfire. Bushfires are one of Australia's important natural
phenomena due to the continent's fire-germinated species and hot, dry climate.
Aboriginal fire-stick farming had maintained an ecological balance which was dismpted
by white settlement. The Daylesford region had repeatedly fallen victim to the
destmctive power of bushfires once the area was heavily timbered. In 1851 a blaze
had raged through Deep Creek VaUey, followed by more fires in 1861 which prompted
the creation of a fire brigade. Over the next 40 years bushfires destroyed parts of
Musk Creek, BuUarto, the Wombat Forest and Glenlyon, but the most disastrous fire
occurred on 23 January 1906, damaging huge areas around Daylesford and Hepbum."**
The blaze, which had flared up after a local farmer failed to correctly extinguish a fire
lit to smoke out a snake, was noticed by a young member of the Tinetti family from
Shepherds Flat. The young man ran ahead of the advancing line of fire, urging people
to evacuate their homes. Property destroyed included the Hepbum bakery of the
Vanzettas (a family more wdU be heard about later) and the Borsa famUy's guest-house
Bellinzona at Spring Creek (ref figure 10). Among the Italian speakers who lost their
lives were three Ticinesi: Domenico Giovannoni, Michael Tognini and John Lafranchi
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