Then the Wind Changed (ATOM Study Guide)

Life after the firestorm.

On 7 February 2009, Australia suffered its worst natural disaster in recorded history. A firestorm of cyclonic fury swept across Victoria and 173 lives were lost.

Nowhere was the destruction more terrible than in Strathewen. The fire claimed the lives of twenty-seven of the town's 200 residents. Survivors were linked by trauma, unimaginable grief and the weighty task of trying to understand what had happened to their worlds. Then the Wind Changed, a documentary written and directed by Celeste Geer, is about Strathewen's difficult but inspiring recovery from the devastating firestorm.

When Geer and her partner Dominic Bourke made the move from Melbourne to Strathewen, they thought they had found their Australian bush paradise. They bought some land, built a home and soon baby Raphael joined toddler Luella. Then the Wind Changed explores how the fires of Black Saturday threatened this newfound sense of belonging. Geer's decision to document Strathewen's recovery was an immediate and necessary response. Then the Wind Changed tells the very personal stories of her family, friends and neighbours as they struggled to rebuild their lives and the community.

Curriculum guidelines

This study guide to accompany Then the Wind Changed has been written for secondary students at all levels. It provides information and suggestions for learning activities in:

• Civics and Citizenship
• English
• Environmental Science
• Geography
• Media Studies
• Outdoor and Environmental Studies