Fires claim another life from our region

Alex de Vos and Jessica Benton
Another resident of the Geelong region has been revealed as a victim of Victoria’s bushfires disaster.
Ocean Grove resident Melanie Chambers, 22, died alongside her sister Penny at Kinglake while they tried to save their horses during last weekend’s inferno.
Ms Chambers had returned to her family home while on leave from work at Torquay Animal House veterinary clinic.
Clinic staff confirmed she was a colleague but did not want to speak about her death.
Two other residents of the Geelong region have also been confirmed as bushfire victims. They were Ocean Grove’s Danny Shepherd, 32, and Torquay’s May McIver, 84.
Friends set up a Facebook page – RIP Penny and Melanie Chambers – to pay tribute to the sisters.
“Two very special young ladies…you will always be fondly remembered,” Diane Titchiner posted on the page.
“We are really going to miss you both. I would have done the exact same for my horse Trista and all my other animals. You loved your animals more than anything,” Hannah Wei said.
Friends and colleagues said Mr Shepherd died in a heroic battle to help family members near Strathewen.
Darren Bench, who worked with Mr Shepherd at Leisurelink, said the death of the gym team leader and lifeguard was “a huge loss”.
“The place will be so much less without him,” he said.
“He always put others first and never thought of himself.”
Mr Bench said Leisurelink had set up a bereavement fund to support Mr Shepherd’s wife, Bree.
Ms Shepherd’s death has also prompted Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club to run a bushfire appeal collection this weekend.
Tributes on Facebook labelled Mr Shepherd the “ultimate mate” and a “super star”.
“Rest in peace Danny. One of the nicest people I could ever hope to meet,” John Marshall posted.
“If we were all half the person you were, the world would be a bloody good place,” Matt Colwell wrote.
Mrs McIver, son Greg, who was a former star player at Torquay Football Club, and his wife, Judy died at Strathfield.
Mrs McIver had been recovering at her son’s home from a heart operation.
A surviving son, Peter McIver, struggled to come to terms with the tragedy this week.
“She was meant to be coming home on Sunday,” said Mr McIver, who lived with his mother at Torquay.
Mr McIver said he tried to reach his brother’s property this week to investigate the deaths but authorities denied him access.
Torquay Bowls Club president Mary Tutty was “shocked” by the death of Mrs McIver, one of the club’s longest-serving members.
“It’s a real tragedy,” Ms Tutty said.
Authorities fear the death toll from Australia’s worst peace-time disaster could reach 300.