Inspired by a photo of the Wooroloo bushfires, Derby prison officer Heather Murchie put brush to canvas

An emotive photo snapped of a firefighter tackling February’s Wooroloo fires struck right to the heart of a Derby prison officer — so much so she knew she had to put brush to canvas. West Kimberley Regional Prison operations assistant superintendent Heather Murchie saw “Aussie spirit” in a photo of a volunteer fighting the fires which destroyed 86 homes and tore through 11,000ha. “The determination I think of the firefighter and what the firefighter epitomises — that is what really stood out to me,” she said. “There he is standing there putting it out and knowing the land has to start from scratch again. “There is a silence almost about that photo that I really connected with, having been that person on the end of the hose and knowing the raging fire and stillness afterwards.” The Derby-based artist has produced a paint replica of the photo and donated it to the Department of Corrective Services. Before taking on the prison role in Derby, Ms Murchie did a short stint as a firefighter in WA and previously spent 27 years volunteering for the South Australian Country Fire Service. “I have been in some very hairy situations in my time thinking ‘should I be doing this’, but you do what you do and that was what I was trying to capture through the painting, that Aussie spirit where we battle on through adversity,” Ms Murchie said. “As prison officers we tend to get put in a certain box of being a one trick pony but there is so much more to the people who work within the department. “We may wear a uniform during the day but there are so many other aspects and facets to us, and so many prison officers do volunteer with emergency services.” Ms Murchie said art played a big role in helping people channel emotions, a lesson being applied within the prison through art therapy sessions. She said she would leave it to the Department to decide how best to use the painting.