I’m often inspired by the tales of great athletes and we put them on a pedestal for their competitive achievements.

We glorify famous actors and musicians, clicking on articles that contain their names so that we can keep up to date with their antics.

Politicians, inventors, military leaders, captains of industry.  Some noble, others less so, as they gain notoriety and a reputation for their words and deeds.

But right now, there is a group of people I want to acknowledge as genuine, bone fide Australian heroes.

The brave men and women who are fighting fires across Victoria and New South Wales, trying to save homes and lives from the tyranny of the horrific bushfires that have struck.

They are volunteers and despite their courage, are just seemingly normal men and women.

Except that they’re not.

They are extraordinary.

They take huge risks to keep the rest of their neighbours safe.

They make massive sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate one.

They are the ones we should be making stories, songs and movies about.

They are our true heroes.

The next couple of days are going to be especially difficult conditions and I have many friends and colleagues living in the path of these bushfires, so if you could spare a prayer or a thought, please remember our country firefighters.