'I'm so damn proud of them': How communities continue to rally a year on from devastating bushfires

Firefighter Peter Lockerbie and his colleagues saw an "awful lot" of things they hadn't seen before during the 2020 black summer bushfires.

From the loss of lives and livelihoods to the destruction of homes and habitats, the fire season presented huge challenges for the emergency services.

READ ALSO: Man says village has been 'forgotten about' following black summer bushfires

But despite the hard times, the NSW Southern Highlands resident won't turn his back on the Rural Fire Service. 

In fact, the season only brought him closer to his fellow firefighters.

"We have some very talented, extremely dedicated people. I'm so damn proud of them," he said.

Mr Lockerbie worked on the frontline of the 278,722-hectare Green Wattle Creek bushfire and 23,000-hectare Morton blaze during last year's fire season.

He has since been involved with the ongoing recovery effort with the RFS.

READ ALSO: 'It's heartbreaking still': Bushfire survivors reflect one year on from the Black Summer crisis

Mental health is a focus, as the community remains on edge this summer.

"You've got residents who were either severely impacted and have damage or completely lost their homes," Mr Lockerbie said.

"I think we really need to get a fire season under our belt now where very little happens so that people can relax again."

Firefighters empathise with the community, which can sometimes exacerbate their own mental health challenges.

"It gets compounded because you're dealing with individuals that have been going through this emotional roller coaster," Mr Lockerbie.

"This is on top of what you might be going through from such a traumatic season."

Many Southern Highlands residents have strong, long-held ties to their villages and towns.

However after the bushfires, some residents moved out of the area in search of a fresh start.

For those in the worst-hit areas, they have either rebuilt their homes or remained in limbo due to red tape.

"There's so many different levels that you've got to consider when you look at how well and how quickly people are going to recover," Mr Lockerbie said.

The Morton bushfire was extinguished on February 9, 2020, while the Green Wattle Creek bushfire was extinguished on February 10.

Some charred trees remain in towns and villages, a reminder of the past summer. But Mr Lockerbie prefers to look to the future.

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"You can look at the devastation that occurred during that season, but you can also look at it another way," he said.

"You can say, 'my gosh, look at mother nature, she's bouncing back beautifully'. You can see that regrowth and resilience.

"Having that reminder is not necessarily a bad thing. It reminds us that we've got to live among mother nature and there are risks associated with that."