Jack Lawrence

However, this also means it's highly susceptible to bushfires.

And of course, as part of the prison's fire service, it is up to Junior and his team to go and fight those fires.

And it's a job he's been loving.

Keep going.

Keep getting lost.

Junior and I speak via email quite regularly.

He updates me on how things are going and what he's been up to.

And recently, he sent me an email about an experience he'd had one day up in those mountains that made me smile and really put things into perspective.

Now again, the phone line wasn't the best this day that we spoke, but I really wanted to share this with you.

as Junior and his team were tasked with heading up those mountains to do some controlled burns.

The excitement for Junior begins from the moment he's in the fire truck heading up the mountain.

These trucks are not what prisoners would usually be transported in.

They're just normal fire trucks with windows that you can wind down.

And of course, that's exactly what Junior does on the drive to the mountain.

This helps them ensure that the fires don't get out of control.

Junior is watching a tree burn as he suddenly runs out of water and needs to head off to the creek to refill it.

And this would lead Junior to a moment he hasn't experienced in decades.

Complete solitude and peace.

When I first read Junior's email that he sent me where he was explaining the freedom that he felt in that moment by that creek, it put a huge smile on my face and made me think about how often I take these things for granted.

How we all probably take these things for granted.