Week 6: SUNSHINE COAST ‘HARDSHIP MAKES YOU STRONGER'

Random acts of kindness have given Pam hope and the much-needed strength to get back on her feet

It took just under an hour for a freak 70-metre firewall to mercilessly destroy a lifetime of precious memories.

It was September 9 – when the bushfires started to rage across the nation – a day that Peregian Beach resident Pam Murphy will never forget.

When flames licked the doorstep of her family home of 40 years, it was just moments later that the full force of the blaze blitzed through her home.

“We were in the direct firing line – one minute there was nothing, and seconds later flames were leaping from my garden. It was terrifying,” 90-year-old artist Pam tells Woman’s Day.

With the help of neighbours, Pam grabbed a bag of important paperwork and a few worldly possessions, and with all the strength she could muster, ran to rescue the two things she treasures the most – her precious 12-year-old Burmese twin cats Daisy and Ellie.