Arare insight into the region’s vital forest industry was provided at the latest monthly meeting of the South East Family History Group in Millicent.

Guest speaker Doris Bleby shared her experiences of being the wife of a forester.

Much of her adult life has been spent living among forests and the unique challenges this posed.

Her husband Michael’s working life was spent as a professional forester with the State Government’s Woods and Forests Department (now Forestry SA).

Mr Bleby had postings in the Mid North, Adelaide Hills and the South East.

He was appointed to the Mount Burr Forest headquarters in 1983 to oversee the massive re-plantings after the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires of that year.

Joining him were Doris and their three children and it became the Bleby family home for 16 years.

Doris reminisced about the various houses they were required to live in, the space that a growing family had living on a forest and such things as the phone communications of the day.

This is an era that no longer exists.

Changes occurred during the 1990s – there was no longer a need to supply housing as there were now differences in the way forests were staffed and managed.