The closure of the only road in and out of the Tilligerry Peninsula on Friday morning left a number of residents stranded but safe.
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The Examiner caught up with some of the dozens of motorists waiting patiently in their vehicles parked along Nelson Bay Road for the reopening of Lemon Tree Passage Road.
Co-workers Vicki Reed and Donna Robinson, who live in Lemon Tree Passage, left for their morning shift at Soldiers Point Bowling Club at 4.30am.
“We were well aware of the fire situation from the night before and thought we knew this morning that both Lemon Tree Passage Road and Nelson Bay Road had been reopened,” Ms Reed said.
“Our shift at the club finished just after 9am but by the time we had reached the Lemon Tree Passage Road it was closed again.
“We have had no phone contact but we are grateful that everyone is safe. It was a little scary last night but the firefighters did such a tremendous job, they are all heroes.”
Jason Johnson, a member of the Tilligerry RFS who moved to Tanilba Bay 18 months ago with his family, was lamenting his decision to leave his Newcastle Supercars tickets at home before leaving for work early Friday morning.
A tiler by trade, he believed he would have enough time to get a morning job finished at Lakeside and return home to collect his Supercars tickets for a day at the track with his sons Kobe, 14, and Corey, 21.
“That was a bad decision, I should have grabbed the tickets before I left home this morning. Now I am stuck … and I can’t help my fire-fighting mates either,” he said.
Lemon Tree Passage’s Roger Harmour was itching to get home to his wife Jan after a long Thursday night and early Friday morning.
“I left work at Sandgate at 4pm yesterday and didn’t get home till 10.30pm. I managed a few hours’ sleep before leaving home this morning at 5am for a 6am start,” said Mr Harmour while lazing on his trike on the side of the road.
“The boss could see I was looking a little weary and sent me home, unfortunately I could only make it here so I am just waiting for the road to reopen.
“I am not complaining and I do have full admiration for the work of our firies, they are doing a great job.”
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