Last week I asked our readers if they felt we should do a follow-up, to commemorate the fires of last year.

Ironically enough the day of publication this year is on 7 June – the very day one year later those of us who lived through it will never forget.

To be completely honest, there was a tiny niggling part of me that hoped nobody would want to remember, and that we could all just conveniently forget about it.

Knysna fire anniversary issue

But I know while some of us would like to pretend it never happened, it did and so the Knysna-Plett Herald will do an anniversary issue.

Thank you Justine, Ann and Mike, Patsy, Cheryl and many others for taking the time to write to me, to stop me in the street, all asking that their stories be told.

We will make sure the municipality, the Garden Route Rebuild Initiative (GRRI), South Cape Landowners, SANParks, Rotary and role payers involved with donations give us a report one year later.

Where there have been inadequate answers up until now, we hope to nail certain mysteries, like where did the money sent to Knysna specifically for fire victims go?

What is actually going to happen to the alien vegetation needs to be followed up, as does the status of the Brenton blue butterfly and Knysna dwarf chameleons.

How many homes have been rebuilt (surely to goodness the municipality must have these figures by now)?

How many accommodation establishments which were gutted have been rebuilt?

What has happened to the people who were not insured?

How many people have left Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and moved elsewhere?

A local owner of a grocery store tells me he knows there are fewer local customers since the fires.

Famsa (family welfare) in Knysna and Plett may be able to tell us what emotional state they find victims in a year later and we would be glad to hear from any psychologists about what their feelings are (obviously without compromising patient confidentiality).

Before and after: Those who lost homes, possessions etc, but found new homes please tell us your story, but also can you show us photos of then and now (high res JPEG pictures are required if you send them to us). To my friend who was insured for his home, but lost a lifetime of tools that were his trade, tell your story?

Lost and found: What you lost and what you found like the lady with the wedding ring she retrieved from the ashes. The reader who asked us to write about your special ceramic pot holders which were stolen post-fire, were they ever found?

Still battling: This category is for those who find themselves a year later lost, without a home or place to stay.

And for all those people who helped in extraordinary ways and whose stories we did not get at the time, it would be great to have an Unsung heroes section.

At the time of the fires our journalists were completely overwhelmed and also battled just to keep heads above water, but hopefully we can now get to the important stories we missed.

We need your help, please
The only way this can be done is systematically, so please, I am asking for help.

We will get to all those who wish to tell their stories, but the early part of each week is production time, so Wednesdays 14:00 to 16:30, Thursdays 09:00 to 15:00 and Fridays 09:00 til noon 31 May will be the day for those who wish to see us in person.

Please book a spot
Those wanting to visit us or have us see them, must please email me on elaine@groupeditors.co.za and stefan@groupeditors, so we can plan.