Now, one year on, the Morrows have returned to Marysville to rebuild their lives.The family is living in a motorhome and on a waiting list for a two-bedroom family unit in the town's temporary village.

Mr Morrow said for everyone living in Marysville this February _ 12 months since the fires that devastated the town _ the fear of another fire was always present.

"On those stinking hot days, it's in the back of your mind the whole time. It's hard to forget," he said.

"2009 is a year we will never forget and, although we had never given up on the idea of returning back to Marysville, we both thought in our minds it most unlikely because we knew the obstacles.

"But, to our own surprise, after spending one month in our motor home travelling Victoria we arrived in Marysville to say our goodbyes and we are still here.

"We find there is something in being with people going through the same stuff as we are.

"The bondship here is really strong."

Mr Morrow, his wife Jinhee and daughters, Lily, who was six, and Amy, two, fled Marysville when the fires destroyed their former home and business, Marysville Getaways, in February.

The family's home and business were not insured.

"We just literally arrived at my dad's place in Daylesford and he put us up straight away," Mr Morrow said.

"We knew we'd lost everything and we were homeless.

"In very little time we had some clothes and furniture and a new community that obviously cared about our wellbeing.

"We met some wonderful people who went out of their way to help."

Mr Morrow last week contacted The Advocate, wanting to thank the people of Daylesford for their "kind hospitality" in the aftermath of the February fires.

"We all feel a little guilty as we have moved away from beautiful Daylesford without saying goodbye to some of the lovely people we were fortunate to meet," he said.

"The Daylesford community were unbelievable."

He said there would be no "quick fix" to recovery efforts in Marysville, but there was hope and the community had rallied together.

"We're taking it each step as it comes," he said.

Mr Morrow has been involved with the recovery process by organising a number of events for the children affected by the fires.

The latest was a trip to the Australian Open to see Roger Federer play.

Prior to the match Jelena Dokic gave the kids a hit and some lessons on the court.