After the fires swept through the town of Marysville in February 2009, Bruno and the rest of the townsfolk were shut out of the town by authorities for two months whilst the police conducted an investigation and attempted to identify the remains of the victims.

This was a testing time for all Marysvillians, with most of the townsfolk (Bruno included) unable to know how much of their homes and businesses there were left to return to.

Fortunately for Bruno and the family they received overwhelming support from family, friends, acquaintances and perfect strangers from all over the globe during this difficult period. This was a truly inspiring experience that helped them to find the strength to face the challenge of rebuilding their lives.

Bruno already knew at this point that his home and gallery were completely destroyed, but the extent of the damage to his sculpture garden was yet to been discerned and it was the thing most on his mind.

The slideshow below contains pictures taken on the day the Bruno was finally allowed to return and behold what had become of his treasured artworks.

What Bruno found that day was something of a miracle. Sixty percent of the sculptures were still intact or repairable. This was a truly fortunate outcome considering the carnage wrecked upon the forest by the firestorm. The terracotta forms of the sculptures resisted the heat of the fire almost completely, but the maelstrom of falling branches and tumbling trees had reduced many of the life-sized artworks to mere rubble and dust.

The forest itself was utterly devastated and this struck Bruno hardest of all.

The loss of so much that was dear to his heart was a heavy blow for Bruno to bare, but compared to the fact that others had lost family members and loved ones, it was a bitter-sweet victory to have salvaged something from ashes of that ill fated day.

There was no time to hesitate or brood over what was for Bruno, it was straight into the mammoth job of restoring the gardens and rebuilding his life.

The quest to bring the garden back to its former glory will be a long and challenging process, but it is already well under way.