Cattle farmer identified as person who died in Longwood bushfire

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Local cattle farmer Maxwell Hobson has been identified as the person who died in the Longwood fire, after police found his remains 100 metres from a car on a scorched road in central Victoria on Sunday.

Hobson, in his early 80s, and his wife, in her late 70s, owned a 101-hectare property in Terip Terip, south of Euroa, where they bred and sold cattle.

Max Hobson died in the Longwood bushfire at the weekend.

Hobson decided to stay and defend his property after advice from the CFA on Thursday that he should leave – before catastrophic conditions worsened the Longwood fire on Friday. His wife evacuated to nearby Alexandra and is safe.

Locals said the couple’s cattle were seen scattered around the road after the fire tore through the area. Some of the cattle have been put down and others are being cared for by locals.

Known to locals as Max, Hobson had spent years overseas as an engineer before returning to Australia, eventually swapping his career for the country life in regional Victoria.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hobson spent 3½ decades working for mining and project management companies in Australia and South America.

The vehicle near which Hobson’s body was found on Yarck Road on Sunday.

Police said on Sunday that human remains had been found on a stretch of Yarck Road, in Gobur, in the Longwood fire area. Hobson was found about 100 metres from a vehicle that had run off the road – just kilometres from his farm.

In an interview with cattle association Herefords Australia last year, Hobson said he had rediscovered a long-lost interest for the cattle breed when he took over operations of Aintree Farm Herefords in Terip Terip.

Premier Jacinta Allan offered her condolences to Hobson’s loved ones.

“It’s a devastating impact, and it’s a devastating reminder of the tragedy that fire can bring to any community, to any household, to any doorstep, particularly on those difficult, catastrophic and extreme weather days,” she said from Natimuk, 300 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, on Monday.

“My thoughts and condolences are with that person’s family, their loved ones, the broader community too.”

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