Thirteen members of the Monaro Rural Fire Service received 10 and 20-year service awards. Photo: Elena Guarracino.
Thirteen volunteers of the Monaro Rural Fire Service received medals and honours at an awards ceremony, recognising the essential service they perform that often has them coming face-to-face with danger out of the goodness of their hearts.
The ceremony was held at the Colinton Brigade fire shed in December, with the Acting Area Commander Chris Allen and Monaro District Manager Jim Darrant presiding.
Those who have been with the brigade for longer than 10 years were awarded the 10-year long-service medals, while those who have racked up 20 years in their ranks received a metal clasp. All of the volunteers have undertaken training with the Rural Fire Service and performed a variety of roles as active fire fighters and in support and administration roles.
Mr Darrant congratulated the brigade and acknowledged the contribution of the recipients to the Colinton brigade of both active fire fighters and support personnel.
“There is 184 years of experience recognised here today,” he said.
Mr Darrant said the Colinton brigade had created a good, inclusive environment, which has gone beyond just providing a place to gather to prepare and educate the community.
“The Colinton brigade has created a hub for the community to build resilience and to prepare for the challenges that natural disasters create,” Mr Darrant added.
Bob Morison receiving his 20-year clasp. Photo: RFS.
Colinton brigade captain Graham Povey received a clasp for his 20 years of service in the RFS and acknowledged the effort other long serving members have put in over the years.
“They are always there to help, get the job done and support the community,” Mr Povey said.
He also commended the work brigade members have put into training at the Colinton brigade which is held on the second Saturday of the month.
The Long Service Medal first came about in 2009 and recognises long service by current members of the NSW RFS, both volunteer and salaried.
Clasps are awarded for each subsequent 10 year period of service. A person is eligible if they have maintained their training and a satisfactory service record.
The NSW RFS is currently made up of 1993 local brigades with more than 75,000 volunteers and 1000 paid staff.
Over the past 12 months, NSW RFS volunteers have been called to assist with more than 22,000 incidents, more than 6000 of which involved car accidents and fires.
The Monaro team has also welcomed two new fire fighting appliances as part of ongoing upgrades to the tanker fleet.
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