Kinglake Fire Brigade reflect on 80 years

CFA Board Member Tony Peake with Captain Paul Buck

 

It was a celebratory weekend for Kinglake Fire Brigade members, who marked their 80 years of service alongside their families and friends at Lawsons Restaurant on Saturday, 12 October.

 

Having missed their 75^th milestone during COVID years, the occasion was highly anticipated and one that allowed for many reflections.

Newly appointed Captain Paul Buck said although they have a dinner every year with Service Awards presented, the evening involved a great deal of reminiscing.

“It was a great night to all get together and touch on the highs and lows the brigade has been through over the years,” Paul said.

“We had a photo slideshow that led to many conversations from the long-serving members who fondly recounted the memories on screen.”

Paul said it has been interesting to navigate the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires which saw severe devastation in the township, claiming 120 lives in the area.

“The response and loss have had such a long-lasting effect on the community, and the brigade, and it will continue to do so. It’s something that is always talked about – you can’t forget what happened,” Paul said.

“You see the members that drifted away initially, then those that were here at the time start to get on in age or slowly take a step back, or worse, pass away.”

When powerful winds brought down powerlines in Kilmore East on the morning of 7 February 2009, the afternoon saw it spread right through to Kinglake National Park before merging into the most significant fire – the Kinglake Fire Complex.

“We’re very mindful of the long-drought conditions that lead into that year and although we’re not in that situation now, we do talk about it in our preparations for the upcoming fire season.

“We do stay green a lot longer up here than other parts of Victoria, so we do face challenges when preparing the community for fire.

“Although the northern part of our district like Yea and Seymour dry out a lot earlier, it’s hard for us to tell people to prepare when they’re still cutting green grass rather than bailing hay.

“By the time we’re drying out, we’re in the middle of the Christmas period and into January.”

Over the last 18 months, the brigade has embarked on a recruitment drive, leading to five new operational firefighters who have just completed their general firefighter training.

“We’re in that rebuilding phase, which was kicked off by the previous Captain who recently moved out of the area, so we picked it up and kept running with it,” Paul said.

“We’ve got a couple of 17-year-olds in the mix, one who has come over with his mum and dad. Plus, an 18-year-old and two more locals who have just gone through their expression of interest. We’ll aim to have up and running by fire season.

“We’re hoping with more numbers this season we can really start to engage more with the community to get us all prepared for the season.”

While they currently reside in a co-located station with SES that was opened in 2012 following the fires, interestingly the old untouched rusty tin shed that was once the original fire station sits just 50m away.

“There’s also an intermediate station that is next to the pub that is still standing,” Paul said.

“It’s pretty special to have three sheds all so close together that represent the history of the brigade from beginning to current day.”

 

Submitted by	Lucy Bishop