Credit: Pip Johnson
Members of the Murrindindi-Woodbourne Fire Brigade gathered on Sunday afternoon to mark its 75th anniversary.
A lunch was held to reflect on the brigade’s history and to recognise the dedication of its members including eight volunteers who received CFA Life Memberships.
Murrindindi Captain Joel Creed said many of the long-standing members have played a significant role in the brigade and its development.
“It was special to me to be able to recognise their contributions and see their names recorded on the honour board,” Joel said.
“I hope it might encourage the younger people who are looking on and give them something to aspire to in the future.”
Murrindindi brigade was first formed on the 4 January 1945 and was formally registered with CFA on 9 January 1946.
The brigade was significantly impacted by the 2009 fires when the Murrindindi fire that started at the local mill subsequently joined with the Kilmore East fire to become the giant Kinglake Complex fire.
In the aftermath, a member was wrongly accused of starting the fire, merely because he had been first on scene as he lived nearby.
Exonerated, the member resumed the captaincy until 2010 before becoming the Officer In Charge after a series of tragedies befell other members.
The brigade has faced some very challenging times but has stoically carried on to maintain and create a better volunteer fire brigade for its community.
“Looking back at the history I learned there are a lot of people who have done things that I didn’t even realise myself,” Joel said.
“I know it would have been much tougher back then too because they wouldn’t have had the systems and technology we have now.”
The members who received CFA Life Membership on Sunday included Tony Jacobs, Denise Williams, Joel Creed, David McKenzie, Ewan Tait, Robert Wood, Peter Hauser and Gerard Hauser.
Murrindindi received a new fire station following the 2009 fires as well as a new community building called the Murrindindi Hub which was built beside it.
The station and the hub are the only public buildings in the district and as such are a focal point for the community.
Members would like to thank Brigade Administrative Support Officer Pip Johnson for her extensive research into the brigade’s history and for her hard work in pulling together the 75th Anniversary luncheon.
The unveiling of the honour board-
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