At the 2016 Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria State Rural Junior Championships held in Colac at the beginning of April, Sedgwick and Mandurang Brigades did it again, following on from the success they achieved in 2015.
Sedgwick Brigade Coach Mr Brendan Drechsler said “one of the biggest highlights for the team was the fact that the Brigade can now boast that all 4 siblings from the McGregor family are state champions – 2 in the 11 – 15 Year category in 2015 and 2 in the 11-13 category in 2016.” “Also their winning form in the Tanker – Priming, Pumping & Ladder – 11-13 Years was repeated.”
“Mr Drechsler went on to say “there is a friendly rivalry and mutual respect with the Beazley’s Bridge and Stuart Mill teams which goes back a number of years. Although we are very competitive it is all about sportsmanship and getting out as a team whilst promoting discipline and teamwork.”
Sedgwick were also winners of the Stan Ross Conduct Trophy which is presented to the team that is observed and awarded points throughout the day for discipline on and off the ground, conduct, presentation and respect. There were 69 competing teams at the championship and this is the first time in 38 years that the trophy has been won by a brigade from District 02. Points are awarded throughout the day for discipline on and off the ground, conduct, presentation and respect. We are very proud of our team for winning this award as it has not been won by a District Two Brigade in 38 years, and there were 66 competing teams.Points are awarded throughout the day for discipline on and off the ground, conduct, presentation and respect. We are very proud of our team for winning this award as it has not been won by a District Two Brigade in 38 years, and there were 66 competing teams.
Mr Drechsler commented “that to win the Stan Ross Conduct Trophy, members of the team were not only representing the Sedgwick community but all of District 02 as well.” He added “From the winning Sedgwick team in 2015, 6 members have either gone on to complete or are working towards completing their CFA Firefighter Minimum Skills Training and are more advanced having competed as juniors.”
The fact that the Sedgwick Brigade provided some financial support to assist the team to compete at Colac needs to be acknowledged and this, combined with the fact that since last years victory, the specially built training trailer has been finished, gave the team additional support in the lead up to the event.
Out of the 69 teams competing, Mandurang were successful in placing 1st in the Tanker – Drawing Water from Tank – 11-13 Years with a time of 21.98 seconds and Sedgwick took 1st place in the Tanker – Priming, Pumping & Ladder – 11-13 Years with a time of 28.84 seconds.
Coach of the Mandurang Juniors, Graeme Pearce said “it is great to see the success of both teams who train together, use each others equipment and show great sportsmanship.” He added that “due to this training, a second running track has been put in to keep up with the demand of both teams.”
Mr Pearce went on to say that “after being part of the winning side with Sedgwick in 2015, Ben Drechsler competed this year as a member of the Mandurang Team. This displays the team spirit that exists between both brigades.” As well as being a competitor, Ben Drechsler also assisted as an official at the Colac championships.
Sedgwick Team Manager Pam Drechsler commented that “there is a great deal of support from the parents of the competitors which is a significant help in getting the team to the competition”.
The future looks great for the local teams. Mr Pearce and Mr Drechsler on behalf of the District Training Committee along with Kitstop have developed an electronic timekeeping system. It is hoped that in the future both Urban and Rural competition teams will pick up this system as it has already been inspected by VFBV officials.
Overall, fantastic results were achieved - of the teams who competed in the 11-13 Years Aggregate, the final result saw Mandurang achieve 2nd place with a tally of 26 points and Sedgwick placing 3rd with a score of 22.
Sometimes new recruits can be hard to attract to brigades, so those coming through the junior ranks provide long term benefits to the brigades and make the efforts put into the competition teams all that more rewarding.
Mr Drechsler made a final comment stating “that’s what the CFA is all about. We help and look after each other both on and off the fireground!”
Author: District 2 News