Meet Sally Woods: wife, mother, grandmother and volunteer firefighter with Yarram Brigade.
Sally is qualified as a firefighter for both wildfires and structural fires. She joined Yarram Brigade in 2005, and then in 2007 took on the mantle as secretary/treasurer. Sally is so committed to her role as a volunteer with the Yarram Brigade she even takes the treasurer books with her when travelling to Queensland every year for three months during winter.
When asked about those moments which stick in her mind during her eleven plus years with CFA, Sally pauses to consider and then reflects, not without some emotion, on the Black Saturday bush fires.
She remembers being a member of a crew when the trucks lined up in preparedness along the Hyland Highway.
The waves and cheers of good will and appreciation expressed by passers-by were both humbling and empowering. And for Sally, this “thumbs up “public recognition of a job she loves doing filled her with bursting pride.
Recently, Sally took on the role of incident controller at an historic house fire just outside Yarram and for Sally this was a first.
In undertaking this role Sally was blown away by the respect and support she received by all who were on hand to fight the fire, even those with many more years’ experience than she had.
When not volunteering with the Yarram Brigade, Sally relishes spending time with her two grandsons.
They are proud of their grandma and all she has achieved with CFA. Besides their grandmother, their father, grandfather and aunt are all volunteers with CFA. The Woods family have volunteering in their blood.
And as part time carer of her grandchildren, perhaps Sally’s love of volunteering will rub off. In Sally’s words “For the Woods family – volunteering – it’s a family thing.”