On February 26, firefighters were invited to attend the first Community Recognition Statement Morning Tea at the office of Maryanne Stuart, Member for Heathcote, and were awarded a framed community recognition statement.
We joined Maryanne, and other fellow community members who were also being recognised for the positive contributions being made to their local areas.
The morning tea provided a great opportunity to network and learn about other business initiatives being driven by passionate community members.
Thank you for your service
The recognition statement reads: “The importance of emergency services to a community should never be understated - and Fire and Rescue's Helensburgh Station 325 is no exception. The crew at 325 do an incredible job looking after the tightknit community of Helensburgh. Surrounded by bushland to the east, west and north, there is no shortage of potential fire dangers for the crew. The station, like many others, rely on retained on-call fire fighters to ensure the facility can remain operational. Retained on-call firefighters are paid when called upon, which can be any time of the day or night – pending their availability of course. It can be a balancing act with primary employment, family and personal commitments, and firefighting duties. However, the fact is without retained on-call firefighters, stations like Helensburgh would not be able to protect their community as effectively and efficiently as they have done for so long. I would urge all Helensburgh residents that are able, to consider signing up as a retained on-call firefighter at Station 325. On behalf of the community, thank you to all past, present and future members of Station 325.”
More Community Recognition Statements
Maryanne Stuart MP has also recognised the following crews:
"The men and women who make up our emergency services are renown for their bravery. However, on some occasions, they really do go above and beyond the call of duty. On Easter Monday, 2022, the crew from Bulli Rural Fire Brigade did exactly that. On that the crew had been fundraising at a local Bunnings store when a crew member fell ill and suffered a cardiac arrest. As a result Deputy Captains Nathan Sparks, Anita Joinking and Frank Haggerty, along with firefighter Tadeusz Bak, sprung into action and administered first aid. The team retrieved a publicly accessible defibrillator, set up a treatment area away from the general public and began to revive the ill crew member who had ceased breathing and had no noticeable pulse. The members, along with a nurse who had passed by the scene, provided first aid until NSW ambulance workers arrived. The actions of all involved ultimately saved the crew members life. On behalf of our community and the crew member, thank you Nathan, Anita, Frank and Tadeusz for your bravery and composure. Your actions will never be forgotten."
"The Darkes Forest community may be small in terms of population, but there can be no doubt about the size of the residents' hearts. According to data collected in the 2021 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are just 95 people and 23 families who call Darkes Forest home. Yet the Darkes Forest Rural Fire Service brigade has still managed to amass a membership of 25 dedicated people. Of the 25 members, Captain Peter Field is related to nine of them. That speaks volumes for just how passionate and eager the community is to look out for one another – particularly during times of crisis. With a dangerous 2023/24 bushfire season predicted, there is every chance Peter and the other 24 members may be called on to help battle blazes either locally, or elsewhere in the state. Four members of the Fields family received National Emergency Medals due to their efforts during the 19/20 Black Summer fires. Thank you to Peter and all the Darkes Forest RFS members for your efforts in keeping our community and our state safe."
"This month marks the seventieth anniversary of the Loftus Volunteer Bushfire Brigade. We honour its members both past and present. This brigade has a proud history and over the years has put in a lot of effort developing its members and strengthening its relationship with the community. That includes responding to bushfire and flooding incidents, including in Woronora, Wisemans Ferry and the Mid North Coast, attending motor vehicle incidents and hazard-reduction activity. The Loftus brigade is now well established and can boast more than 70 members. It is deeply respected by the local community it serves. I thank each and every one of the volunteers for their dedicated service, especially those who fought to protect communities during the 2019-20 fire season. I congratulate them all on their hard work, dedication and commitment to the community and the service, and I wish the best to this fine brigade for its seventieth anniversary and for many more years to come."
"We are so lucky in the Sutherland Shire and Illawarra regions to have so many wonderful dedicated and passionate volunteers. Whether they be parents and carers supervising the canteen during Saturday sport, or residents donating their time to help out those who are vulnerable, there is no shortage of people willing to stick their hand up and help. That includes the members from the Woronora Rural Fire Brigade. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I have the utmost respect and admiration for our emergency services workers. It takes incredible courage, sacrifice and selflessness to run towards an emergency, not from it. And that is exactly what members of emergency services organisations and teams, like Woronora Fire Brigade, do. The brigade was originally formed in 1954 by then Group Captain Ray Watchorn, and based out of an annex shed up river from Cathedral Rock. The members had no road access so they used their own boats to transport equipment. Almost seven decades have passed since. During that time the Woronora Rural Fire Brigade has also evolved. However, the brigade's dedication to protecting our community remains steadfast. On behalf of our community, thank you."
