Hydes Creek Brigade captain Graeme Stockton received a 25-year long service medal, along with wife Joy, in front of a 60-strong local crowd that included mayor Mark Troy and council general manager Liz Jeremy.

The occasion was also used to unveil a plaque that commemorates the extension to the fire station at Hydes Creek, and keys for new fire fighting trucks, worth around $650,000, were given to representatives of three other local RFS Brigades:  North Bellingen, Urunga and Kalang. 

During the day, long-time RFS members commented on the dangerously dry conditions this winter, and drew parallels to 1994, when the Kalang Valley burned for weeks during what became known as the Eastern Seaboard Fire.  More than 80 fires burned along the east coast, from Bega to the Queensland border and as far inland as Bathurst.  Four people died, including a volunteer fire fighter, 225 homes were destroyed and 800,000 hectares was burned. 

The devastating 1994 fire season triggered a coronial Inquiry that recommended a state-wide organisation, the NSW Rural Fire Service, be set-up to fight fires in a more coordinated way.  Before then, volunteer fire brigades were mainly run by local councils.

“If you’ve moved to the Bellingen Shire in the past 20 years you may not be aware of what can happen in this area,” Graeme said.  

“It generally looks so green that people underestimate the fire risk. Not having a plan to respond to a fire not only puts them in danger, it also increases the risks for local volunteer fire fighters.”  

The RFS suggests newcomers make contact with their nearest brigade to talk about fire history in their immediate neighbourhood. To find out about your nearest RFS Brigade, contact the Fire Control Centre in Coffs Harbour on 6651-6133. Information on making a plan to protect your family, including a new online Household Assessment Tool, is available on the RFS website at www.rfs.gov.au.

Contact: Graeme Stockton, Hydes Creek RFS Brigade, 6655-2232.