Collingwood Volunteer Fire Brigade - 100 years
CFO Graeme Miller stands behind Paddy Gillooly, who is speaking to the audience after the presentation of his Gold Star Award. Photo: Bill and Shelley Climo.
Collingwood’s population swelled over Easter Weekend, thanks to the centenary celebrations for the town’s Volunteer Fire Brigade.
A range of activities including displays and demonstrations, and culminated in a Collingwood Tavern-catered dinner and dance for around 200 at the Memorial Hall on Easter Sunday evening. This was attended by key Fire Service personnel from all over the country, including Fire Service Commissioner David MacFarlane, and the Fire Chief for the Transalpine Fire Region, of which Collingwood is now a part. A past member of the brigade, Ken Haxell, travelled over from his Australian home to attend the celebrations.
A combined honours presentation recognised the valued service given by its members. Paddy Gillooly’s 25 years was acknowledged with a Gold Star Award, while Darryl Wilkens picked up a 14-year service and good conduct award with two seven-year bars (making 28 years’ combined service). Several comparative newcomers also received their three-year awards.
Paddy Gillooly said the weekend involved a huge amount of organisation and went really well.
“It’s not often you get to celebrate something like this, the brigade’s involvement in the town and surrounding district for 100 years. It’s been great to be personally involved for a quarter of that time.”
NZ Post has commemorated the event with two specially commissioned stamps that will celebrate 100 years of the brigade, one of them with a historic photo of the brigade and another with their special 100-year logo. These will be released in conjunction with another set of two featuring the All Blacks in the context of the Rugby World Cup.
The Collingwood Volunteer Fire Brigade has also used the occasion to launch their new DVD, shown extensively over the weekend, which features historic photos of all the disastrous fires in the town over the years, brigade members past and present, Gold Star Awards presented over the last five years, the 28 December 2010 floods, and past controlled burns and exercises.
Gerard Hindmarsh
