Three years ago two long standing members of the Dunstan Rural Brigade spent three weeks fighting catastrophic bushfires in New South Wales (NSW); and their outstanding contribution has earned them a service medal.

Ewan Richmond (57) and Tony Smith (46) said the awards ceremony, in Christchurch earlier this month (November 7), was great because they got to catch up with fellow firefighters from their crews in NSW.  

Tony has been volunteering with the brigade for the past 25 years. It is the third overseas deployment he has experienced but one he will not forget.

Tony went to Laguna, a tiny place, “hardly even a speck on a map”. 

When he arrived, local firefighters told him they had been battling the same fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the past three months.

“It was a humbling experience… For me it was to give the Aussies a break.”

Tony said he recalls local women instantly throwing their arms around him and saying “we are so glad you’re here”.

One day he asked where an Australian firefighter was and the response was “he’s defending his house today.”

Ewan, who has been with the rural brigade for eight years, was posted to Ballina and touched down on November 21, 2019. He said rural teams there had been fighting that particular fire since August. 

The pair said they would go overseas again if the opportunity arose.

When asked what drives them to continue as volunteer firefighters, Ewan said it was a sense of duty to help his community and give back.

Tony said passing knowledge and experience on to others was an important aspect.

Fire and Emergency NZ Te Kei region manager Mike Grant said the medals were an extremely special honour from the Australian government. 

“It recognises the calibre of New Zealand’s firefighters …acknowledging the massive effort they put in to help their fellow emergency professionals in Australia during the disaster.

"It was an incredibly challenging environment for anybody to be in, and we’re very proud of the skills and dedication our firefighters showed. We are lucky to have people like these in our own areas."

Two hundred and eight people who were part of the Fire and Emergency contingent and deployed were chosen to receive the Australia National Emergency Medal with Bushfires 19/20 Clasp, along with firefighters from the New Zealand Defence Force, Department of Conservation and several forestry companies.

This is awarded by the Australian government for sustained or significant service during national emergencies. They are part of a group of 384 New Zealanders who travelled to Australia to fight the massive bushfires over the 2019/20 summer.

The Dunstan Rural brigade and the Alexandra brigade both need new volunteers. 

Dunstan brigade leader Mark Reid said they need five more firefighters; training is given and overseas opportunities can crop up.

The Dunstan Rural Brigade attend training on Monday nights at 7pm. From left: Angus Blackie, Ewan Richmond, Tony Smith, Mark Reid, Nigel Saunders,  Kevin Wood, Neil Jordan, Shannon Entwisle, and Mandy Sanders

Mark said the rural brigade is more relaxed, slightly less regimented and has a flat structure.

Rural brigades such as Dunstan do not attend car crashes or cat-up-a-tree incidents, but they do fight scrub fires, fires on rural properties and can be deployed to other areas when support is needed for larger fires. 

Looking ahead to the fire season he said they have had good years recently but you cannot predict it, and even when things are calm “a swarm might hit”. 

Applicants need to be physically fit, comfortable around helicopters, have a sense of adventure and be available during the day. For information call Mark on 027 4479394.