Wednesday, 6 March 2024

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (09:40): Last week I had the absolute privilege of going back to my home town and celebrating 90 years of collective service between three individuals in the CFA fire brigade. We had Ian Vernon, 10 years serving his community; Neil Hamilton, 50 years in his role as a volunteer firefighter; and Neil’s darling wife Jan, 30 years. Neil started at the Fish Creek fire brigade in 1967, and having filled most positions over the years, he was captain for 18 years. He was involved in the South Gippsland fire brigades group for over 40 years and filled most positions. He is involved in road accident rescue, high-angle rescue and search and rescue, and he has attended and participated in most of the major fires on the east coast of Australia since 1970. He is a fantastic ambassador, as is his wife Jan, who has been manning the comms throughout the South Gippsland community in terms of firefighting. We thank them for their service. We thank all volunteers – CFA, SES and our first responders. These are the people that rush towards danger to save our lives and to save property. Neil is such a character and a well-loved person in Fish Creek and environs, and his reputation extends right across Gippsland. I want to thank Ray Poletti, the president, for inviting me to celebrate on such a wonderful occasion.