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25.01.2022 Wishing all our staff, members and communities in the South West a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year!

25.01.2022 It was an honour to attend the Winslow & Yarpturk dinner earlier this month and present Mathew Deans with the National Emergency Medal. Congratulations again to all award recipients.

25.01.2022 Last month I had the pleasure of attending the Ocean Grove Annual Dinner, accompanying the Minister for Emergency Services Lisa Neville, Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp and CFA Board Chair Greg Smith. The award presentations saw a combined 300 years of Service Awards presented to brigade members, including a 70 year Service Award for ex-Captain Ivan Lee OAM and 50 year Service Award to Doug Pearce. National Medals were awarded to Martin Geerings and Doug Pearce... (3rd clasp). It was fantastic to honour and celebrate the service provided by the Ocean Grove members, especially the esteemed records of Ivan, Doug and Martin in particular. Congratulations again to all award recipients. The brigade had the opportunity to hear from the Minister, Commissioner and Board Chair throughout the official proceedings and all three acknowledged the great work of the staff and volunteers at Ocean Grove and how well they have worked together in the protection of their community.

23.01.2022 Congratulations John (Anakie FB, District 7) on picking up four gold and one silver at the recent World Police and Fire Games in Chengdu, China! A fantastic effort representing Australia and CFA.

22.01.2022 Last week I did a trip down to Heywood ICC and District Headquarters and Hamilton Airbase and it was rewarding to catch up with our CFA staff and volunteers who have all been working through an incredibly tough start to our fire season. We had strike teams from each of our 4 districts in the far south west working on the Budj Bim Bessiebelle fire and the Wade Junction Fire. A total of 9 strike teams from SW Region were engaged in operations across the state within a 24 hour... period. I was overwhelmed by the dedication and enthusiasm from our members who have all worked so hard for our communities to bring the fires under control. So many of our volunteers have not had any time with their families over the xmas period because they have been working so hard to protect lives and property for these communities. Our volunteers in South West Region have also been extremely busy fighting fires in NSW and Gippsland/North East. It makes me so proud to witness our members in action working to protect our communities. What an inspiration our members are. See more

22.01.2022 CFA is a community of many people, living and working together as one. Communities turn up to support each other, responding to fire and other emergencies in our towns across Victoria. Well done to the SW Volunteer Sustainability Team on another fantastic video highlighting the commitment and contribution of our members to their communities. ... To all our CFA members here in South West Region, thanks for all you do. If you would like more information about volunteering for CFA in a fire fighting or another brigade role in your local community, now is the perfect time to make contact. Click the link to find out more: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteer-careers/volunteers #countryfireauthority #CFAVictoria #comingtogetherforcommunity #countryvictoria

21.01.2022 Robin Parsons AFSM Recipient I know you would all like to join with me in passing on our congratulations to Robin Parsons from Belmont Fire Brigade and to let him know how proud we all are of his achievement in becoming an Australian Fire Service Medal recipient. Robin has been with the CFA for more than 57 years which is a fantastic service history, he joined the CFA as a volunteer Reserve member at Geelong in 1962 and become an active firefighter in 1963.... Robin noted that when he volunteered, he was under some excellent mentors and as he gained experience, he tried to model himself after them. Quite ironic given that Robin himself has been a mentor to many. In 1973 Robin joined the career staff as a firefighter at Geelong City and climbed the ranks to serve as a Station Officer across a number of brigades, before he eventually took up a position as Senior Instructor and Operations Officer at Fiskville. Robin has distinguished himself as an eminent source of information relating to the practices of the Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) and the implementation of the Incident Control System (ICS). He has gained the experience of participating as a senior member of Incident Management Teams (IMTs) during campaign fires and emergency incidents across Australia. He has been described as going above and beyond to mentor personnel in the AIMS system, regularly delivering training and sharing his experience. Upon Robin’s retirement as a Career Officer in 2012, he has remained with the CFA, re-joining the Belmont Fire Brigade as a volunteer member and remains in an operational support role. Robin has previously been awarded a National Medal, Outstanding Service Medal and was named a CFA Life Member. From all of us in SWR we would all like to say well done Robin, you’re an inspiration to many and an absolute gentleman to all. Rohan Luke Deputy Chief Officer Regional Director South West Region

21.01.2022 Last night I attended a function Gather for Good, Geelong’s Bushfire Relief Event. This event was organised and planned in 10 days, a fantastic effort and hosted by a group of passionate locals with 100% of all funds raised to be donated with 50% going to CFA and 50% for The Australian Red Cross. The event was held at the Fyansford Paper Mills, there was a panel consisting of Dave Thornton, Catriona Rowntree, Sean Purcell, Lana Wilkinson along with Renee Enright who all ...shared their own inspirational journeys in life and the impact that the current fires have had on their lives Jemma Ryan The Editor of the GT magazine interviewed me on stage, where we talked about what impact the current Victorian Bushfires had on communities, the amazing response from the Geelong Region and also on how Geelong people are not exempt from Bushfires and how to prepare for this fire season and keep your family safe. The night raised a fantastic $77,049 which will be split between CFA and The Australian Red Cross. I was blown away by the generosity and warmth on the night, it was a fabulous event and an awesome effort by all who attended.

18.01.2022 Id like to take a moment to say thank you to our community for the way we are managing through the current COVID19 restrictions and also to our CFA Volunteers and staff for the work our members are doing, particularly under trying circumstances. The restrictions around Covid 19 are continuing to challenge us all individually at home, in our working lives and in our day to day business within CFA and our Brigades. I’m so impressed and proud of how we have pulled together a...nd how we are collectively getting the job done. Our Brigades are continuing to respond to emergencies and protecting their communities while we work through this crisis. Each of you should understand what an important role you all play just by social distancing which is helping towards stopping the spread of this virus. Our CFA members are also continuing to play their role in helping to protect our communities through this pandemic and I think doing a fantastic job. It has been a challenging year so far what with the fires we have just experienced and now we are navigating our way through this COVID19 pandemic. To all of you I say keep up the great work you are an inspiration. I hope you and your families stay safe and well as we manoeuvre through the coming weeks. See more

15.01.2022 On Sunday 12 October, the Teesdale Fire Brigade marked their 70th Anniversary in a combined community event to celebrate the Teesdale community including food and market stalls, live music and family friendly entertainment. The Teesdale brigade provided a Fire Safety Show with Firefighter April and Charlie the Dog engaging the audience on key fire safety messages ahead of summer. I was honoured to have the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and congratulate the brigade’s outstanding milestone of 70 years of service to their community. Well done to the Teesdale Fire Brigade and community on a wonderful day celebrating community connectedness.

15.01.2022 We remember and commemorate all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars and conflicts, we thank our brave veterans past and present and all of our Australian Defence personnel, who put their lives on the line for us here in Australia and New Zealand. I would think that most of us here at the CFA and also out in the community have someone in their family either past or present who has fought in the war and how proudly we all remember them. Our thoughts... and prayers go out to all those families who have suffered or lost loved ones in these conflicts. You probably like myself over the years have read some of the Veteran’s stories and what I remember from these stories is their incredible bravery, tenacity and most of all their mateship, it is called the Spirit of Anzac: of courage, fortitude and looking out for your mates, of honour and service before self I have heard of their stories over many years and I know that this year many of us will sadly miss the tradition of going to a Dawn service to show our respect, even though we will still be able to remember them at home. I will also remember the incredible sacrifices our CFA personnel and Australian Defence Personnel made in the last fire season were ADF crews worked alongside fire services across Australia to protect our communities. This year I will be standing at Dawn at home as the sun rises and will play the last post as I know many of you will do. We will Remember Them Lest We Forget https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McCDWYgVyps

10.01.2022 Hi All There are still a lot of us working from home during this COVID 19 pandemic and I just wanted to give you all a shout out and say thanks you are all doing a great job along with all our Brigades while we work through these restrictions. Hopefully we will see an easing of the restrictions soon so we can all return to working from our Districts and offices, once it is safe to do so. I know we will all look forward to catching up with our colleagues. Last week the CFA ...Continue reading

08.01.2022 An amazing piece of history can continue to be enjoyed thanks to the dedication of members of the Warrnambool brigade.

06.01.2022 Today is #RUOKDay which aims to increase suicide prevention by encouraging people to start conversations around mental health. R U OK Day reminds us that it’s okay to not be okay, and to take the time to check in with each other, not only today but every day. R U OK outlines four simple steps for checking in with someone if you feel they might be struggling or you just want to show you care. 1. Ask R U OK? 2. Listen without judgement... 3. Encourage action 4. Check-in To find out more, visit www.ruok.org.au. If you or someone you know is struggling, CFA’s Member Wellbeing services are available via the Wellbeing Support Line on 1800 959 232, or support can be sought via Lifeline on 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 www.beyondblue.org.au

06.01.2022 As many are no doubt aware, Fire Services Reform is progressing with Parliament passing the Bill through the Legislative Council (Upper House) on Thursday 20 June. As CFA processes these developments, a series of briefings have been arranged to provide consistent and regular engagement with volunteer and staffing groups as we move through the next stages. It’s my intent to use these briefings to update our brigades and staff on the progress of reform and allow an opportunity ...for questions and open discussion. In addition to dedicated briefings, information including FAQs, a link to the Presumptive Rights and Fire Services Legislation Amendment Bill and supporting material can be found on the CFA Intranet/Brigades Online. This suite of information will be updated as new information and documentation comes to hand. A dedicated email address has also been set up for any specific questions from staff or members not addressed within the FAQs or support material: [email protected] Different people will be experiencing different emotions and reactions as Fire Services Reform progresses. If you feel you need support, I would encourage you to access one of CFA’s Wellbeing Services via 1800 959 232 which are available to all CFA staff and members and their immediate families.

05.01.2022 Last month I had the pleasure of attending the Anakie Brigade’s 80th Anniversary and Award Presentation Dinner. In addition to a combined 370 years of Service Awards, an incredible 14 National Medals and clasps were presented to brigade members, a fantastic demonstration of the service the Anakie brigade members provide to their community. I also had the honour of presenting the brigade with a certificate marking 80 years of service, a wonderful achievement. Congratulations a...gain to all the Anakie members and award recipients. One member who was unable to attend the dinner, Les Trotter, was due to receive his National Medal 3rd Clasp as well as his 75 year CFA Service Award. Les joined the Anakie Brigade in March of 1944, just five years after the Brigade’s inception, and has remained an operational member for the vast majority of his 75 years. His dedication to the brigade and his community has been exceptional, so it was my honour to present Les with his awards at a private presentation with his family and a few of his fellow brigade members at a later date. Congratulations again, Les.

04.01.2022 On Saturday 3rd August I was pleased to attend the Leopold Brigade’s Annual Dinner. I had the honour of presenting CFA Service Awards as well as an incredible total of nine National Medals to Lindsay Alford, Don Barber, Richard Barras, Eon Cook, James Eastwood, Ken Hair, Michael Hoare, Geoffrey Richards and Captain Ashley Browne. The National Medal recognises diligent service of 15 years or more to the community in hazardous circumstances and times of emergency and national d...isaster, and is awarded by the Governor-General. To have presented such a significant number of National Medals to one brigade is a fantastic demonstration of the service the Leopold brigade members provide to their community. Congratulations again to all award recipients and well done to the brigade and Catchment Team on a wonderful evening.

02.01.2022 On Thursday 15th August I had the pleasure of attending the Torquay brigade’s Award Presentation Dinner. Included in the award presentations were a combined 150 years of Service Awards for brigade members, a National Medal for David Menzel and National Emergency Medal for Peter Sweetten. Congratulations again to all award recipients. The dinner was a fantastic opportunity to formally recognise the efforts of the Torquay brigade members as well as enjoy some social fellowship amongst the brigade.