The contribution made by volunteer rural fire fighters of all ages was recognised at a recent awards dinner. The Rodney Volunteer Rural Fire Volunteers Celebration Evening was held on Saturday 8 November at the North Harbour Stadium.
Around 160 volunteers and their families attended this special event which was organised by Rodney District Council Emergency Services.
The awards have been running for a number of years and are an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the service provided by volunteer fire fighters and their efforts to make Rodney a safer place to live.
20 year old Sarah Roberts of the Matakana Volunteer Rural Fire Force was named ‘Fire Fighter of the Year.’ Sarah has been with the Brigade since its formation and has attended the largest number of callouts of any member of the Matakana Brigade. She also has a history of being first on the scene of medical callouts. Sarah was awarded the title of ‘Fire Fighter of the Year’ to acknowledge her commitment to the Fire Force.
Peter Wilton, of the Muriwai Fire Brigade, was also awarded a Gold Bar for long service at the celebrations. Peter’s official length of service was 39 years, but he has served for a total of 49 years.
Deputy Mayor John Kirikiri, who served as a volunteer and professional fire fighter for 18 years, spoke at the ceremony and has first hand experience of the time commitment involved in being part of the fire service.
"On behalf of myself and Mayor Penny Webster, who is very grateful for the work of the fire services, we would like to thank all the volunteers and their families for their service to the community."
"We believe that the best way to create a safe community is for the Council to work with local residents to achieve this. The awards are a great way for the Council and the public to recognise the significant contribution volunteer fire fighters make to protecting the wider community," says Deputy Mayor Kirikiri.
More information
Contact: Paul Green
Phone: 0800 426 5169
Email: Paul.Green@rodney.govt.nz