Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Brigade Gold Star recipients with their wives from left Tracey and Peter Sinclair, Jo and Craig Brown.
Pic 1: dan3477 Caption: Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Brigade Gold Star recipients with their wives from left Tracey and Peter Sinclair, Jo and Craig Brown.
A combined total of 50 years service to Dannevirke Fire Brigade was honoured when two members were presented with gold stars.
Chief Fire Officer Peter Sinclair and senior firefighter Craig Brown have each notched up 25 years service with the brigade, becoming part of an elite band of 36 firefighters to have received this award since 1896.
The awards evening was a glittering affair in the Dannevirke Town Hall attended by brigade members, past and present, New Zealand Fire and Emergency dignitaries, Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis and supporters.
In welcoming guests to deputy fire chief Peter Feierabend said the awards evening was postponed last year because of Covid-19.
"It was a huge disappointment that we couldn't go ahead with the Gold Star presentations so we are pleased to finally be able to go ahead with this celebration. Twenty five years service is an awesome achievement."
He said the support of families played a huge part in being able to reach this milestone.
Brown joined the brigade in April 1994, becoming a senior firefighter in 2011.
"Craig has been a very active firefighter and he and his wife Jo have been very active in the brigade on the social committee, fundraising and working bees."
Sinclair joined a year later and had risen through the ranks to become Chief Fire Officer in 2013.
He has been brigade secretary for 10 years and he and wife Tracey have also been very active in social events, fundraising activities and working bees.
Feierabend thanked Sinclair and Brown for their service and their families for their support over the years which enabled them to achieve their Gold Stars.
The first part of the evening involved the presentation of service awards by United Fire Brigades Association of New Zealand (UFBA) representative Mark Adie to a wide spectrum of firefighters followed by Brigade Awards presented by Fire Chief Peter Sinclair and concluding with Fire Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medals presented by Area Manager Ken Cooper.
After the intermission the presentation of the Gold Stars to Brown and Sinclair were made by Adie who said the awards were to celebrate the service of volunteers recognising their time "in the front line" and thanking them and their families for allowing the commitment away from their homes.
He said the 36 Dannevirke brigade members had delivered a total of 496 years' service to the Tararua community.
"Over the whole service only 6 per cent of new firefighters go on to earn their Gold Star which is not only gained by time but by conduct involving attendance of at least two-thirds training and callout events."
There followed a series of speeches presenting the two firemen with awards including Life Membership of the Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Brigade, membership of the Wellington Provincial Gold Star Association and gifts from the Wellington Provincial Fire Brigade Association, the Hawke's Bay Fire Brigade Sub Association and Tararua District Council.
A message from Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty was read congratulating the two recipients for "their incredibly selfless act to be on call every day of the year", and thanking the families for allowing this to happen.
Mayor Tracey Collis acknowledged the role of volunteers in the Tararua community saying the firefighters were "standout examples".
She said the fire service was tops among the community in the trust category and once again she thanked wives and families for supporting their members in the service "where looking after people is the core of everything they do".
In reply Brown said he was very proud to have achieved his Gold Star, saying he had always looked to the Gold Star holders as people to emulate and he thanked his colleagues for helping him get there.
Sinclair said he was hugely honoured by the award and the huge number of dignitaries and friends who had come to the ceremony which had been postponed from September.
He said it was a privilege to lead such an awesome brigade which has "become fully established and maintained" in his time as leader.
He repeated the thanks to families for their sacrifices of time and support, especially his wife Tracey, but also emphasised the importance of having supportive employers who allow their employees to chase fires, using the Tararua District Council as an example which has seven members in the fire service.
"Without their support sometimes it would have been very difficult to answer an emergency so quickly."