Kaitaia fire officer given award for long service

Kaitaia's Deputy Chief Fire Officer John Whitlow has received a Gold Star marking his 25 years' service with the Kaitaia Volunteer Fire Brigade.

The brigade's appliances were parked outside the station when the award was presented last month. Inside, men wearing Fire Service uniforms and medals and women in glad rags packed around banquet tables to acknowledge Mr Whitlow's achievement before tucking into a five-star feast prepared in his honour.

While his award was the major event of the night, 14 of Mr Whitlow's brigade colleagues also received United Fire Brigades Association service honours, including Kaitaia's former CFO Terry Houghton, 79, who was presented with a two-year gold bar marking his 54 years with the brigade, among the longest service records in the country.

The presentation to Mr Whitlow began with an amusing powerpoint presentation which Tinks Subritzky had prepared using family photographs she had obtained from his wife, Carol, portraying him from babyhood to a long-haired young adult enjoying his OE in England, working as a builder and joining the Kaitaia brigade in 1986.

More tributes and gifts followed from Fire Service top brass - Area Commander Allan Kerrisk, representing the Muriwhenua (Far North) Area and the NZFS Commission; Gary Aitken, representing the Auckland Provincial Gold Star Association; Auckland Provincial Fire Brigades Association president Mark Gummer; and Northland Fire Brigades Sub-Association president Jake Millar.

Far North Mayor Wayne Brown thanked Mr Whitlow and all other volunteer firefighters for the great job they did keeping the community safe.

Kaitaia Senior Station Officer Ross Beddows said that when he joined the brigade in 1990 he had been wary of Mr Whitlow, whom he thought had a stern demeanour.

"I later found he has a marvellous sense of humour and is kind and generous. Everyone in the brigade respects his good judgment," Mr Beddows said.

In reply, Mr Whitlow, 60, thanked everyone, and said it was one of the proudest moments of his life to receive the Gold Star, "and more especially life membership of the Kaitaia brigade - it's second to none, the best in New Zealand."

Along with Mr Houghton, others presented with two-year gold bars were Station Officer Dave McKenzie, 45 years' service, Mr Kitchen (43 years), Senior Station Officer Alan Swanson (35 years), Station Officer Brian Shepherd (31 years), and Third Officer Ron Attwood (27 years).

Two-year silver bars were presented to Mr Beddows (21 years), Station Officer Craig Rogers (19 years), Station Officer Grant Baker (15 years), and Senior Fire-fighter Selwyn Subritzky (13 years).

Qualified firefighters David Eccles, Dion Reid and Mark King received two-year silver bars for seven years' service, as did Garry Nijenhuis, for seven years' service in support.