On The Up: Denis Hewitt honoured for five decades of firefighting and community service

Denis Hewitt marked 50 years of service earlier this year, with the official ceremony taking place in September at Kamo Fire Station. Photo / Brodie Stone

A desire to help people is what kept Whangārei firefighter Denis Hewitt volunteering for the service for 50 years.

Hewitt, 83, marked the half-century milestone last month at the Kamo Fire Station, where he currently volunteers in an administrative role.

Family travelled from London, Australia and Wellington for the occasion.

Hewitt said wanting to help people was what kept him involved in the service for so long.

Born in Kaitāia, his journey with the fire service started in Taipa where he joined the local crew run by the council in the late 1960s.

Hewitt then moved to Mangōnui in the early 70s. There he volunteered with the ambulance service as well as the Mangōnui Volunteer Fire Brigade, which had only been operating for a year.

Denis Hewitt during his time at Mangōnui in the 70s.

In the early days, it was known as the “Mickey Mouse Brigade” but became more widely accepted after saving several homes from a scrub fire, Hewitt said.

“When I joined them all we had was a box with a little pump, two suction hoses and two rolls of hose,” he said.

Hewitt placed handrails on either side of a truck so the team could stand on the back while on the road.

The truck had no back window and had a tank that could hold close to 3000 litres of water with a small pump on the back.

On one occasion, Hewitt and another member headed to Coopers Beach for a roadside scrub fire.

When they screeched to a halt at the bottom of a hill, about 900 litres of water came through the back window and drenched the pair.

Denis Hewitt designed this truck, which was collected from Wellington, when he was in the Mangōnui Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Parked close to the fire, Hewitt opened his door and water rushed out and doused the blaze.

Hewitt said a member of the public saw the commotion and joked they’d never seen a fire fought that way.

During his time in Mangōnui, he also designed a new truck for the brigade.

He also recalled when the first female member joined the crew in the mid-1970s despite pushback from some.

While volunteering, Hewitt ran a clothing and food bank for families who had lost everything in fires.

In 1993, he moved to Kaitāia and took up the role of a senior firefighter.

Six months later, Hewitt discovered he had arthritis, which caused him to be off work for two and a half years.

He was based in Kaitāia until July 1995, before joining the Whangārei Fire Police from 1996 to 1997.

After that he took a break from the fire service and worked on the railway lines for the Kawakawa Vintage Railway.

Hewitt was invited to join the Kamo brigade after he attended the 25-year ceremony for two of his former trainees, which he did on April 6, 2004, as operational support.

Denis Hewitt's many medals, including his 50-year award. Photo / Brodie Stone

His role has included traffic control, cleaning out hydrants around town, installing smoke alarms and driving the truck.

He currently logs all the callouts and volunteers who attended.

Denis Hewitt, 83, with a hat signed by his fellow volunteers. Photo / Brodie Stone

About 100 people attended Hewitt’s 50th anniversary celebration, including a senior officer from Fire and Emergency New Zealand in Wellington.

As the 385th volunteer to reach the 50-year milestone, Hewitt said he felt proud of his achievement.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.