"It wouldn't be possible without the support of my wonderful family. At this stage, I'm the only serving firefighter in the brigade that is also a business owner. In the past few years, it has gotten harder to do both. Once the siren goes off, I drop what I'm doing and get down to the station. It's a commitment I'm happy to make for the community."
The Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade is like a family, he says.
"Ninety per cent of the members call me dad. It just shows how close we are and the environment we have."
During his 27 years of service, Kevan says he's attended a number of incidents.
"My longest duration of a call was four days when I was down in Waitōtara helping to reerect the town after a massive flood.
"When I go to an incident whether it's an accident, house fire or CPR I do my best to ensure a negative situation has a positive outcome. There was one time I was doing CPR on an 82-year-old man for 45 minutes and it was successful."
His favourite part about being in the brigade, besides serving his community, is watching the other firefighters grow.
"Seeing them develop their skills in training and using those skills to help people is always great to see."
One of the largest fires he attended was the Stratford Hotel Fire. The hotel fire was Kelly's first big fire callout she attended.
"I remember it so vividly. It really opened my eyes as to how fires can quickly turn into a big blaze."
As well as serving the community, Kelly has also taken part in a number of competitions.
"I competed in waterway and crash rescue competitions, stair climbing competitions, basketball and volleyball tournaments and I was also in the fire brigade calendar in 2013."
She says serving on the brigade has given her a number of opportunities.
"I went to America for a stairclimbing challenge. While I was there, I rode along in an American tiller fire truck where the driver sits at the back. I wouldn't have had these opportunities if I wasn't a part of the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade. I also took part in a fire camp in Whanganui and I was the driver of the fire truck for the whole weekend."
Kelly is the first female firefighter to receive the 25-year gold star for the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade.
"When I first joined, I was told I wouldn't last two weeks and that fuelled my determination to serve in the volunteer fire brigade for as long as I could. I'm now on my 25th year and I have no plan of leaving."
Kevan, Kelly and Lenny have all only served the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade and Lenny says receiving the gold star alongside Kelly and Kevan is an honour.
"We've all worked together on the brigade for a number of years so to receive this award together is pretty special."
Lenny first started for the fire brigade in 1992 and returned again in 2020 after a six-year break.
"I wanted to go back to helping the community. When I rejoined my son Bailey was on the brigade so serving the community alongside him was pretty special. Bailey is now a permanent firefighter in Christchurch."
Like Kelly, Lenny has also taken part in competitions.
"In 1995 I took part in a few waterway competitions with my mates. That was pretty cool."
Lenny says the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade is like one big family.
"There's a whole lot of camaraderie and support for each other throughout the brigade. I enjoy serving my community and plan to serve it for a long time."
