Seymour of the past and future

by Leith Hillard, CFA Public Affairs

It's a hive of activity on a Sunday morning at Seymour station as the three fire trucks with their full complement of volunteers head off on an FEM (Fire Equipment Maintenance) run. The level of activity and dedication is symbolic of Region 12; a Region entirely made up of volunteer firefighters balancing their time between training drills, fundraising and hard labour on the fireground.

The 35 active Seymour members also balance their activities between the green shed, the silver shed and the main station building, with occasional trips out to the brown shed.

Anyone entering the station through the meeting room can immediately see that this is a proud brigade, aware of its history and achievements. Certificates from 1901 jostle for space with state championship plaques, the honour board and photographs of many of the previous captains, brigade and auxiliary members: the further you go back in history, the more moustaches.

Looking over the room is a particularly large photo of the late Bill Francis, AFSM, and present Captain Gerard Hard says: "We're just waiting for him to say something. He always did this thing: a meeting would be coming to an end and he'd say something and we'd end up being there for another half an hour."

"He wasn't a man of few words," ex-Captain Wayne Story says. "He was very knowledgeable and a great mentor to so many of us in the brigade. He had time for everyone including the juniors and treated everyone the same. It's created a big gap, I think we all miss, with affection, the yarns. He had a lot of stories to tell and you loved hearing them even if it was for the 34th time. Everyone in town knew him."

Frank Tebble takes up the tribute. "He loved his sports: running, golf, tennis and football. The only game he claimed he couldn't get the hang of was geriatric marbles - bowls." Frank wrote a comprehensive history of Bill as a treasured local character who was born in town and lived in the one house for all but one year of his life. He carried the Olympic torch past the fire station in 2000, was a very active member of his parish church, a member of Rotary, and a volunteer at Meals on Wheels and bingo, as well as for his beloved CFA, which he joined in 1954. Bill had a passion for his family, CFA and the sea.

Bill's photo oversees a flourishing brigade. Ex-Captain Mick Sanderson was this year awarded an AFSM and remains an active and passionate member as well as FEM accredited and busy with it a few days a week. "You're in it and it's your life," he says. Mick's very proud of the brigade culture, which encourages a gradual step up to leadership then a gradual step down.

"When I was Captain, I kept going back to the previous captains for advice," Mick says. I was adamant that I was going to be around for the next Captain. Wayne was 1st Lieutenant then became Captain after me while I moved down to his old role. It means you're there to support and to talk to them but then I also like to see them go on and do their own thing.

Captain Gerard is in full agreement with Mick on keeping movement through the Captain's position; permanence can lead to a stifled brigade. "I'm probably going to stay for 8-10 years - I'll give it a good go - then hand on to someone else. It's a huge HR job these days so it's good to give other people the chance to come in with new ideas and a different style."

As a structural and wildfire brigade – and an urban brigade in a rural area – Seymour turns out about 180 times a year and has a long and fine tradition of debriefing. "When a big fire's coming towards you, you can't describe the feeling," Mick says. "You listen to it and all of your thoughts are right there. When you finish with your fire, you come in and get a coffee then sit down and talk about it. Get it off your chest."

And that leads us back to the colour coding of the sheds. The silver shed sets the gold standard for relaxing but also for memorabilia. It's a mess-shed-cum-museum with a prized collection of fire extinguishers, helmets and other firefighting paraphenalia proudly put together by Kevin Dwyer. Some vintage lounge chairs also share the room with a dart board, pool table and fridge stocked with soft drinks. It's the ideal place to talk through experiences; a lounge room for a very close and connected brigade.

(An abridged version of this article was first published in the Autumn 2008 edition of Brigade magazine)