Floods, plane crashes and pets up trees - Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade members Garth Campbell and Roy Rose have seen it all in their lengthy associations with Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago fire brigades.
The pair were acknowledged with gold star awards for 25 years' service to the community at a function on Saturday to celebrate service honours for the Lake Hawea, Luggate and Wanaka brigades.
Mr Campbell (48), who has just been appointed Wanak
a's deputy chief fire officer, joined the brigade in Naseby in 1982, where he served for three years. After a two-year break while living in Dunedin, he moved to Wanaka, where he has served with the fire brigade ever since.
Mr Rose returned to resume his role as secretary-treasurer with the Wanaka fire brigade last year. He first served in Wanaka and Queenstown, then 18 years in Alexandra - 10 of those as secretary-treasurer.
Mr Campbell was also presented with an honorary life membership of the Wanaka brigade on Saturday night, alongside Bill Tomlin, while Mr Rose received the same honour from the Alexandra brigade.
A highlight of the past 25 years shared by both men was competing together at United Fire Brigade Association competitions and achieving good results at Otago-Southland level.
While both men admitted to rescuing "heaps" of cats stuck up trees, some of the more demanding call-outs Mr Campbell had attended included serious plane and car crashes in the Upper Clutha. For Mr Rose, the big Alexandra floods of 1995 and 1999 and the Alexandra fires of 1999 were particularly notable events.
