Thornbury Volunteer Fire Brigade member Colin Hitchcock was recognised for his contribution at the Thornbury Volunteer Fire Brigade’s awards evening on Saturday.
Mr Hitchcock said he was 19 and newly arrived in Orepuki when he drove his car to the garage for a warrant of fitness.
While there, he innocently asked garage owners Allan and the late Dale Dudfield what the red shed across the road was for.
‘‘Next thing I had the two brothers, one on each side, and I was escorted across to the old red building, and the door was opened.’’
Inside was the fire engine and he was invited to become a member.
‘‘Basically, I didn’t get away.’’
He was very honoured Allan, now in his late 80s, was at the award presentation, Mr Hitchcock said.
After 30 years at the Orepuki brigade, he and wife Debbie sold the dairy farm and planned to move to Wrights Bush.
About a month before they moved they met Thornbury deputy fire chief Tony Carmichael in an Invercargill shop.
Mr Carmichael told him he knew they were moving close by and Mr Hitchcock would be joining the Thornbury brigade.
‘‘I said, ‘really?’
‘‘He said, ‘really’.’’
He joined as a firefighter but when the senior station officer left, Mr Hitchcock replaced him.
He filled in for about nine months as fire chief when the fire chief and deputy went on leave. He was now operational support after a knee replacement.
‘‘Doing BA [breathing apparatus] and ladder work’s not on my list of things to enjoy any more.’’
He would carry on for as long as he was fit enough for the role, Mr Hitchcock said.
Being part of the brigade was a good way to give something back to the community, he said.
‘‘The best and the worst part about being a firefighter, especially a volunteer firefighter living in a smaller area, is that you’re going to help your friends and neighbours, and often on the very worst day of their lives.
‘‘And, yes, in a lot of cases, you’re able to help them.’’
Once when he was on a course, a professional firefighter asked the group a question.
‘‘Have you ever wondered when everybody else is running away, why are we running towards an emergency?’’
It was because firefighters were ‘‘wired differently’’, the firefighter said.
He had been to some memorable events and big fires throughout the years, including the time the Orepuki Hall burned down. It was in the days before the crew had breathing apparatus.
Some women brought refreshments for the firefighters and, to this day, he and a friend could not say whether they had drunk coffee or tea.
‘‘We were that full of smoke that we couldn’t tell what we were drinking.’’
In last year’s big wind storm, the brigade was called to help with a fire at Riverton. He was following the fire truck which was struggling in the wind.
‘‘They could only do 60k, and it was leaning over and leaning over, and the fireman that was driving it was not that happy.’’
