Meet some Volunteers

Meet Some Volunteers

Name: Danielle O’Loughlin

Brigade: Berry's Creek

Brigade Position: Captain - 3 years

Why do you enjoy volunteering with CFA?

Being a busy person running a beef and dairy farm and a mother to four active children under the age of eleven, means my involvement in the brigade gives me some time to myself to do something I really enjoy.

What job or tasks do you dislike the most about volunteering?

Coal mine fires can be a bit tricky.

How would you describe the community you live within?

A very small rural community, mostly farming properties.

Why did you join CFA?

Brigade was looking for more members
My brother was involved with CFA and encouraged me to join
Community involvement

Volunteer Danielle O Loughlin

Volunteer Bronwyn Hastings

Name: Bronwyn Hastings

Brigade: Dimboola Urban Fire Brigade – Secretary and fire fighter

Years of Service: Just under 5 years.

What’s your favourite part of volunteering with CFA?

The people that you work and socialise with in the brigade
Giving something back to the community
It gives me an interest that is outside the home and the children

“I have made new friends who have become good friends. Its meeting people from all over the shop. It’s good value.”

How would you describe the community you live within?

A small rural town. Most people know each other, and Dimboola is run by volunteers – our service groups, scouting groups, different auxiliaries and so many other volunteer based groups.

Name: Garry J H Nash

Brigade: South Wangaratta - Captain

Years of Service: 32 plus years

Why did you join CFA?

Third generation family member - grandfather, father were very active. This created my interest. I could not think of a more caring, helpful and flexible organisation with which to work and be involved when giving something back to your community.

What’s your favourite part of volunteering with CFA?

Assisting people in difficult or emergency situations.
Helping members of our Brigade develop confidence from being apart of CFA.

Volunteer Garry J H Nash

“Being a member of CFA is a great privilege. It affords you the opportunity to acquire and develop skills and knowledge which would not in ordinary circumstances be available. As in anything, you only get out of it what you put in.”

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

Work, developing and running our real estate business with my wife and a great team of 18.

Name: Marg Krelle

Brigade: Pigick Rural Fire Brigade – 4th Deputy Group Officer, Group Training Officer, Brigade Secretary, Firefighter

Years of Service: 6 years

How would you describe the area and community you live within?

It’s Mallee scrub country that adjoins the Big Desert and Wyperfeld National Parks. It’s a small community and I love it. Out here you always know that if you need help, it’ll be there almost before you realise it.

Why did you join CFA?

I grew up with CFA. My dad was part of it for as long as I can remember. When he became unwell, I thought it was time I joined.
We have a farm in the district, so it’s important to be a part of CFA.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

I’m a hairdresser; a wild dog trapper; a floral art expert; a farmer; a cook at the local hospital and a service station attendant. I am also invited to be a public speaker – possibly as a result of my appearance on Andrew Denton’s “Enough Rope”.

Name: Caelli Greenbank, Junior brigade member (15 years old)

Brigade: Creswick

Years of Service: 4 years

What’s your favourite part of volunteering?

I enjoy getting together with the other people in my Junior Brigade and doing different things every week, from visiting the Senior Citizens in the hospital to orienteering to Easter egg hunts. Most of these people I probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. I also enjoy messing around with the trucks down at the station.

How would you describe the area and community you live within?

I think Creswick is a good-sized town – big enough that there are plenty of people to meet and activities to get involved in, but still small enough that you know the chemist, postie, publican, supermarket owner and all the cashiers by name. It’s also good because we have just about the biggest rural brigade in the area and everyone in town is either involved with the brigade or knows someone who is. Living in the middle of the bush as we do means there’s always a big threat of bushfires in the summer, but the scenery out here is always beautiful, and there’s really nothing to compare with the views.

Why did you join CFA?

It’s a family thing. My dad is the Community Education Officer for our brigade and he was also the one who got our Juniors up and running so it was kind of one of those things that was always going to happen. I joined up at 11 as the first Junior Volunteer in our Brigade and I’ve been there ever since.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

When I’m not doing Juniors stuff I spend a lot of time involved in other activities such as the netball club, school band, youth theatre group and Girl Guides. I do a lot of public speaking in the community and also manage to fit in frequent trips to Melbourne for the Spirit of ANZAC work I’m involved in. There is some homework in there somewhere, too.

Volunteer Caelli Greenbank

Volunteer Caelli Greenbank
Caelli in 2007 became just one of 10 teenagers selected as a winner of the Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC prize.