Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to share with the House the 100th anniversary of the Werribee Fire Brigade and the CFA. I attended a special celebration in the electorate on Saturday, 28 February, the last day of summer—a fitting day for us to pay tribute to our volunteer firefighters of the past 100 years. It was also national Red Balloon Day or 'Thank You to Fireys Day', which was apt. I joined Captain Michael Wells, the current officer in charge of the Werribee Fire Brigade, brigade members and life members and their families. Also attending were Euan Ferguson from the CFA AFSM and Lex Deman, the executive director of operational training and volunteerism. Firefighting in Wyndham has obviously been important across the 100 years. These volunteers over those periods have been involved in some horrendous fires including, of course, the Lara fires in 1969 and Black Saturday. My local CFA were also at the forefront—in fact, they were groundbreakers—in motor vehicle rescue expertise. I was very proud to be there. I was very proud to present to them a chamber flag from this place to honour those firefighters and their families over such a long period of time.