Fireys’ big milestone

By Kelly Yates
FIREFIGHTERS are celebrating the 50th year of service for the former Doveton Fire Brigade and Hallam Fire Brigade.
CFA employees, volunteers and former brigade founding members marked this year’s milestone at the annual fire brigade dinner which was held at the end of last month at the Churchill Park Golf Club.
The night was a tribute to all those members who continued to support the brigade’s motto of “Prepared to Protect.”
Deputy chief officer Geoff Conway presented members of the Hallam Fire Brigade with service certificates and awards on the night.
One of the founding members of the Doveton Fire Brigade, Pat Merrett, received his 50 year service award, saying he was very proud to take home the award.
Mr Merrett said the Doveton Fire Brigade first opened when General Motors came into the area.
“When any General Motors began they needed to have a fire brigade close by. This was because of a fire which burnt out one of the American factories,” he said.
Mr Merrett and his wife Betty have been living in Doveton for 52 years.
He described life at the Doveton Avenue station as “hard” when it first began because of the intense training schedule.
“When the brigade first formed we only had two people who had certified fire brigade training,” he said.
“We used to spend three nights a week and nearly all the weekend training at the station.”
Mr Merrett said firefighters at the Doveton Fire Brigade attended many bushfires.
“Ash Wednesday was one of the main fires. It was going so fast you couldn’t keep up with it.”
Mr Merrett is now an operation support member at the Hallam Fire Brigade.
The Hallam Fire Brigade was created back in 2004, and responds to over 1700 calls each year.