Junortoun Fire Brigade celebrates 75 years of protecting the community

The depot was to be located at the Homebush Estate and the Junortoun Bush Fire Brigade was born.

Almost 75 years to the day later, along with two name changes and many volunteers through its ranks, the Junortoun Fire Brigade turned out to celebrate a significant milestone.

Current members, along with their family and guests, filled the Longlea Recreation Reserve on Saturday night to mark the brigade’s 75^th birthday.

Brigade captain Luke Carracher said it was a celebration of the community spirit and dedication of members.

“Over the 75 years we’ve been lucky enough to have some really great people involved in the brigade,” he said.

“Whilst many of them are no longer directly involved, for many different reasons, they have all left an indelible mark helping to structure the brigade as it is now and adding to the culture of mate-ship and the willingness to perform hard work in return for great rewards.”

Barry Hunter, a member of more than 40 years, joined in the 1970s when the brigade was struggling for members.

“It was pretty hard going in those days,” he said, with very little equipment on offer.

The brigade had six uniforms to share between its members, no gloves and no helmets, and a truck for only part of the year.

The members relied on a loaned vehicle for the summer and if there were fires outside of that time, Bendigo responded.

“It’s much more demanding now,” Mr Hunter said. 

“We get more fire calls now than we used to.”

A rising population saw the brigade shift from its rural origins and adopt the name “Junortoun Fire Brigade” in 2010.

Mr Carracher said the brigade’s boundaries had expanded during the years, providing support to areas well outside Junortoun today.

“There’s no doubt the population in Junortoun is increasing,” he said.

“The number of incidents we attend has tripled in the last 15 to 20 years.”

The brigade now has 45 members and responds to more than 40 call outs a year.

“Our brigade is a team of very hard workers focused on delivering quality outcomes for the community and the brigade itself,” Mr Carracher said.

“Our aim is combining the sometimes dangerous, dirty and stressful job of firefighting with laughter and the ability to laugh at ourselves and have some fun when we can.”

Mr Carracher said during his almost 10 years as captain, the brigade had been through both tough and good times.

“I can honestly say that I am so very proud of our group for the support they show each other and the professionalism they portray whilst going about their duties,” he said. 

“It has been an honour and a pleasure to captain the brigade over this period.”

During the celebrations on Saturday night, service awards were presented to the following members: