Weston Chief Fire Officer Bevan Koppert was recently awarded his 50-year medal in a ceremony at the Weston brigade.
When CFO Koppert moved to Weston in 1974, the township relied on the old Oamaru Fire Board.
"We didn’t have a fire brigade in Weston, which was just on 50 years ago.
"We had a couple of incidents where we thought it mightn’t be a bad idea to form a fire brigade," he said this week.
Their initial makeshift fire party with basic equipment evolved quickly.
"In those days, I think we had about nine or 10 [volunteers].
"It was only very small.
"I was on the original committee to get a fire brigade here.
"We got it running from there, then in 1975 the formal brigade.
"The main idea, when we first thought about it, was supporting the community — and that’s what we do.
"I get a great kick out of that."
An old coal shed originally used by JP Laney at Weston for local coal deliveries was the first station, CFO Koppert said.
After the current station was built the brigade raised funds and added its social and training room.
It played a vital role in brigade confraternity — necessary for volunteers after challenging calls.
"We’ve just progressed all the way through.
"Certainly at the present time, we’d have 18 to 19 operational fire officers and a couple of support crew."
Today, the volunteer brigade’s role had broadened, CFO Koppert said.
But at the heart, it was there to help people in their moment of distress.
Firefighters were trained more broadly for a variety of emergency calls.
At the same time, fires were much less common.
"We don’t have the same amount of calls as we used to do years ago — it’s everything else that goes with it now."
He had attended some of the district’s notable fires in the past 50 years, including Alliance Pukeuri, Willets Furniture and Teschemakers in 2003, CFO Koppert said.
As the senior man still on the Weston scene, CFO Koppert remains at the brigade heart and he intends to help keep it beating for as long as he can.
"I’m here as a volunteer," he said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Waitaki volunteer support officer Kevin Murdoch said of CFO Koppert: "He’s still very much active.
"He attends every call he can, either on the appliance or in support ... and doing a lot for the community as well."
