Graham King is receiving his gold star for 25 years of service at the Pukerau Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Mr King started volunteering in 1997 when he was approached by volunteer Ron Affleck who was recruiting for a competition team.
When he asked what he had to do for it, he was jokingly told ‘‘you just have to turn the water on and off’’.
‘‘I thought ‘why not’, and ended up joining,’’ Mr King said.
He has been a member of various brigades including Pukerau, Balfour and Browns but has helped other brigades when needed.
‘‘I’ve had quite a few roles in the brigades, including being the treasurer and training officer currently.’’
One of the most interesting incidents he attended was to the railway at Waipahi.
‘‘We were all called out to a chemical spill on the train at the tracks.
‘‘We were in hazmats, everything was set up, every protocol was followed.
‘‘We were told it was inside one of the carriages, so when someone went forward to open it, it got pretty suspenseful. Turns out it was just a leaking drum of drench.
‘‘That was a pretty interesting time. There’s always something going on, there’s never a dull moment.’’
He has always enjoyed volunteering for the brigade and gets along well with his fellow members.
‘‘There’s a great sense of camaraderie involved in firefighting.
‘‘We’ve got a great bunch of members at Pukerau and we get along really well.
‘‘We all have the same goal, which is doing what we can to help someone else in times of need.’’
There was a buzz which came with the volunteering, he said.
‘‘You do get a good feeling out of helping people.’’
He reminisced on his time over the years as a firefighter.
‘‘Twenty-five years is a bloody long time.
‘‘A lot of the struggles nowadays is getting people to volunteer time.
‘‘It’s hard because nowadays there is so much on. I think it’s a massive commitment.
‘‘But I feel like I belong in this brigade. Giving back to the community is pretty rewarding.’’
He was grateful to be receiving the award.
If people were interested in joining the brigade, they could contact the station for more information.
EVELYN.THORN @alliedpress.co.nz
