Pemberton Volunteer Rescue and Fire Services recognises long-serving members with medals and awards

Several volunteer members of the Pemberton Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services received medals and awards for their ongoing service, with members being awarded for being with the brigade for 10, 15 and up to 50 years. On Saturday night, members of the Fire and Emergency Services were given medals and awards for their ongoing service and to recognise their long time with the services, with some members being given multiple medals and awards based on their time with the brigade. Bianca Eleuteri, Nathan Ramage, Edward Turner and Rudi Van Der Putten were recognised with a medallion for completing a period of five years with the services, while Clinton Bailey, Suzanne Fellows, Trevor Fellows, Josh Kanny and Garry King were recognised for 10 years. Jamie Copeland was awarded the National Medal, which is awarded after 15 years of service, being recognised for his “long and diligent service”. Captain Craig Martyn was awarded a Long Service Medal and a 2023 Volunteer Service Award, which recognised his 25 years of service to the Pemberton community, while Kevin Hawkins was given a Long Service Medal for his 20 years with the services. Lee-Anne Wood and Ray Martyn were recognised for their 30 and 35 years, respectively, with the volunteer brigade and also being awarded a 2023 Volunteer Service Award for their efforts. John Varnavides was recognised for his 50 years of service with the Pemberton Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services with his own Long Service Medal and a 2023 Volunteer Service Award, with Mr Varnavides being noted as “a beacon of strength and support for the Pemberton community” and his service embodying “the spirit of resilience and selflessness”. Craig Martyn called Mr Varnavides’ award a “highlight of the night”. He said being recognised for his efforts was a nice feeling, having been in the brigade since he was 18, although he did say he focused on the community’s safety and wellbeing, rather than accolades. “It’s fantastic to be recognised, you don’t do it for the awards because you do it for the community’s safety and benefit,” he said. “Being a volunteer job, you’re on call 24 hours seven days a week, and it’s one of those jobs where you do whatever you can whenever you can and hope to end up with a nice result after. “We’re not rostered on, so we come when we can.” Mr Martyn said the brigade was not the same without the members to get the job done and help the community when they are in need, as the members were what made the brigade. “The thing that makes the brigade what it is, is the members you’ve got coming through and everyone’s like-minded,” he said. “Come and help out, get the job done and go back home to their families, who are supporting them in the background.” Mr Martyn mentioned the breadth of jobs the volunteer brigade faces, with most of the jobs they do relating to car accidents and road-related emergencies. “We’re not just responsible for forest fires, but also house and structural fires, and car accidents and road crashes, which have become most of our job,” he said. “That’s a challenging job to get people out of accidents, but also rewarding to help people out in their time of need.”