Many of the MIA Rural Fire Service members who served during Black Summer have been awarded with the National Emergency Medal for their valiant efforts.
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April 23 saw the presentation of both National Emergency and Long Service medals, presented by Minister for Emergency Services Steph Cooke, Member for Murray Helen Dalton, Assistant Commissioner Paul Seager and Chief Superintendent Kelwyn White.
Almost 100 local volunteers and staff were awarded the medals for providing sustained or significant service during the most devastating Australian fire season in living memory.
The medal was awarded to all those whose service w in thase protection of lives and property or in the service of others, as well as those who supported the emergency response for a minimum of five days between September 2019 and February 2020.
Over those months, volunteers from Carrathool, Griffith, Hay, Leeton, Murrumbidgee and Narrandera were deployed across the Riverina and beyond - playing an integral role to the response.
Locations that MIA fire service members could be found at included Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Sydney, Clarence Valley, Nowra, Tumut, Tarcutta, and Moruya.
The response was impressive - with MIA volunteers being deployed 42 times and most volunteers being deployed at least twice and one incredible person sent out ten times. Volunteers racked up over 20,000 hours served with staff putting in over 2000 on deployment.
The district itself sent 19 trucks and three support vehicles across the state.
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NSW RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers praised the medal recipients for their courage.
"We are recognising brigade members from across the region and thank them for their incredible contribution over the 2019-2020 season," Commissioner Rogers said.
"Every single one of these members should be proud of themselves and their dedication to protecting communities across the state ... They performed admirably during an incredibly difficult fire season and went above and beyond when deployed to other regions to help local brigades battle devastating blazes."
Those receiving the medals include:
- Robert Abrahams
- Mark Alexander
- Deputy Captain Paul Andrews
- Tahlia Aramini
- Officer L1 Deanne Bailey
- Deputy Captain Ian Barbour
- Patrick Barbour
- Group Captain Craig Bardney
- Ross Beecham
- Jonathan Belmonte
- Captain Adam Bertolissi
- Benjamin Betts
- Michael Blackwell
- Edward Booth
- Max Booth
- Captain Michael Booth
- Officer L1 Michael Borg
- Thomas Breed
- Adam Brill
- Jackson Byrnes
- Lyle Campbell
- Captain Scott Campbell Gunbar
- Senior Deputy Captain Andrew Capararo
- Christine Chirgwin
- Deputy Captain Shane Collier
- Scott Connor
- Senior Deputy Captain Robert Crossley
- Senior Deputy Captain Wilma Cunningham
- Robert Davies
- Deputy Captain Robert Davies Jr
- Captain Bryan Doyle
- Deputy Captain Graeme Dunn
- Hayden Dunn
- Greg Gordon
- Jacob Harris
- Deputy Captain Lawrence Harris
- Garnet Hawkins
- Group Captain Troy Heath
- Rodney Heffer
- Senior Deputy Captain Ronald Hirst
- Alexia Hone
- Aileen Honeyman
- Gordon Honeyman
- Michael Hoskinson
- Deputy Captain James Hunter
- Giuseppe Iannelli
- Joanne Irvine
- Micheal Jeffrey
- Dean Koerper
- Deputy Captain Christopher Langley
- Captain Robert Liddle
- Group Captain Peter Lugsdin
- Deputy Captain Alastair Macdonald
- Daniel McGreal
- Damien McPherson
- Jarrod Mohr
- Paul Morsanuto
- Paul Muir
- Matthew Murphy
- Travis Nelson
- Patrick O'Callaghan
- Senior Deputy Captain
- John Pattison
- Jodie Payne
- Group Captain John Payne
- Andrew Pedder
- Alex Picker
- Joshua Pope
- Colin Pretty
- Angela Rainbird
- Deputy Captain Shannon Rivero
- Angela Sampson
- Damian Schiller
- Deputy Captain Bradley Schmetzer
- Jacob Sloan
- Group Captain Colin Smeeth AFSM
- Warwick Smith
- David Sproule
- Group Captain John Stuckings AFSM
- Andrew Thompson
- Captain Ian Thompson
- Keith Thompson
- Captain Peter Tyson
- Senior Deputy Captain Allan Vagg
- Senior Deputy Captain Ashleigh Vearing
- Tegan Volleberg
- Inspector Jason Wall
- Jayden Wall
- Peter Walsh
- John Ward
- Clare West
- Senior Deputy Captain Ryan Weston
- Peter Willmer
- Craig Wilson
- Senior Deputy Captain Garry Wiseman
- Mitchell Wiseman
- Lynn Woodham and
- Peter Wynan
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