thethe WinterWinter 20182017 2017 the Winter 2017 volunteervolunteerthevolunteerWinter 2017 volunteerfirefire fighter fighter fireVolume 109 No.1 VolumeNo.1 9 No.1 fighterOfficial magazineOfficial ofmagazine the Volunteer of the VolunteerFire Fighters Fire Association Fighters Association Volume 9 fireNo.1 fighterOfficial magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association Volume 9 No.1 Official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association S Sir IvanS SirBargo Fire Ivan S gets Goin’Fire a S new BushGoin’ station WinterBush at Winter lastDriving Driving Tips Tips S Sir Ivan Fire S Goin’TathraS Protecting Bush –S BushfireProtecting Winter my 4WDlessons Driving my Assets 4WD learnt Tips Assets S SirSMinister,S 2016 ProtectingIvanS FireFallyour2016 FiresS chickens myGoin’Fall in4WD Fires theBush have AssetsAppalachianin theWinter come Appalachian homeDriving Mountains to Tips roost! Mountains S 2016 Fall FiresS Protectingin the Appalachian my 4WD MountainsAssets S 2016 Fall Fires in the Appalachian Mountains Contents Volunteer Fire Fighters Contents VolunteerExecutive-Council Fire Fighters and ContentsPresident’s Report 2 Executive-CouncilRepresentatives and SirPresident’s Ivan Fire Report 42 Representatives2016/17 President’s Report 2 NSWSir Ivan Farmers Fire Association 84 2016/172017/18 Tathra - Bushfire lessons learnt 5 CongratulationsNSW Farmers Association Greg Green 98 Executive Council NSW Farmers Association - Bushfires and Mental Health 8 Congratulations Greg Green 9 Michael Executive (Mick) Holton Council – President Potato Point Remains at Great Risk 11 Minister, your chickens have come home to roost! 10 Brian Williams – Vice President Michael (Mick) Holton – President DoesPotato the Point RFS R Valueemains its at Volunteers Great Risk as Customers? 1211 Graeme Jay – Jnr. Vice President 11 Brian Williams – Vice President Bargo gets a new station at last! Jeanette Holton – Treasurer Graeme Jay – Jnr. Vice President FederalDoes the Coalition RFS Value begins its Volunteers Decentralisation as Customers? Process 1312 Greg Godde – Secretary Vale - Ken Lucas 14 Jeanette Holton – Treasurer Jon Russell – Media Federal Coalition begins Decentralisation Process 13 Greg Godde – Secretary Upside Down Country and the Problem with the RFS 14 Peter J. Cannon OAM RFS Head Office - The Big Move West is on 17 Jon Russell – Media Tony Ellis Upside Down Country and the Problem with the RFS 14 Peter J. Cannon OAM Angel Flights Jarrod Roesler 16 Robert Webb Goin’ Bush Tony Ellis Don Tarlington Angel From Flights the fire Jarrod ground Roesler and Durran Durra 2116 Robert Webb Goin’ Bush Neil Crawley Don Tarlington WelcomeThe Original to Cooma:Adventure Capital Seekers of the snowy mountains 2618 Rod Young Goin’ Bush Neil Crawley Tim Cathles ComeWinter visit Driving Australia’s Tips Alpine Playground 2920 Rod Young The Original Adventure Seekers 18 Andrew Sholtz AusTown Explorer in Feature - Charles – Forbes Sturt: NSW In search of a chimera 3225 Tim Cathles Winter Driving Tips 20 21Tablets is not – enough Take Two and Call Me in the Morning! 3427 Andrew Sholtz Town in Feature – Forbes NSW 25 Consultants Touring Technique – Soldering and Crimping 29 Tablets – Take Two and Call Me in the Morning! 27 ValeAustralian - Jack Mullins Explorer – Soldier of Fortune 3932 Mr.Consultants Phil Cheney (Ret.) Touring Technique – Soldering and Crimping 29 – World Respected Bush Fire Scientist – CSRIO. Project 130 – Weight Matters 34 Mr.Mr. Phil Arthur Cheney Owens (Ret.) AngelAustralian Flight wins Explorer I’m A – Celebrity Soldier of Get Fortune Me Out Of Here 2018 4032 –– World Former Respected FRNSW Bushfire Bush Fire Officer Scientist & RFS – CSRIO. FCO. ProtectingProject 130my 4WD– Weight Assets Matters 3634 Mr. Peter CochranMr. – ArthurFormer Owens NSW Shadow Minister John Hojel, Thank you 41 – Former FRNSWfor Emergency Bushfire Services. Officer & RFS FCO. LiveProtecting and Learn my 4WD – The Assets Psychology of Survival 4136 Mr.Mr. David Peter PackhamCochran – (Ret)Former – WorldNSW Shadow Respected Minister Bush Vale - Chris Nesbitt 43 forFire Emergency Scientist –Services. CSIRO. Live and Learn – The Psychology of Survival 41 Mr. David Packham (Ret) – World Respected Bush The Fire Fighter 43 Mr. Vic Jurskis (Ret) – B.Sc. (Forestry) Australian RFDS Flight to face-saving surgery 44 National University,Fire Scientist Vik was –a CSIRO.Silviculturist with the NativeMr. VicForests Jurskis Division (Ret) –of B.Sc. Forests (Forestry) New South Australian Wales & InherentlyThe Fire Fighter Safe Systems 4443 hasNational written University, extensively Vik on was Forest a Silviculturist Management with Issues. the A letter from Phil Donato 45 NativeMr. ForestsRoger Underwood Division of Forests(Ret) – Former New South District Wales & & 2016Inherently Fall FiresSafe inSystems the Appalachian Mountains 4644 Regionalhas written Forester extensively in WA on & ForestAuthor Managementof numerous Issues.Books. Said Hanrahan 46 Mr. Roger Underwood (Ret) – Former District & Professor Bill Gammage AM (Ret) – Academic 2016 Fall Fires in the Appalachian Mountains 46 RegionalHistorian, Forester Adjunct in WAProfessor & Author and of Senior numerous Research Books. The Phantom Says’ 48 After the flames have gone out 48 FellowProfessor at the Bill Humanities Gammage Research AM (Ret) Centre– Academic of the Historian,Australian Adjunct National Professor University and Senior (ANU). Research FireThe ServicePhantom Danger Says’ Meter 4948 Mr.Fellow Barry at Aitchison the Humanities OAM – Researchone of the Centre high country’s of the The Phantom Says’ 50 mostAustralian experienced National bushman University and firefighters, (ANU). VFFAFire Service Membership Danger Form Meter 5249 Mr. Barryformer Aitchison RFS FCO OAM & – Operations one of the Officer.high country’s How low can they go 51 most experienced bushman and firefighters, former RFS FCO & Operations Officer. VFFA Membership Form 52 Regional Representatives VFFA Membership Form 52 REGIONRegional EAST: RepresentativesREGION WEST: John Peters Bill Roberson The VFFA welcomes and encourages members to send REGION EAST: REGION WEST: in any pictures, photos and articles of interest. Daryl Jordon Bruce Richardson The VFFA welcomes and encourages members to send PaulJohn RogersPeters MarkBill Roberson Hoskinson Please email these to [email protected] JimDaryl Crowther Jordon RobertBruce Richardson Mutton in any pictures, photos and articles of interest. AndrewPaul Rogers Scholz RobertMark Hoskinson Webb Please email these to [email protected] Jim Crowther Robert Mutton Front Cover – Sir Ivan Fire, January 2017 – Image generously provided by Dean Sewell who is an Australian documentary photographer having won numerous prestigious awards. AndrewREGION Scholz SOUTH: REGIONRobert Webb NORTH: Peter Cathles ViewsFront Cover and –opinions Sir Ivan Fire, expressed January 2017in this – Image journal generously are not provided necessarily by Dean those Sewell of who the is Volunteer an Australian Fire Fighters Fergus Walker documentaryFront Cover -photographer Bargo RFS - Newhaving station won numerous2018 prestigious awards. MartinREGION Honner SOUTH: Association, the editor, the publisher or printer. It is not for The Volunteer Fire Fighters Association or the DougREGION Wild NORTH: MarkPeter HoranCathles Viewspublisher and to opinions ensure thatexpressed advertisements in this journal published are notin the necessarily journal comply those ofwith the all Volunteer aspects ofFire The Fighters Trade MichaelFergus Walker Bowman Practices Act 1974. MichaelMartin Honner Lonergan Association, the editor, the publisher or printer. It is not for The Volunteer Fire Fighters Association or the Doug Wild publisher to ensure that advertisements published in the journal comply with all aspects of The Trade PeterMark HoranGowen Michael Bowman PublishedPractices Act by 1974.Emergency Media Pty Ltd Michael Lonergan Peter Webb 1st Floor, 607 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000. Direct all advertising enquiries to 1300 855 444. JohnPeter SmithGowen PublishedPrint Post approved:by Emergency 352524/00308 Media Pty Ltd Peter Webb 1st Floor, 607 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000. Direct all advertising enquiries to 1300 855 444. John Smith Print Post approved: 352524/00308 the volunteer fire fighter Winter 2017 Page 1 Thethe Volunteer volunteer FireFighter fire fighter Winter 2018 Winter 2017 Page 1 President’s Report I was observing the heavy fuel loads whilst driving south along It would appear that Mother Nature has her own ideas about the M7 (Western Sydney Orbital), on my way home from Sydney burning. It could be said that we have interfered with the natural recently. During that trip, I was considering that our neglect of process by putting naturally occurring fires out over many these areas has a profound impact upon public safety and the decades. We now have no choice other than attempting to environment. Many of us like the idea of sharing our backyard with extinguish natural fires that have occurred on bad weather days. native wildlife, but we don’t seem to be interested in maintaining a Should we return to re-light those fires at a more appropriate time, palatable bushland. We think that we are being nice, by leaving the using cooler burning techniques? bush to grow without control, then we are horrified when the next big fire has incinerated kangaroos, koalas, Regardless on any individual view about climate change, we have possums, lizards, birds, human habitat and humans.