Scouts back local brigades

MEMBERS from the 3rd Ballarat and 1st Wendouree Scout groups have provided a donation for the Ballarat Fire Brigade for new equipment.

The money was handed over to Captain Mark Cartledge last week and totalled more than $470 in five-cent pieces that members had collected on Fridays during school terms.

Captain Cartledge said it was great to see the initiative the Scouts took for the community.

“It’s great they’re out there being community-minded and collecting money for the community. The kids seemed to enjoy the night and our members did as well,” he said.

“To see them just thinking about others… is amazing. It was a real buzz for us at the brigade.

“The first 10 minutes were formal and then they got to go see the trucks and sit in them so I think that was really good for them.

“To collect that much in just five-cent pieces is a really awesome effort. They’ll be able to see something that money has brought, not just hand it over and that’s it.”

An event to hand over the donations has been delayed, with the funds were raised at the beginning of the pandemic.

The cash will go towards four signs to indicate the brigade is in training to approaching vehicles.

“If we’re working on the side of the road, we can put them down a bit further so people can see we’re there,” Captain Cartledge said.

“Some nights we’ll train with our flashing lights so they can know it’s training and not an incident. It’s all-around safety.

“Quite often we do train offsite and we’re happy for them to come watch but we want to make sure everyone’s safe in doing that. It’s good to have that preparation.”