LAST Sunday was a special occasion for a humble community.<\/p>\n
The Sutton Grange and Myrtle Creek Fire Brigade celebrated 100 years with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.<\/p>\n
Former brigade Captains and Lieutenants Bill Byrne and Mac Barty, who joined the brigade in 1943 and 1956 respectively were in attendance for the unveiling.<\/p>\n
Ken Ellery, the son of the late Len Ellery, who current Captain Noel Davis described as the brigade\u2019s greatest captain, was also in attendance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to see they\u2019re still going strong,\u201d Mr Ellery said. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see he\u2019s remembered, he did a lot for this district. He didn\u2019t boast about it, he was a pretty modest bloke and what he did was not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain Noel Davis said celebrating 100 years gave members past and present a chance to reflect on the history of the brigade and the region, as well as look towards the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I would come home from school there would be 39 houses in our brigade area,\u201d he said. \u201cNow there are 140 homes in the same area and as our district grows, our need for more volunteers increases.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the CFA has come a long way since only having one tanker and two fire beaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom those humble beginnings our brigade assets would now be in excess of 1.5 million and we are to get a new shared medium tanker stationed at Myrtle Creek late next year to enhance the eastern end of our brigade area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After the centenary celebrations, the CFA was called to two fires, marking the start of the brigade\u2019s next century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAST Sunday was a special occasion for a humble community. The Sutton Grange and Myrtle Creek Fire Brigade celebrated 100 years with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. Former brigade Captains and Lieutenants Bill Byrne and Mac Barty, who joined the brigade in 1943 and 1956 respectively were in attendance for the unveiling. Ken Ellery, […]<\/p>\n