Two Moorabool fire brigades have thanked long-serving members for their commitment to the CFA and their community, with one brigade celebrating 75 years.<\/p>\n
The Parwan and Coimadai Fire Brigades had their Awards Presentations in April, with Parwan celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Brigade\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n
The Parwan Fire Brigade was founded by a small group of local farmers on 1 April 1947, with their equipment back then consisting mainly of private water trucks, knap sacks, and hand beaters.<\/p>\n
A working bee of Brigade members built the original fire shed which still stands today.<\/p>\n
In 1957, Parwan firefighters fought a difficult fire that started in the local coal mine; the fire breached the lip of the open cut mine wall and spread across the Parwan grasslands.<\/p>\n
Local community members arrived to assist with private water tankers, and were able to stop the fire before it crossed the highway, saving nearby houses.<\/p>\n
The coal mine owner was so grateful that he donated the first fire truck to the Parwan Fire Brigade.<\/p>\n
As part of the Pentland Group, the Parwan Fire Brigade has fought alongside other brigades in Strike Teams at many significant fires over the years, including, but not limited to: the 1969 Lara Fire, 1983 Ash Wednesday Fire at Mt Macedon, 1985 Melton Fire, 1997 Dandenong Fire, 2006 Anakie Fire, and 2009 Kinglake Complex Black Saturday fires.<\/p>\n
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