Honours for long-serving brigade members

A firefighter honoured for 25 years’ service to Te Aroha and Ōpōtiki volunteer fire brigades related highlights and humorous incidents at a recent celebratory night held in town.

Sandy Barnes-Lack, health, safety and wellbeing adviser at Whakatōhea Mussels, shared her experiences at an awards evening held to honour herself and brigade stalwart Rowan Newell, who received a medal for his 50 years' service.

Mr Newell was not keen to be interviewed by the Ōpōtiki News but Ms Barnes-Lack made sure he was mentioned ahead of herself, acknowledging his service first to the Auckland community, and then later back home in Ōpōtiki.

“Fifty amazing years of service. That is an incredible achievement and a huge thanks go to the Newell family for their support over all those years to make it possible. I know it hasn’t always been easy but we’re incredibly lucky to have you as our chief fire officer,” she said.

Ms Barnes-Lack has been a member of the Ōpōtiki brigade since shifting to town after marrying her husband, Ōpōtiki Drainlayers owner Hori Lack, in 2020.

“To my best mate Hugh Vercoe who we lost two years ago – you always encouraged and supported me and were fearless in backing me in every way. Your advice was always greatly appreciated, and my service would have ended about 10 years ago if it wasn’t for your advice to ‘get your shit together and keep moving forward’,” she said.

“In 1999, I made a New Year’s resolution to challenge myself both physically and mentally, but I didn’t know exactly what that would look like.

“At the usual after-Anzac Day drinks at the RSA, one of the boys suggested I join the brigade. I’d been involved with Girl Guides for many years so had had some of their kids as Guides, so I knew most of the brigade members.

“I still remember Mum’s reaction when I told her I was joining the brigade –‘What the bloody hell do you want to do that for? It’s all men and they’re all big drinkers’.

“I took the plunge and joined on June 2, 2000 and here we are, 25 years later.

“Growing up in Carlton Street, Te Aroha, there were three fire fighters in my street – CFO Jack Vernon, Terry Gray and Kevin Cossey. As kids, we’d race out on the terrace to watch them speed off to the station when the siren sounded. In total that street has seen seven fire fighters over the years - Jack, Terry and Kevin and later Alan Marsom, Noel Guthrie, Dave Burton and me. The council should really consider renaming that street to something fire related.

“My interview at the Te Aroha Volunteer Fire Brigade was a moment I’ll never forget. The chief, deputy chief, and third officer asked all the standard questions – ‘Why do you want to join?’ and so on. But toward the end, Spoons (Lindsay Spooner, the CFO) said, ‘The only issue they could foresee is… well, we only have one toilet downstairs’.

“Turns out, the second one had been converted into a storeroom because they’d never had a female fire fighter so they didn’t need it. It wasn’t a problem; I just shouted out “coming through” before I walked past the urinal to get to the toilet.

“I’m extremely grateful to Spoons and Grassy for taking a chance on me.

“My basic course was in Thames, and I was the only female. The start of the first day was the usual introductions. The deal with these introductions was to say your name, your brigade and to identify the piece of waterway equipment on the table in front of you and what it was used for. I was relieved it was something I knew because I was up first. Proud as punch, I said: ‘Hi, I’m Sandy from Te Aroha. This is a fuck-up coupling’. Before I could even finish, Swanny (one of the instructors), slammed his hand on the desk and roared ‘there’ll be no cussing on my course’. He then proceeded to provide its accurate name – a hermaphrodite coupling.

“Twenty-five years later, I’ve never heard it called anything other than a fuck-up coupling and I’ve had the misfortune of needing to use it more than once.

“One moment that captured what this journey meant for me was when SFF Mike Harris told me he’d had a talk to a guy in town about how many members the brigade had.

“He’d answered, ‘25’ and then a few days later released it was 24 guys and me. He was trying to apologise for calling me a guy. I was totally stoked. All I’d ever wanted was to be one of the crew. I didn’t join to be the token female, or to stand out. I just wanted to work hard, be part of the team, and serve my community.

“Sadly, today the gender issue is being misused by some women who think they need to be, or even can be, equal to the men in every aspect of the role. That’s never what it was about for me – everyone has something they can offer. You don't need to be equal to, or better than anyone else.

“Over the years, I’ve had opportunities beyond the station – especially through the United Fire Brigades Association (UFBA). I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be involved more widely in the New Zealand Fire Service and later Fire and Emergency NZ, particularly in psychological wellbeing and health and safety. Advocating for our people at a national level has been extremely rewarding and I’m grateful for those opportunities to help make things better for our people.

“Being involved in Road Crash Rescue, both regionally, nationally and internationally, was one of my highlights. It’s not only about increasing skills and knowledge, but also about connecting with people from all over the country who share the same passion.

“My main focus was on scorekeeping, where I helped to develop software that provided an electronic solution to what was previously a very manual task. Maintaining the integrity of the data was critical, and I’m proud to say that during my time, there was never a single result mixed. Check, check and check again – and maybe check again.

“And then there were opportunities that met my love of real cars (Holdens) and Fords. When the V8 Supercars came to Hamilton, I thought, ‘Hell, I hope they’ve got a role for us firefighters’. And sure enough, the call went out for fire crew, pit crew, and truck support.

“I was lucky – and very grateful – to be assigned to the pits. The days were very long, bloody hot, and exhausting … but it was amazing ...

“One of the things this work gives you is family. The members become your brigade family and others become part of your extended family. I’m even lucky enough to have gained the brother I always wanted in Ian Forrest – the type you can poke shit at one minute but have a serious conversation with the next.

“Ian’s dad, Peter, is a LHM (Life Membership Honour) of Te Aroha and was one of the first people to come and congratulate me on joining the brigade and offering his support – that meant a lot.

“One of the most meaningful experiences came after the devastating fires in Victoria, Australia, in 2009.

“Te Aroha, through our sister-city connection with Daylesford, wanted to show support. My best mate and mayor, Hugh Vercoe, suggested we offer a holiday to a firefighter from the affected region.

“The Hepburn Shire Council nominated Captain Sue Waters – chief of the Leonard’s Hill Fire Brigade. Sue was first on scene at the Daylesford fires, and assisted in recovery operations, including body recovery, across Victoria.

“Sue, her husband, Michael, and their children, Zak, Shyann, and Kyah, came to New Zealand — and that visit sparked a lifelong friendship that I’ll forever be grateful for….

“Family most certainly isn’t all about blood – it’s also about who stands beside you.

“In 2020 I was humbled to be given a Life Honorary Membership of the Te Aroha Volunteer Fire Brigade. Te Aroha will always be my brigade … Thank you also to the brigade for their contribution to this evening.

“I transferred to the Ōpōtiki Volunteer Fire Brigade in 2020 after meeting Hori and moving here. I’m really grateful to the members for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to continue my service.

“Hori’s grandfather – Arthur Edward Reece, was in this brigade for 20 years from 1923 to 1943 and was the deputy superintendent from 1928 to 1943. It’s pretty cool to be keeping that family legacy going…

“None of these endeavours have been possible without the support of family and employers …

“Thanks to my hubby Hori for your support, for putting up with the interruptions, the late dinners – or none at all – the change of plans, and my online meetings that you love to photo bomb ...

“So here we are, 25 years on. This job has tested me, taught me, and shaped me. It’s brought incredible challenges, unforgettable experiences, and above all — lifelong friendships. The people I’ve met and served with are the reasons I kept coming back. And the skills I’ve learned — from technical knowledge to calmness under pressure — have been invaluable.

FIFTY-YEAR SERVICE RECOGNISED

Mr Newell began his career on April Fool’s Day 1975, with the General Foods Volunteer Industrial Fire Brigade, one of 11 Industrial Brigades then operating in Auckland.

Before coming to Ōpōtiki he was also a volunteer with the Howick brigade.

One of only a few volunteers to have done their Station Officers Course at Whyte Island training facility in Queensland, Mr Newell went on to log 8325 calls of all types during his career. Of these, 5197 were fire calls and the rest training and other calls.

Mr Newell has served a total of 44 years as an officer - 23 years as a station officer, 15 years as senior station officer and six years as a fire chief.

Over the three brigades he has been involved with he has also taken the role of secretary for 44 years and treasurer for 40 years.