Golden moment: Members of the Ormondville Volunteer Fire Brigade and Fire and Emergency New Zealand officials last Saturday night
Golden moment: Members of the Ormondville Volunteer Fire Brigade and Fire and Emergency New Zealand officials last Saturday night
Saturday night was a very special occasion for the small Ormondville Volunteer Fire Brigade with four members presented with their 25-year gold stars.
"These guys have 110 years of service between them and they're joining a very elite club," Steve Peretini, the volunteer support officer for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, (FENZ) said.
Janet Rendle, left, her husband Bill, the Ormondville Volunteer Fire Brigade's fire chief and one of the four recipients of a 25-year gold star on Saturday night, the Tracey Collis, Tararua District mayor.
Family, friends and fellow fire officers packed the Ormondville Hall for the glittering occasion which recognised the remarkable achievements of the four gold start recipients, Bill Rendle, Ross Genet, Michael Read and Kenny Smyth.
Mark Adie, the United Fire Brigade Association's past president, commented on the wonderful camaraderie between all the brigades.
"A couple of months ago I drove a crew down from the Hawke's Bay to a house fire in Norsewood, where crews from around the region were battling the fire," he said.
Ormondville gold star recipient Michael Read, left, with his wife Joanna, the first female president of the Hawke's Bay sub association, fire chief at Silver Fern Farms Takapau and deputy fire chief of the Ormondville brigade.
"How wonderful it was to see all these guys working together and their comradeship," he said.
Nigel Hall, assistant area commander for FENZ, is in charge of 24 brigades throughout Hawke's Bay and said the Ormondville brigade was a very high achieving group.
"Bill [Rendle] is a great leader, not a man who stands out front and screams and shouts, but a quiet man who runs a great brigade," he said.
"This brigade does a great job in this community and I'm continually amazed by what they do."
In the 139-year history of the gold star awards, only 6 per cent of volunteer firefighters have received the honour.
"To be one of those 7000 is a real achievement," Mr Adie said.
And with such a prestigious event happening at the Ormondville Hall, chief fire officer Bill Rendle made an urgent call to the Tararua District Council to have potholes outside the hall fixed in time for the function.
Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis came to the rescue.
"It was the first time I stamped my little mayoral foot and got Bill's pothole fixed," she said.
"This is a very dedicated and committed brigade. Over the years you've evolved and expanded and you are our first responders in a small community. Our volunteer firefighters are at the very heart of Tararua and the support and sacrifices of your families doesn't go un-noticed either."
Terence Ahern, the Norsewood fire chief, said the Ormondville brigade members are his friends as well as fellow firefighters.
"We'd go anywhere with these guys. They've got our backs and we've got theirs. We grew up here and as kids we used to run or bike to fires."
The four gold star recipients also received life membership medals which are special as they're from their peers.