First line of defence: Kyabram Fire Brigade captain Tom Druggan (left), Chelsea West and brigade first lieutenant Kim Morrison with some of the modern equipment the brigade has at its disposal to protect the community.
It wasn’t quite the infamous underarm bowling incident of 1981, but a makeshift cricket match on the lawn alongside the Kyabram fire station did have me reflecting on the interaction between the Kiwis and the Aussies at the MCG four decades earlier.
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Behind the stumps was the New Zealand-born captain of the Kyabram brigade, Tom Druggan, while the man with the bat in his hand was long-serving former brigade captain Mick Crompton.
The impromptu cricket game was a warm-up before the doors of the station opened for the annual open day that members of the volunteer brigade host at their Bradley St headquarters to further explain their involvement in the community
Mr Druggan became captain of the brigade in the middle of this year, eight years after he was encouraged by a friend to join the emergency service.
Now 40, he was born in the northernmost city of New Zealand, Whangarei, before making the shift to Australia 17 years ago.
He spent 15 years at Kyabram District Health Service and is now providing home help to our community with Intereach.
He heads up a volunteer firefighting force of 20 and a membership of about 40, thankful for the backing of immediate past captains Wayne Peterson and Mr Crompton.
“I am very lucky to have those two men to lean on,” he said, explaining the open day was designed as both a promotional and recruiting tool.
Mr Druggan said his role was equal parts administration, human resources and management.
“It is really an unpaid manager’s role, but highly rewarding as the CFA has given me great support,” he said.
He is about to embark on a new learning experience with the Linton Staff Ride.
Five firefighters from that brigade lost their lives in a fire near Ballarat in 1998 and the annual event is held in their honour and acts as a mentorship opportunity for the state’s CFA captains.
Fired up: Kyabram Fire Brigade captain Tom Druggan (back) with former captain Mick Crompton, before the station doors were swung open for the annual open day on Sunday.
Kyabram’s brigade is classed as a level four station, meaning it can pretty much handle all fire events.
The Echuca brigade is also a level four station, with Shepparton a class five given it has a professional firefighting component.
Everyone at Kyabram is a volunteer.
The major purpose of the open day was for members of the public to see what the brigade did and had at its disposal to support the town.
“We can also do a bit of recruiting,” Mr Druggan said.
“Our members learn safety, first-aid and firefighting, but there are also non-frontline roles which could include radio work.
“We are definitely looking for some younger people willing to help out their community.”
A house fire close to Christmas last year, when a Kyabram man lost his life, is evidence of just how serious a business the brigade faces at any given time.
“The siren went off at 2am. Most of us are now alerted via a mobile app, while some have pagers,” Mr Druggan said.
“The siren is a reminder to people of what is happening.”
The Kiwi-born captain has some able lieutenants, namely Kyabram P-12 College music teacher Kim Morrison, who is his first lieutenant.
“I’ve been in the role for 12 months, but joined the brigade 17 years ago to serve the community,” he said
Chelsea West, one of the freshest faces in the brigade, joined at the end of 2019.
She works in retail in Echuca and had no historic connection to firefighting.
However, she admitted it was everything she thought it was going to be.
To find out more about events and the opportunity to become involved, check out the fire brigade’s Facebook page.
