Wednesday, 13 August 2025

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (10:05): Eighty years is a long time in anyone’s book, and for most of us it is longer than a lifetime of work – longer than those in this chamber have ever been alive, in fact. But for Mr Ron Hewlitt of the Maffra fire brigade it has been absolutely a lifetime of service. I had the privilege of meeting Ron earlier this year in May when I visited Maffra to hand over the keys for a new heavy tanker, and when I met Ron, his pride in the brigade and his dedication to the community absolutely shone through. Last weekend at the Maffra fire brigade awards night I was honoured to present Ron with a special award recognising this incredible milestone. To put this into perspective, Ron joined the brigade in 1945 as a reserve firefighter, the year the Second World War ended. Since then, through decades of change, challenge and growth, Ron has always been there answering the call whenever his community needed him. This sense of devotion to community is not in isolation. It is shared by the many volunteers of the Maffra fire brigade and all our volunteers across the state, often at great personal sacrifice. Brigades like these are the lifeblood of their communities, and we are so grateful to them. Thank you to Ron and the Maffra fire brigade.