Tuesday, 25 August 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:31): Cool in a crisis and compassionate in the community: today I recognise a remarkable South Gippsland legend, I am going to say, Mr Colin ‘Stocky’ Stockdale of Koonwarra. On Sunday he received the CFA’s highest award, the Outstanding Service Medal. For six decades Stocky has served our community. Since joining a long time ago back in Koonwarra he has performed as brigade captain, group officer, strike team leader and incident controller as well as in many other active roles. He has been a leader, and he has been turning out to many fires over those six decades, including into New South Wales with the Hunter Valley fires, the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and the 2019–20 East Gippsland fires. As he did, he mentored, he cared and he protected. There is no doubt there have been lives saved and communities protected because of Stocky’s work. It is not only his operational expertise, it is his character. He is a quiet achiever, he is a trusted mentor and he loves a practical joke, and he is so calm and so caring right across his community. I congratulate him, his wife Snookie, because it is a family affair, and all his community for doing such wonderful work. Well done, Stocky. We love you to bits.