By Callum Ludwig
A shuffle of roles at Reefton CFA has resulted in Sue Jack becoming the brigade’s very first female captain.
With a big recruitment drive as the first goal, Ms Jack has been at Reefton CFA for a couple of years having previously been at Warburton and Hillcrest CFA.
Ms Jack said Reefton CFA elects a new captain and first, second and possibly third lieutenant every two years.
“We are not a very big brigade, so we’ve taken on double roles. At the moment, I’m the captain and also have the training officer role,” she said.
“I don’t know that I ever aspired to be captain. It was just a role that had to happen and the first lieutenant has done it for the past four years and wanted a break so I put my hand up to give it a go for a couple of years and see how it is. I never even thought about being the first woman.”
The Reefton CFA was established in 1983 and is in need of more members.
Ms Jack said a big recruitment drive is one of her main priorities.
“I’ve got things in my mind that I’d like to achieve over the two years and leave this brigade in better shape than when I started. I would like to get more members obviously, but I’d like to get recruit younger members as well as older members,” she said.
“We are thinking forward and planning ahead, the old ones can impart their knowledge on the younger ones to build a sustainable brigade, I’d like new members to have pride in their brigade and a sense of community within the brigade.”
The brigade needs a minimum of 10 active, trained firefighters to ensure they can continue to operate effectively.
Ms Jack said there are so many great opportunities through being a CFA volunteer.
“You start off as a basic firefighter, but you can go on strike teams, you can go interstate, I’m currently also a member of the incident management team, so I get deployed to level three incidents like when I was down at Orbost for the Black Summer fires as a medical lead,” she said.
“There are so many different opportunities and so many different ways you can train and have a pathway within CFA, it just depends on what you want to do. It’s a great way to meet people, see places, and do different things. To be part of your community, to assist your community, to get to know your community. There’s connectedness and camaraderie, and you can always call on somebody if you’re in trouble.”
There are also non-operational roles such as the Brigade Treasurer for those who cannot or do not wish to be active firefighters but want to help out.
Ms Jack said she has a background in emergency management and said it has been previously terribly male-dominated.
“To see females in leadership roles in the Upper Yarra is really good. For us to stand up and be counted and have an acceptance that we’re in a leadership role is really good and is role-modelling for other women,” she said.
“I remember the very first day I rocked up to a fire station, as an older female, there were all these men hanging around there and I was very uncomfortable. One of those members that was there on that day’s first thought was ‘She won’t last’ and now 14 years later, I’m a captain.”
The Reefton McMahons Creek Action group (RMAG) have been handing out flyers to support the Reefton CFA’s recruitment drive.
