A Hoppers Crossing resident who has devoted more than 50 years of his life to fighting fires across the state has been given the ultimate honour.
Colin Squires has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal as part of this year’s Australia Day Honours List.
The 76-year-old Hoppers Crossing resident, who joined the Truganina Country Fire Authority Brigade (CFA) in 1963, was among 10 Victorian emergency service workers across the state to receive the medal.
Mr Squires has attended more than 7000 call-outs in the past five decades, including a number of traffic accidents and high-profile bushfires including Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday.
He was captain of the brigade for 10 years between 2003 and 2012, and most recently had the brigade’s tanker appliance named in his honour.
Mr Squires said he had been humbled by the honour.
“I’m not a person that wants medals or any of that sort of thing,” he said.
“I’m just part of a team and part of a family, but someone obviously thought I was worthy of it.
“In the days that I joined, it was for self-preservation – you helped one another.
“It is totally so different today. In those days, all farmers were in it, all families went to fires and it was just natural progression.
“You go out [to a job] and don’t know when you’ll be back.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas Day or when it might be, there’s so many people involved and team work to achieve these things. The CFA is still one of the biggest volunteer organisations.”
