Rochester Captain Luke Warren leading the torchlight ceremony
Rochester Fire Brigade marked their sesquicentennial of service over the weekend with a torchlight procession, followed by a community barbecue and fireworks to conclude the evening.
In the brigade's humble beginnings 150 years ago, there were no water points within the town so volunteers would respond to incidents using wet hessian bags, branches, blankets, water in buckets and sheer determination.
Today, the town has a reticulated water supply and the brigade has an engine bay filled with a modern fleet of vehicles, including two tankers, a pumper, a field command vehicle and a rehab unit.
Captain Luke Warren, who has served with the brigade for 25 years and is in his tenth year of captaincy, said the support from the community and surrounding brigades who marched and celebrated with us was overwhelming to see and is a true representation of the spirit of CFA.
"We are really excited about reaching this milestone and it's a privilege to lead such a dedicated and resilient bunch of people through it," Luke said.
"From fighting fires with buckets to deploying modern vehicles, the change is massive, but the dedication of our people has stayed the same."
"Milestones like this stir a real sense of pride and emotion, not just for those serving today, but for those who built the foundation we stand on."
The brigade has been at the frontline of many major emergencies, including the Murray Goulburn fire, Criterion Hotel fire, code red day at Strathallan and most recently the 2022 Rochester flood events.
"Many of our members faced personal loss during the floods but continued to selflessly serve our community with sandbagging, cleanup and rescue efforts."
Reflecting on the evolution of the brigade, Luke noted the growing diversity of its operational members as a major point of pride. Today the Rochester brigade comprises of 59.4% male and 40.6% female.
"We've seen a fantastic increase in the number of operational female firefighters over the years," Luke said.
"It's been very rewarding to work alongside so many capable women on the fireground, including my partner who joined 15 years ago."
Looking to the next 50 years, the brigade has much to look forward to with the announcement of a new fire station, a thriving junior development program and the delivery of a new state of the art pumper in the near future.
"We have built strong momentum here at Rochester and we hope to keep it rolling."
"I hope when I'm 75 and need a fire truck, a well-trained and well-equipped crew will roll out the door, just like we always have."
