Senior firefighter Dave Shaw (driver) with the Ray White team Noldy Rust (back), Gregg Ticklpenny and Marsha Tickelpenny
The community rallied behind the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade at ASB Stadium to support fundraising for a purpose-built ute.
Firefighter Travis Elphinstone and qualified firefighter Kim Stojanovic-Swift at the fundraiser evening. Photo: Jude Shaw
Former All Blacks captain Sam Cane was interviewed by Between Two Beers podcast co-host Steve Holloway – but the ultimate drawcard was supporting the crew who have been there for the town since 1913.
Holloway grilled Cane about his rugby career, giving the community insight into the life of a professional rugby player.
Veteran firefighter of 26 years Deane Mark said they’re now well on the way to achieving their goal after more than 450 attended the event.
Chief fire officer Ian Campbell (from left) pictured with senior station officer Lex Soepnel and qualified firefighter Geoff Baker Photo: Jude Shaw
“The support that we got from the community was awesome,” Mark said. “The fire brigade got together too. We have 40 members and they all got involved to help. It was really good to see.
“A few years ago, we started fundraising for a first response vehicle. We got that on the road at the end of last year.
“Our next plan was to upgrade our ute which is coming up 10 years old. We want it to be more purpose built to help us with our increase of callouts.”
Mark said each year the brigade has more and more callouts.
As of September 1, they had responded to about 320 for the year.
“We’re trying to future proof; we’re a brigade that looks to the future. We like to be ahead of the time,” Mark said.
“The idea behind the ute is to free up our main trucks sooner at call outs. We send two out, but if we have our ute there, one of those trucks can be freed up quicker.
Senior firefighter Dave Shaw and the Ray White team on the old school fire engine. Photo: Jude Shaw
“He was going back to Japan at the end of August. I thought, I don’t know if this is doable. It’s a lot to do in a short time. But we put a committee together, everyone else jumped on board and it was easy.
“We rang businesses and the whole town got together. People gave us auction items, raffle items and bought tickets for the event.
Items including a signed All Blacks jersey brought along by Cane were auctioned.
“The comments we’ve heard back from that night have been awesome – how well it was set up and how well it was run.”
Noldy Rust from Ray White Te Awamutu said it was an “outstanding community event for such a worthy cause”.
“The way the town got together indicates that there is a huge respect and debt of gratitude for what our firefighters do for us in this town,” Rust said.
Senior firefighter Dave Shaw (driver) with the Ray White team Noldy Rust (back), Gregg Ticklpenny and Marsha Tickelpenny. Photo: Jude Shaw
Sam Cane poses with the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade Photo: Jude Shaw
