In this year’s Queens Birthday Honours, Robert Flynn from Grovedale was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to the community through a range of organisations including the Fire Services Museum Victoria, where he has been a volunteer since 2006 and served on the committee from 2010-2014, and Belmont Fire Brigade, where he has been a volunteer firefighter since 2005 and member since 1987.
To get to know Robert, we asked for some personal insights into his life, especially with the CFA.
1. What have been your roles with the CFA and are you sill involved?
I’ve been a volunteer at two brigades and I worked for the CFA in protective equipment. I’m still a member of the Belmont brigade social committee; I keep the fridge full and turn the sausages and hamburgers at brigade barbecues.
In 2006 I joined the Fire Museum in Melbourne. I’m not as active as I’d like to be but I still do a bit with the museum and take trucks and other things to events, like to Point Cook for the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal and to centenaries and other major events for brigades.
2. What prompted you to join CFA?
I joined the Clunes brigade in 1957, which is a long time ago now. I was just a young bloke and thought I’d give it a go. I was a member until I left town for work in 1962. I wasn’t involved again until I took a position with the CFA in protective equipment in North Geelong in 1987. I worked there for 17 years before retiring in 2004. While I was there, I did the Santa runs at Christmas. The next year when I went to do it again, someone woke up that I was no longer a member so I joined as a volunteer at the Belmont brigade where my son was the first lieutenant. I was a non-operational member but still involved in the social side of it. I made a comeback doing the Santa job last year.
3. What drives you to undertake roles, with CFA or anywhere, with such a focus on serving communities?
I was in the scout movement for 38 years in various leadership roles. I was only 16 when I started. You were supposed to be 18 to be an assistant scout master, but they gave me special permission. By the time I turned 17 we’d started the scout group and I had the massive title of underage acting assistant scout leader. I was awarded a medal for service there for good services to the scout movement.
I also joined the Geelong and District Ambulance Service, as it was known in those days, as an honorary officer. I did that for 15 years before they went to fully paid staff. I got a life membership there, too.
In 2010 I got involved with Barwon Health volunteer transport as a driver and I still do that today.
I love every minute of it and it’s good to keep active as you get older.
4. What is the most important thing you've learned in your time as a CFA volunteer?
It’s good to do things for your community.
5. What do you think you best achievements are in your role with CFA?
I’m very proud of my service medals over the years. I was involved in the centenary committee for the Belmont Fire Brigade and I managed to get six trucks down from the museum for the centenary. That was a great weekend.
6. What is your best memory - funny or serious - about your time with CFA as a volunteer?
I can still remember my first strike team, though they didn’t call them strike terms in those days. It was with the Clunes brigade and we chuffed off to Carisbrook on the back of the 1937 tanker. We were swinging off the back of the tanker like monkeys – there was none of the protection you have these days.
It’s a lot safer these days and that’s for the better.
7. Which was your favourite role or activity with CFA and why?
I enjoyed my 17 years working with the protective equipment with all the new equipment coming in and servicing what we had. We’d visit various stations and change the equipment. Even if the equipment never fired a shot in anger, we still changed it over or gave it a maintenance check. It was important work. If the equipment doesn’t function properly, you’re in strife.
If we took up all the brigades’ invitations to have a coffee, it would be midnight before we got home. They were so sociable and I really enjoyed that.
I’ve been able to find quite a few interesting items for the museum over the years. I got to read the original copy of the first Fireman and others from the 1940s when I was researching the Belmont brigade centenary. I still enjoy being involved in the museum.
8. What makes a good CFA volunteer?
You have to be community-minded; you have to have that in your body.
Congratulations Robert and thanks for being such an inspiring part of our CFA family.
