OPOTIKI firefighter Wayne McLellan was presented with his Gold Star at a function held at the fire station on Saturday evening.
The Gold Star is awarded to firefighters who have done 25 years in the fire service and Mr McLellan is the 31st Gold Star member in the brigade, of whom 12 are still in service.
During his speech, Opotiki chief fire officer Vic Carter said Mr McLellan was quiet and shy when he joined the brigade on March 5, 1993.
Employed by Waiotahi Contractors, Mr McLellan has attended 1600 call-outs, is a member of the canteen committee and has been the station cleaner for 10 years.
Mr Carter said he was grateful to both Waiotahi Contractors, Katrina McLellan and the couple’s children, Ellie and Bailee, for allowing Mr McLellan to serve in the brigade.
Recruiting was getting more difficult and the Opotiki brigade was currently down six members.
Some years ago, the brigade embarked on a recruiting push with a poster that featured a photo of Mr McLellan pointing in “we need you” style.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get any recruits,” Mr Carter said.
During their speeches, both United Fire Brigades Association of New Zealand vice president Glenn Williams and Auckland Provincial Fire Brigades Gold Star Association past president Graeme Diprose commented on the fantastic reception at their motel, which was arranged by the Opotiki Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Fire Emergency NZ assistant area manager Scott Bell said it was inspirational to see Opotiki getting another Gold Star member when recruiting was getting harder.
“The average age in this brigade is 52 years and the average service is 23 years,” he said.
Mr McLellan said he wanted to thank his “lovely” wife Katrina, forgiving her for the incident when she had managed to lock him out of the house as he returned from a late-night call.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to say.
“What goes on in the brigade stays in the brigade,” he said.