Tecoma’s Ted Heron is a humble man, committed to helping his community. 23670 Picture: Luke Plummer
By Casey Neill
TECOMA’S Ted Heron has dedicated 55 years of his life to the CFA – but he doesn’t want to make a fuss.
Shire of Yarra Ranges councillors thanked Ted for his “significant and long lasting contribution” to the Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave fire brigades at their 14 October meeting. But the 72-year-old shied away from the attention.
“I think it’s embarrassing, really,” he said.
“But I suppose I’m proud. It’s an honour.”
Ted recently scaled back his CFA involvement and will no longer attend fires.
“I’m going to miss it,” he said.
“Every time I hear the siren go I think, ooh, what’s that?”
But he remains a committed brigade member, providing operational support and conducting community education programs and school visits.
“I love it. Kids are great,” he said.
Ted first joined the CFA in Upper Ferntree Gully as a 16-year-old.
“All we had in Upper Gully were the football club, cricket club, tennis club and fire brigade, and you belonged to everything that happened in the town,” he said.
He joined on a Tuesday night and faced his first fire four days later.
“They gave me a hose and said ‘just point it over there’,” he said.
“Now you have to do at least three months probation and all these courses before you’re even allowed on the truck.”
Ted said brigade members relied on each other.
“Over the years I’ve seen a few bodies and you’ve just got to live with it,” he said.
“But we’ve had a lot of fun incidents over the years. We’ve made a lot of good friends.”
An Upwey bushfire in 1968 was the biggest blaze Ted ever fought.
He recalled frantic residents throwing their belongings into the safety of the school as they fled the flames.
“And everyone had a pine coloured television set,” he said.
“How they worked out who owned all those television sets I’ll never know.”
As well as his CFA duties, Ted helped establish the Belgrave Fire Brigade Art Show committee and was a Rotary Club member, cub leader and Belgrave Football Club juniors coach.
“I’ve always liked working with the community,” he said.
Ted encouraged others to get involved with their local CFA.
“They don’t have to go to a fire, but they can support the brigades a lot more,” he said.
