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To the rescue

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
YELLINGBO has twice as many reasons to celebrate after the Coalition government announced that Yellingbo CFA will get a new fire rescue ute and a new station.
The brigade was already going to be a winner after both the Labor and Liberal Coalition made election promises last November, but Captain Paul Spinks reckons Yellingbo won the trump card with the latest announcement.
The current station was built in the 1970s with several extensions, but even so the brigade’s trucks are housed in separate buildings, the volunteers have to use the public toilets outside, and the roofing is beginning to rust.
Couple that with a new ultra light tanker to address the issue of access that the larger tankers faced in moving around the Yellingbo reserve, and Capt Spinks speaking proudly last Friday to the Mail said it was great that someone had realised the importance of the station.
“We didn’t expect the vehicle in the first budget and to our surprise we are a bit flabbergasted,” he said.
“But the Yellingbo town, Yellingbo people and Yellingbo members deserve it.”
Capt Spinks said being in such a significant area with flora and fauna, including endangered species such as the helmeted honeyeater, certainly showed that Yellingbo was important.
District 13 operations manager Don Tomkins congratulated the brigade and said it was great to see such a strong team.
“The brigade was almost at a collapsing stage until it was revitalised with new leadership,” he said.
This week being National Volunteer Week, Gembrook MP Brad Battin said he was pleased to see his commitment delivered at such as a significant time to show the true value of volunteers.
“That’s the passion Paul’s got for it up here, and it’s that passion that’s revived Yellingbo’s brigade,” he said.
Mr Battin said he had spoken to Capt Spinks about the state of the station but never made a commitment “because that’s for the CFA to allocate”.

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