By Dongyun Kwon
On Australia Day, Coldstream CFA recognised and appreciated the outstanding members who have contributed to the safety of the local community.
The brigade unveiled a fire truck named after one of the former captains, Robert Bethell.
The former captain served not only Coldstream CFA but also Lilydale Fire Brigade Group, Melba Group and Maroondah Group for over 60 years.
His love for the Coldstream community has been passed down to his son, Sean Bethell, who currently serves the Coldstream Fire Brigade as a captain.
The current captain said his dad would disappear to the car during summer to get the weather forecast for the day at 9am and 5pm.
“I know now, as a captain, there is way more than sitting in brigade meetings and running jobs on the fire ground,” Sean said.
“These are only about 25 per cent of the role. There is so much more that happens like planning new meeting rooms, building new trucks, managing the membership to work as one and keeping the skill levels up.”
Robert joined the Lilydale Bush Fire Brigade in January 1961, which was prior to the 1962 fires that swept through the district.
After these fires, most of the officers and members, who were from around the Coldstream area, voted to relocate the brigade to Coldstream.
The new station was officially opened in 1963.
Robert is the last of the founding members of Coldstream CFA who helped build the station.
The former captain also writes an ongoing newsletter called Cold Comment which was first released in May 1975 and is still released monthly, covering all topics of interest to the Coldstream members from the next month’s calendar, fire calls for the month and any local news to special occasions of the members like weddings or birthdays.
Sean said one of the most important achievements led by Robert was the building of the brigade-owned pumper.
“Robert poured in a large amount of time, and in the end, it was a team effort to have the new Coldstream pumper on the road in 1996,” he said.
“This leadership showed again after the fire station fire in 2000 when the pumper was nearly lost completely.
“With the brigade’s full backing, Robert was on the front foot with CFA and Royans to have the pumper fixed with a new cab chassis.”
Along with the unveiling of the Robert Bethell firetruck, the brigade also presented several outstanding members with special medals.
Steve Kelso received the National Emergency Medal for fighting the large bushfires in Victoria during the 2019-20 fire season.
Julie Asquith was awarded the National Medal for services to the Coldstream Fire Brigade as a secretary and the community.
The late David McClellan received the National Medal and the life membership of the Coldstream CFA for his services to the Coldstream Fire Brigade and the community.
Sean said the brigade members missed David a lot.
“Sadly, David passed away last year after a short battle with cancer,” he said.
“David was a good firefighter. He was a man of many talents, and he loved to get his hands dirty and get the job done.”
