Volunteer firies raise funds for vehicle restoration

AS FIRES stalked the Myall Coast last week, volunteer Pindimar/Tea Gardens RFS firefighters made good use of their time on standby, washing cars to raise funds for a vehicle restoration.

The Tea Gardens RFS station, tucked away at the end of Wanya Street in the industrial estate, became a hub of activity on 15 November as dozens of drivers visited the station for the first time.

Cars were soon queued out the station’s roller doors and around the corner, providing endless work for the volunteers.

Drivers enjoyed the sausage sizzle while they waited inside the station, discussing their level of bushfire preparedness.

Elsewhere, other members of the brigade were actively engaged in backburning, assisting firefighters from surrounding townships as well as National Parks and Wildlife Service crews.

With the smoke from North Arm Cove clearly visible to the west, the volunteer car washers had some seriously dusty vehicles to clean.

The day ended under a blistering afternoon sun, but the southerly change came as predicted, bringing with it some much-wanted rain and cooler breezes.

Money raised from the carwash day will go towards the needs of the local volunteer firefighting crews, as well as towards the restoration of the old-school Thames Trader, the retired firefighting truck that the brigade recently acquired and has been painstakingly restoring to roadworthiness.

The Trader has already seen action as a community engagement attraction at the highly successful Pindimar Markets in late October, and the brigade plans to use it for similar events around the area.

By Thomas O’KEEFE