By HELEN COLLIER
“IT’S a whirlpool – you’ll get drawn in!”
These are the exact words Yarra Glen CFA member Louise Higgins’ husband Ash said to her when she first went along to a Bayswater CFA Brigade function with him.
When she met Ash, he’d been a CFA volunteer for years and Louise was busy with her own voluntary work, so she thought she’d leave the CFA to him.
But curiosity got the better of her and when she heard they were looking for leaders for the Junior Brigade, the 11 to 16-year-olds, up went her hand.
That was six and a half years ago, and she’s been a CFA member ever since. Two years ago, when they moved from Bayswater to Yarra Glen, Louise was ready for a new challenge, and Yarra Glen Brigade’s Captain was quick to tell her about the community safety role.
As Community Safety co-ordinator she’s the organiser behind community events where you see a CFA truck parked up for the kids to clamber all over.
Louise is 44 and has been a volunteer for as long as she can remember, possibly because she comes from a family of volunteers.
Growing up, her parents volunteered at the local youth group. When she turned 18, she went from being ‘at the camps’ to ‘running the camps’! After Youth Group, Louise volunteered for five years with Rotoract, a Rotary group for people up to 30 years of age, three years with People Outdoors, assisting at camps and day activities for people with disabilities, and is now with her local CFA.
She’s always worked, as she says, “with people, for people”.
Even her full-time job is working for a local council in aged and disability services.
When asked how many hours she does at the CFA she replies, “It varies. It depends on how many events are coming up, what campaigns we are running, what needs doing.
“Some months it’s full-on, other times it’s much quieter.
“People often think it’s a regular set number of hours you have to commit to, but I don’t jump on the fire truck when the pagers go off, I don’t fight fire, I’m one of those behind-the-scenes people in a support role, doing whatever’s needed.”
She said a fire truck was a definite ice breaker at events and a huge drawcard for the kids.
“They come running over and that’s when we get a chance to talk to their parents about what we do,” she said.
Her face lights up when she describes how she feels about her role.
“I’m pumped before a community event.
“I just love it.
“I wake up with such a sense of purpose, of being part of something, a part of the community.”
To anyone interested in finding out more about life as a CFA member, Louise says, “It’s about matching your skills to what your brigade needs” and recommends going in and having a chat.
National Volunteer week – 11 to 17 May, is a good time to jump on the CFA website cfa.vic.gov.au to find the nearest brigade.
District 13 covers the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Knox and Maroondah.
