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All fired up after 43 years

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After a 43-year hiatus, the 209 team of the Leitchville Fire Brigade has fired up again. Sporting shirts in the original team colours, the team entered its first competition after just six weeks of training.

Leitchville Fire Brigade 2nd Lieutenant Jim Parsons came up with the idea to form a team in late January and his fellow brigade members were keen to get started. They set a goal to compete in their first event on March 13.

Through his involvement in Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) and his interest in following running competitions, Jim began training his team. The team of five – Jim and Kate Parsons, Daniel Clements, Dillon Perry and Blake Honeysett – trained two nights a week on equipment and a track built by Jim. 

“Going in as a rural team is a little easier for us. We don’t need an asphalt surface, it’s basically a grass course, and we can utilise our tanker, we don’t need to get a pumper,” said Jim.

As the event got closer, they focused on time trials and honed in on their skills, making sure members were in the best position according to ability. 

Their first competition at the 50th Annual Mandurang Championships on March 13 saw them win some heats, even in events they had not trained for, but didn’t get any placings in the 10-team competition.

“We did very well considering it was our first event. We didn’t train for some events because we didn’t have the appropriate training props, but given the fact that all we did was watched the teams before us in those events to get an idea of how to run it – and then ran it – we did very well.” 

Not to lose their spark, the team competed six days later at the District 22 50th Annual Demo at Mooroopna on Sunday, March 19, where they won three of their Division 2 heats and came 3rd in the Tanker – Priming, Pumping and Ladder; and 2nd in Hydrant and Tanker. 

Last weekend, they competed in the VFBV State Rural Senior Championships in Division 3, again at Mooroopna, coming 4th in the Wet Hose and Ladder, and Tanker Hose, Reel and Ladder events.

Jim is proud of his team’s efforts and achievements – and is just as proud of bringing back the 209 team. With dwindling team numbers across the running circuit, the team has received wide support and encouragement.

“We’re keeping the competitions alive by bringing back a team to the running circuit, and giving the brigade something else to do. It’s also bringing back some history of the brigade.”

The shirts worn by the team are the original maroon and gold colours and the word and team placement on the front and back replicates the original shirts.

“Given that we haven’t run in so long, and it’s bringing back the team, I wanted to keep that bit of heritage for the brigade, so I stuck with the original maroon and gold, and the Leitchville across the front and the 209 across the back is exactly how the original shirts were,” Jim said.

The season is now over, but Jim and the 209 team will be preparing for the next season and hope to have a junior team join them.

The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 30 March 2023

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 30 March 2023.

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