BRIGADE NEWS
PHOTO: MITCHELL GASTIN
First captain in 70 years
Following the integration of career and volunteer firefighters at Ballarat City Fire Brigade in 1950, the position of captain has not existed in the volunteer rank structure. However, with fire services reform coming into effect in July, the position of captain was reinstated.
another captain, so this will be a big change in our leadership structure and I’m excited to lead the way,” she said.
Nicole McGrath was successfully elected to the new position. She’s currently the brigade’s secretary and has spent 22 years with CFA in a number of roles including being a representative of District 15’s women’s reference group, a group secretary/ treasurer and a lieutenant. She’s also involved in running local bushfire workshops.
Officer in Charge Commander Anthony Pearce said Nicole has shown strong leadership skills during her time with CFA.
Nicole said it “just felt natural” to put her hand up when the position of captain was made available. “I feel extremely privileged to be elected as Captain of this brigade and am excited for what’s to come,” she said. “We have a fantastic team here and we have a lot of work ahead of us, so I’m looking forward to expanding our cohesive brigade. We’re looking forward to our continued work in supporting our community as best we can.” Nicole will also become the first female captain in CFA’s Eureka Group, which includes Ballarat, Ballarat City, Sebastopol, Wendouree and Buninyong-Mount Helen brigades. Nicole said she has continued to learn about Ballarat City Fire Brigade’s rich history, which spans 161 years of operation. “After the brigade became integrated, we never expected to have
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“Despite the coming changes, the brigade’s unique and spectacular history will remain and we hope to continue to build our culture around that.”
“She’s been an important advocate for volunteers in the community throughout the entirety of her CFA involvement,” Anthony said. “She has exceptional life skills outside CFA and has become an integral part of our community as well. “This will be a great opportunity for her to lead from the front and advocate for increasing volunteer involvement in CFA and particularly the Ballarat City Fire Brigade.” Nicole has also been announced as the successful candidate for the Leadership Ballarat and Western Region (LBWR) 2020 leadership program. This is a community leadership program which runs from February to November 2020. “I hope that my participation in this program will mean that the brigade gains someone who has the skills necessary to help effectively lead the brigade through change, to build resilience and to help it to adapt and modernise while still keeping members engaged,” Nicole said. STORY MITCHELL GASTIN
