Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade

The ComCen will page our members who are on duty.

For general Brigade enquiries please ring 9299 7217. Station hours: Saturday 9am-10:30am.

Web: darlingtonfire.org.au • Facebook: Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade • Instagram: dvbfb_

Next meeting: Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at the Darlington Fire Station.

Despite the cooler weather and recent periods of rain, our late summer and continued soil dryness means that fires can still burn easily in the bush. The Shire of Mundaring is still in a Restricted Burning period, and permits to burn must be obtained for all running fires (day and night), all burning before 6pm, and multiple piles or piles larger than one square metre after 6pm. Permits can be applied for online, via the Shire’s website, or at the Darlington Fire Station on Saturday mornings between 9am-10am. If you are planning to conduct a burn on your property, please contact the Shire to confirm conditions and any restrictions or prohibitions, and register your burn with DFES on 9395 9209.

Otherwise, small piles of garden refuse no bigger than one square metre may be burnt after 6pm without a permit, but under strict conditions including; the Fire Danger Rating is not High, Extreme or Catastrophic, only one pile alight at any time between 6pm and midnight, keep a 3m clearance around any fire, have a means of extinguishing the fire within reach, a capable adult in attendance AT THE FIRE at all times, the fire is completely extinguished by midnight (NO heat, smoke, steam, white ash). If you are lighting a fire at your residence register the fire with DFES on 9395 9209, and consider the impact of smoke on your neighbours. Please refer to the Shire’s website for additional conditions.

Due to the delay of permits being issued, and recent High fire danger ratings, the Brigade has had to delay its seasonal Hazard Reduction Burns programme. This, coupled with future rains means we may not have the opportunity to conduct many of the burns we have planned, and we apologise in advance if we cannot complete our promised burns. When undertaken, HRBs are a great opportunity for our trainee fire fighters to enhance their theoretical and classroom training with practical, hands on experience with fire suppression in a ‘real fire’ environment. It also provides experienced firefighters with skills refreshers and leadership development. If you are a property owner and would like the Brigade to consider assisting you with a hazard reduction burn on your property, you can call the Station on 9299 7217 to register your details. An authorised officer will arrange a visit to examine your property, discuss your requirements, and provide a quote based on things such as area, fuel load, topography, access, time to burn etc. (please note: the timing of HRBs are also subject to weather and environmental considerations).

As we move away from the summer fire season, the Brigade turns its focus to training, and maintaining skills for new and experienced members alike. If you have ever thought about joining your local volunteer bush fire brigade, the cooler winter months are an ideal time to join, as you can undertake all the required training to be ready for next fire season. If you would like more details, or just have some questions to ask, feel free to contact the brigade to find out more (membership@darlingtonfire.org.au), or better still, come and see us at the Darlington Fire Station on a Saturday morning between 9-10.30 am.

“I have no ambition in this world but one, and that is to be a fireman. The position may, in the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly one; but we who know the work which the fireman has to do believe that his is a noble calling. Our proudest moment is to save lives.” ~

Edward F. Croker

Ricky Harvey

Cricket for a Good Cause

Junior cricketers from the Kalamunda Cricket Club (KCC) made a real difference last month through their Net 24 fundraiser.

Established in 2022 by eight KCC under-11’s, known as the “Green Machine”, the aim of Net 24 is to raise funds each year for a children’s charity. Last year the Starlight Children’s Foundation was the beneficiary of their fundraising efforts and this year the selected charity was Rebound WA which assists Western Australians living with physical disability to lead fuller, more active and connected lives by removing barriers to participation.

To support their cause, the under-11s were joined this year by the under-10s and under-14s in a non-stop 24 hour net session at Kalamunda’s Kostera Oval. Throughout the night there were shifts but the nets were never allowed to be empty with a batter and a bowler always in play.

The boys raised in excess of $20,000 which will support Rebound WA to purchase a custom-built trailer to expand the sport of frame running across WA. Frame running uses a supportive three-wheeled frame allowing people with disability who have mobility issues to experience the joy of running.

Net 24 is all about “kids helping kids” and these wonderful young West Australians are certainly role models to their peers and the wider community. I was delighted to support their fundraiser and look forward to helping out again next year.

Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre

Writing Workshop So You Want to Write Pillow Talk

Saturday 27 May 2023, 1.00-4.00pm

Writing Workshop

So You Want to Learn Rainbow Storytelling

Saturday 20 May 2023, 1.00-2.30pm

Everybody has an interesting story to tell, so why not tell yours? Join trans writer and radio maker, Sam Elkin for an engaging workshop to discuss the fundamentals of rainbow life writing, gain tips to access your memories and bring the details of your experiences to life. Born in England and raised on Noongar land, Sam now lives on unceded Wurundjeri land. Sam's essays have been published in the Griffith Review and Kill Your Darlings and is co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia.

This workshop is suitable for beginners to experienced adult or young adult writers (16+) who are interested in life writing.

Tickets: $25 KSP members, $40 non-members.

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award is dead: long live the Bad Sex Award. Why is that sex scenes are so often excruciating to read? This workshop will explore how the verbal, rather than the venal, is the essence of eros in fiction, and can help authors escape the trap of unintentional hilarity. This workshop is run by Myles McGuire, a writer and editor from Brisbane, Australia. He has been published in Griffith Review, Voiceworks and Overland Online, and nominated for the Peter Carey Short Story Award. As a literary interviewer he has conducted in-conversations with Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times #1 Bestsellers. He works as a librarian and teaches writing at the Queensland University of Technology.

This workshop is suitable for beginners to experienced adult writers.

Tickets: $35 KSP members, $50 non-members.

For more information on our residencies, competitions or other activities please visit the KSP website www.kspwriterscentre.com or phone the office on 08 9294 1872. KSP Writers’ Centre is proudly sponsored by the Shire of Mundaring.