GEOFFREY Kenna has devoted more than 40 years of his life to community firefighting, and that dedication has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List with an Australian Fire Service Medal, one of just 31 awarded nationally.
He joins 737 fellow Australians acknowledged for their services to their local communities and to the wider Australian society.
Although back living in Swan Hill, Mr Kenna is being recognised for his services in the 30 years he lived and worked in the Northern Territory as a volunteer firefighter with the Northern Territory Rural Fire Service in Alice Springs.
He said he was very surprised to learn he was the recipient of such a high honour.
“It is something that I never even contemplated being awarded,” Mr Kenna said.
“You just volunteer as a firefighter because you enjoy it and you’re doing the community a service, you never expect to ever get anything like that for it.
“It is something you have to put a lot of hours into and if you want to be good at it you need to train”.
Australian Governor-General General David John Hurley, AC, DSC, FTSE, said he wanted to congratulate all those recognised in the Honours List.
He added that although some of the names are well known, the vast majority are not.
“They are people who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a difference in our community,” the Governor-General said.
“Through the recognition we shine a light on their efforts, the impact they have and the difference they make. On behalf of all Australians, I thank recipients for their service and congratulate them on their recognition.
“The honours and awards system belongs to all Australians and, by nominating people for recognition in the Order of Australia, we all have a role to play.”
Mr Kenna was the inaugural captain when the Alice Springs Emily Hills Volunteer Brigade was formed, starting off with 12 volunteers and ending with 25.
“I had a great bunch of blokes in the brigade with me, you can’t do anything in a fire brigade on your own, you have to work as a team, and we worked really well as a team,” he said.
“Everyone wanted to train and be better at what they were doing and gaining new skills.
“Although you put a lot into it, you also get a lot back. You get the enjoyment and satisfaction that you have been to a fire and you have gotten on top of it, they are all different, so it is always a bit of a challenge.
Firefighting is something Mr Kenna has passed down to his three sons with all of them full-time firefighters in the Northern Territory, two for the NTFRS and one for Air Services Australia at Alice Springs Airport.
According to his citation, Mr Kenna’s legacy lives on in the Emily Hills Volunteer Brigade, where the brigade’s new appliance shed is named in his honour.
His remarkable dedication and leadership distinguishes him as one of NTFRS’s most outstanding volunteer firefighters.
When Mr Kenna returned to Swan Hill he rejoined the local CFA where he was a member for 14 years and captain.
Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia.
If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at www.gg.gov.au
