Trevor Christie touched the lives of many people through his involvement with the Wingello Rural Fire Brigade.
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Mr Christie died in the early hours of Wednesday, October 24, after he fought a long battle with cancer.
He has left a profound impact on many people, including Senior Deputy Captain Mark Wilson.
“He was actually quite special to me because he saved my life,” Mr Wilson said.
When Mr Wilson joined the brigade 13 years ago, Mr Christie became a mentor to him.
During his early days in the brigade, Mr Wilson attended a fire with Mr Christie at the back of Bundanoon at 2am.
The fire was so severe that the town was almost evacuated, and the two put wet lines in to slow the fire down.
“He knew how to read the trees, what the fire was doing and what the smoke was doing. I didn’t know at the time,” Mr Wilson said.
When the fire took a turn, Mr Christie was a quick on his feet and took Mr Wilson out of harm’s way.
“He dragged me out of the bush and threw me onto a cliff base just to get me out of the line of fire. The fire roared through and went away,” he said.
“I turned to him and said ‘thanks for that’. He said ‘mate, that’s what we’re here for’.
“We slowed the fire at 4am and we didn’t have to evacuate Bundanoon. We were so close after that. The respect was unbelievable.”
Trevor Christie joined the Wingello Fire Brigade in 1998 following the death of David Quinlivan.
Mr Quinlivan died on New Year’s Day in 1998 in a fire at the Wingello State Forest, while seven firefighters were seriously burnt.
After this tragedy the fire brigade faced closure.
A meeting was held to encourage community members to find new members for the brigade.
Mr Christie stepped forward to take on the position of deputy captain, with experience as a member of the Exeter and Medway/Berrima brigades.
He was elected unopposed.
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This was where Mr Christie first met Rural Fire Service (RFS) community safety officer Inspector David Stimson.
The two worked together to build the brigade back up.
“We worked closely together to ensure the other members that stepped forward received their training,” Mr Stimson said.
“In what was almost like a partnership between him and I for many years, we worked together to ensure the brigade re-built.”
Mr Stimson said Mr Christie was an integral part of the Wingello brigade for many years, with a strong focus on safety and training.
“He was very involved with the day-to-day running of the brigade and he was conscious of everyone’s safety,” Mr Stimson said.
“Overall he made an impression on everyone. He was just an all-round good bloke.”
Mr Wilson said the respect for Mr Christie among the brigade was “unfaultable”.
“He was a perfectionist. He never did anything by half, he made sure he did it right the first time,” he said.
“He was quite happy to be in the background. He didn’t do it for the glory.”
Mr Christie was farewelled at a service held at St Aidan’s Anglican Church in Exeter on November 1.
“He was a beautiful soul. He’ll always be in my memory and the memories of a lot of others,” Mr Wilson said.
“He was a mentor, not just in terms of learning the RFS ropes, but just mentally building me to be a nicer person.
“It’s the same with a lot of the other guys in the brigade. They subconsciously think ‘what would Trevor do?’
“Everyone needs a hand at some stage, and spending time with him has taught me that you get more out of life helping people when they need it without expecting payment.
“We’re here for a better purpose than self-righteousness. I totally believe in that and abide by that.”
Those that attended the funeral were asked to make a donation to the Cancer Council.
Visit www.cancercouncil.com.au/ways-to-donate if you would like to donate.
Cancer Council donations provide investment in research, support for people affected by cancer and prevention programs in the community.
The Cancer Council NSW is 95 per cent community-funded.
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