Growing up, being part of a rural fire brigade was a tradition in Mark Cupitt's family, where both of his parents, and his grandfather were captains in the Highlands.
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The current captain of the Alpine/Aylmerton brigade first joined as a junior at about 10 years old, where he helped out by cleaning gear and washing the truck.
His first time being "thrown in the deep end" was at the age of 13, when he was asked to drive the 1942 ex-army blitz to help out with a grassfire.
His children Cody and Abby are the fourth generation of the Cupitt family to continue the legacy of helping others when they need it most.
Cody is one volunteer who has been deployed in Canada to help with their fires.
"It's great to see them give back to the community, it builds them into better people," he said.
The sense of family is strong within the brigade for the last 70 years.
Brothers Alan and Bruce Kerslake have been volunteers for more than 60 years each, and their father Len was the first captain when it was established in 1953.
The Kerslakes provided their farm shed as the first makeshift station, and the current training facility was renamed in their honour in 2022.
"Our brigade is very special, we are like a family, all of the members are close," Mr Cupitt said.
"The satisfaction of helping someone in a time of need [is something] you can't put a money value on, and helping and getting a cup of tea and a hug at the end."
About 35 volunteers come together to help others in emergencies, rescues and incidents regardless of the need.
"The brigade is in a good place to continue on with younger members, we're heading for a great future," the captain said.
The brigade is celebrating 70 years in the Highlands in November, and for the captain, much has changed since he joined in the early 1980s.
Trucks were stored in members' sheds, the first official shed was built in 1990 following Mark's father Kevin, the station has expanded and more equipment has arrived over the years.
Now, students can go to the station to complete The Duke of Edinburgh or the Village Firefighter course, and people can go to community engagement days to be better prepared for fires.
Although members have been confronted with and fought fires in the community and sometimes beyond the Highlands, their bonds with one another help them through it.
"Mateship is definitely the biggest, it's something you've got for life," he said.
Along with an official celebration, a book is being compiled to document the brigade's history in the area.
Those interested in volunteering can head to rfs.nsw.gov.au to apply, or contact the station directly through the NSW RFS Alpine/Aylmerton Brigade Facebook page.
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Briannah Devlin
I like to write about arts, entertainment, any local reality tv leads, and property for the Southern Highland News and Goulburn Post, but also report on everything in between. If you have any tips, please send them to Briannah.Devlin@austcommunitymedia.com.au, or call 0439142204.
I like to write about arts, entertainment, any local reality tv leads, and property for the Southern Highland News and Goulburn Post, but also report on everything in between. If you have any tips, please send them to Briannah.Devlin@austcommunitymedia.com.au, or call 0439142204.
