General News
12 October, 2024
CFA honors Eltringham
District 17 CFA headquarters brigade has honoured former Horsham resident David Eltringham OAM with life membership.
Mr Eltringham, formerly Horsham Rural City technical services manager and now living in Mildura, received the award from brigade chairman Geoff Evans during a meeting at Horsham fire station in Hamilton Street.
He is the second person honoured with the District 17 top award.
The brigade, which was formed in 2008, represents 85 brigades across a wide area stretching from the South Australia border to south of Edenhope and includes Warracknabeal to the north.
Kevin Bolwell of Horsham is the other life member.
Mr Eltringham travelled from Mildura to receive the award.
"My life has been enriched by the fellowship, camaraderie, mateship and self-reward of service to the CFA," he said after receiving the award.
"Volunteer membership of the service to community has given me reward that, on reflection, all others who have similarly served also benefit from.
"A rewarding role of my CFA membership has been involvement with District 17 headquarters brigade since retiring from the council.
"The CFA was family to me from my earliest days."
Mr Eltringham started with the CFA at the age of 14, following his father and grandfather into membership at Belgrave Fire Brigade.
Life took him to Wentworth in NSW, where he joined Dareton Bush Fire Brigade and was later secretary.
"My biggest achievement was to promote and arrange for Border NSW Brigades in Sunraysia to become part of the Victorian Sunraysia Fire Brigades group," he said.
"This cross-border arrangement continues today."
After a move to Wangaratta he joined South Wangaratta Rural Fire Brigade, and in the late 1970s, on returning to Mildura, he transferred to Mildura Urban Brigade, where he was active in its competition team.
He was brigade chairman until moving to Horsham in 1995.
A vivid memory is being flown by the RAAF as part of a strike team to fight fires in the Blue Mountains in NSW in 1994.
After moving to Horsham he initially joined the Dooen brigade as Horsham's training was on the same night as council meetings.
However, he was able to offer support in many ways, including by making council plant available, providing equipment for fuel, helping with water supply and organising other logistic support.
"It has been my privilege to be the headquarters brigade secretary over the past nine years," he said.
"We've become a well-respected and capable resource to undertake fire incidents and preparation duties."