Australian Fire Service Medal recipient Robyn Reynolds says she initially volunteered for her local fire brigade to spend more time with her husband. 

“Believe it or not, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. My husband was in the local brigade for a couple of years, and I never got to see him,” she explains. 

“So, I figured I’d join and do it as well.” 

Robyn has been a member of the Pambula Rural Fire Brigade for 26 years, and captain for the last five. 

In the years prior, she was also the brigade’s health and safety, training, first aid and permit officer, as well as the secretary, treasurer and deputy captain. 

For her years of hard work for her local community, she was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to an Australian fire service at an investiture ceremony at Government House in Canberra.

Robyn is also a member of the Bega Valley District Training Advisory.

She says the most enjoyable part of her work is training other fire fighters. 

“I’ve always loved helping people out and volunteering,” she says. 

“I like to teach people, and I like them coming back to me and saying on the fireground when I see them five years later, that they’re doing what I’ve taught them to do, and they’re doing it safely.

“And because of that, I will continue to do it. I feel I’ve got a lot to teach.” 

Just like most volunteers, Robyn says she went about her work without expecting any kind of recognition. However, Robyn emphasises how “extremely honoured I am in receiving this award”. 

“When I got the email, I actually thought it was a scam. But when I started looking into it and realised it was real, it really just shocked me,” she says.

“[My colleagues] said it was totally deserved, and not just them but basically everyone else I knew [said the same]. I feel funny about it. 

“I never expected anything like it. It was the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep.”