Healthe Care Heroes - Neil Morrison
During the recent bushfire crisis, many volunteers stepped up to offer their time and skills to help their community. Neil Morrison shares his story.
Neil Morrison is the Facilities Manager at Gosford Private and has been a volunteer fire fighter for over 34 years as part of the Northern Beaches Rural Fire Service Headquarters along with his local Avoca Beach Brigade on the NSW Central Coast. Over the past three months, Neil's crew have travelled right across New South Wales and into Queensland, providing support to local crews in areas affected by the bushfires.
The Avoca truck initially attended fires near Taree early on in the bushfire crisis, helping to defend homes, property and animals. Closer to home, the crew were diverted from Port Macquarie to a new fire at Morriset as two neighbouring valleys caught alight simultaneously, a result of high winds and electrical wires sparking.
"I come from the country, I know how hard it is there but everyone pitches in. I've gone to many fires throughout the state, and it's always the community that suffers. Many houses get destroyed and a lot of crops, land and animals - it's not a pretty sight."Having returned to work, Neil and his Avoca crew were tasked with fire fighting during regular night shifts, in response to the Gospers Mountain 'mega-fire'.
As part of the Northern Beaches Headquarters' crew Neil also attended the fires in Balmoral, Buxton and Bargo south-west of Sydney. This sadly included being close by hen two fire fighter volunteers were killed as their truck crashed and rolled off the road.
More recently, the crews have been deployed near Singleton, Bilpin, Mt Victoria and Nowra, and were part of the strike force that were first on scene battling the Charmhaven fire on the Central Coast.
See Neil's crew in action at https://bit.ly/3ai3VBH
Thank you Neil and your crews for your service to our communities - Love Your Work!
