CFA and emergency services

That same weekend I attended the Scoresby Fire Brigade annual dinner at the Knox Club, and Councillor Williams was there, as was Councillor Baker. Scoresby is an entirely volunteer brigade. The room on the night was full of people, past and present members, all who give up their own time to protect lives and properties right across our community. So congratulations to all the award and service recipients on the night, and I appreciated the invitation from the brigade to attend.

Over the weekend, a shout out to the Rowville Fire Brigade, the CFA in Rowville, for the Santa run, the annual Santa run on Saturday and Sunday, where Santa hops up on the back of the Rowville CFA fire truck and, I think, gets to almost every street in Rowville and Lysterfield, maybe even a little bit wider. The sirens were blaring at about 8:30 yesterday morning, so it was certainly an early morning wake-up call, but one that the kids loved. And they're throwing lollies to the kids along the streets, and it's certainly an annual tradition in our street. All the neighbours gather and enjoy the moment, and the kids really love it, but it wouldn't be possible without the efforts of the Rowville CFA and all their volunteers who make it happen. So thank you.

The CFA in Rowville brought Santa there, which was a highlight of the day for the young kids. Santa was there with the lights and sirens on the truck, and the kids were thrilled. So I do send thanks to Gail and Brian from Share Space, and their family and friends and volunteers generally, and all of the stallholders and community groups that make those markets the fantastic community event and celebration that they are. So, well done to the Share Space team for a brilliant market yesterday.

I'd like to mention last Sunday's Scoresby CFA open day. It was a fantastic success. I was down there for several hours. I think the CFA said there was about 600 people came through during the day. Many were engaged with fire preparedness as we get closer to the fire season, but also just to have a look behind the curtain at the station. They're on quite a block down there. And it was certainly an action-packed day. During the event, there was a fire alarm went off in Wantirna South, so a couple of the fire trucks came to life in a real way and had to head off. So it was very exciting, and I send my congratulations to the leadership team at the Scoresby CFA, and to several other vendors, including Heavenly Sweets and Treats, who came out and supported a community safety initiative.

And the other one I wanted to mention from the end of last year as well was the Rowville CFA Santa run, which was on the 21st and 22nd of December. This is an annual event which I'm so thankful for every year. I think it's for the young, but the young at heart as well, and I must admit I think I near pulled a hamstring joining my kids chasing the fire truck down Turramurra Drive, waving to Santa, getting a bag of lollies thrown out. It's a real highlight for, I know, a lot of families in our part of Rowville. And I just commend and thank the volunteers. I know that several brigades around the Knox district do the Santa run, and it's just great community spirit.