Centenary celebration

In the 100-year history of the Katanning Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, hundreds of residents have stepped up to protect their community.

This month, the brigade will celebrate its centenary and award 175 years worth of long service medals to 15 members.

The medals range from five years of service to 30 years. Past members and dignitaries will come together to celebrate the valuable place the VFRS has in their town.

Captain Trevor Watson said historical articles from the Great Southern Herald had helped piece together some of the stories from the early days.

“There had been a number of calls to have a brigade and in August, 1919 they had a meeting and the fire brigade people from Perth came down,” he said.

“They got 21 people to sign up and form the brigade and it has been going ever since. My most memorable fire from my years is the Green Hill Co-op fire, that was a big one early on in my time.”

Mr Watson said stability was crucial in keeping brigades going. “You have people that have been there for a while and then when new ones come in they can pass on skills to them,” he said.

“If you lose a lot of your older members you tend to not have those skills passed on.

“People do their bit for their community and we need people to keep doing that to keep it going.” The celebrations will take place on Saturday, August 31 at the Katanning Leisure Centre.