FOR the past 15 years Mark Sawyer has called Gunnedah home.
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For six of those years the Coonabarabran native turned Gunnedah local has served his community with Fire and Rescue.
But, family commitments have drawn the retained firefighter to Tamworth where he will continue his service with Tamworth 452.
Mr Sawyer said he would miss working alongside his Gunnedah colleagues.
“I have been really lucky to work alongside some really good blokes,” Mr Sawyer said.
“We are a really tight group and I am going to miss all of them.”
The retained firefighter said the decision to move to Tamworth was made for family reasons.
“My wife took up a new position in Tamworth last year and the kids started school there this year too,” he said.
“I have been coming back and forth for work and for Fire and Rescue and it was just coming to the point of needing to be based over there.”
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Friday marked Mark’s final day with Gunnedah Fire and Rescue and it was not dull for the veteran firefighter.
“We were actually called to a potential house fire on Bloomfield Street on Friday morning,” he said.
“It was caused by some discarded hot coals and luckily a quick thinking neighbour was able to get onto it quickly and avoid it burning down the whole house.
“I suppose that was probably a pretty standard way to finish up, because you never really know what you’re going to get in this job and I think that’s one of the best things about it.” Gunnedah Fire and Rescue 314 Captain Dave Welch said Mark would be missed by the whole team.
“Our loss is certainly Tamworth’s gain,” Captain Welch said.
“Mark is a terrific bloke, a great teammate and will be sorely missed by all of us.
“We wish Mark all the best for the future and everyone here thanks him for his services.”
Mr Sawyer said he wanted to thank his family and his colleagues at Taylor Automotive for their support.
“I can’t thank Ryan Taylor and everyone here for everything,” he said.
“It’s been great to have that support from your boss to also be able to serve your community.
“I’ll miss a lot about working and serving here, but I am looking forward to what the future brings.”
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
