SOME people are very good at keeping secrets. Alfred William (‘Bill’) Snowden and his wife Shirley certainly are.
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Their daughters did not find out that Bill was on the 2016 Queens Birthday Honours List as a recipient of the AFSM (Australian Fire Service Medal) recipient until Monday, June 13, at a family party Shirley arranged to celebrate and break the news. Bill and Shirley, however, had been notified of the honour months before.
The AFSM recognises distinguished service by members of Australian fire services, both paid and volunteer.
Bill was awarded the medal for 46 years of continuous service to both the Tinonee and Burrell Creek Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigades.
From 1986 until 2015 Bill was also the group officer of five brigades – Tinonee, Burrell Creek, Krambach, Firefly and Mount George.
Bill says the most memorable time of his tireless years of firefighting was the Black Saturday bushfires that ravaged Victoria in 2009 – Australia’s worst ever bushfire disaster.
Bill, at 81 years old, is now what he calls ‘semi-retired’ from his involvement with the RFS.
When asked how they felt when they received the news of the medal, Bill reported he had mixed feelings. He felt excited at the news, but wishes that he was still involved on a regular basis.
“I shouldn’t be retired!” he said. “I would not be retired if it wasn’t for health reasons.”
Shirley, however, was thrilled, as were his daughters.
Bill and Shirley will travel to Sydney later this year to attend his investiture ceremony at Government House, where he will receive his medal.
Bill commenced service with the Tinonee Bush Fire Brigade in May 1971.
He retired from his position as Group Three captain with the rank of Group Captain in May 2015, while his service as a brigade member continues.
He was Group Captain Tinonee Brigade in 1986 and held this role until the re-organisation and commencement of the Rural Fire Service in 1998.
Bill was subsequently re-elected Group Captain and has served continuously until retirement from that position.
Throughout his service Bill has taken a personal interest in all aspects of brigade management and administration.
His training interests included rural fire off road driving, fire ground safety, mentoring and the operational fire fighting capability of the Manning District brigades he was responsible for.
Bill’s Rural Fire Service work included watching over the the safety and welfare of a permanent population of 50,000 which increased markedly during holiday periods coinciding with the bush fire season.
In recent years he was instrumental in the reconstruction of Krambach Brigade and was an integral part of a senior management team responsible for the training and deployment of 800 volunteer fire fighters comprising 26 brigades to service 3,753 square kilometres of the Greater Taree District.