FIRE and Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins described long-serving Taree Fire Station commander, the late Max Beard, as a local hero.
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Mr Mullins was speaking before Mr Beard's funeral service at Pampoolah last week.
He said he had known Mr Beard for more than 30 years and described him as a 'legend' within the service.
Mr Mullins later provided the eulogy at Mr Beard's funeral service on behalf of the service.
Friends and colleagues from within the fire service and other emergency services from the local area and across the State met at the station to join a funeral cortege which travelled through the streets of Taree before heading to Manning-Great Lakes Memorial Gardens.
Colleagues formed a guard of honour in front of Taree City Centre and saluted as the cortege passed, shoppers also pausing in the streets to pay their respects.
Maxwell Jeffrey Beard passed away last week at age 60 after a short illness.
He served with the firefighting service for 41 years - 19 of those based at Taree - and was the eighth longest-serving firefighter in NSW.