Fire and Rescue NSW water tanker gifted to Indigenous fire starters to help protect land on Mid-North Coast

One fire station’s trash has become another team’s treasure – Indigenous firefighters can’t wait to put their new truck to use to help safeguard Gumbaynggirr country on the Mid-North Coast.

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell and YAC chief operations officer Brentyn Lugnan at the Urunga fire truck handover.

A decommissioned Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) truck has a new life and Aboriginal fire fighters cannot wait to put it to use on country to tackle cultural burns.

FRNSW donated the water tanker to Yurruunga Aboriginal Corporation to both help protect the community and to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultural burning practices.

YAC chief operations officer Brentyn Lugnan performs a smoking ceremony at Urunga.

Waagay Julu, YAC’s fire team, were joined by members of FRNSW for a handover and smoking ceremony this week.

The team are responsible for traditional burns to promote biodiversity, reduce bushfire risks and preserve cultural heritage of Gumbaynggirr country.

YAC chief executive officer Dean Kelly said the multipurpose tanker will be used for training, cultural burns and to support other emergency crews during fires by supplying and drafting water.

The decommissioned Fire and Rescue truck donated to the Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation (YAC).

“Cultural burns are essential in Aboriginal history and they support traditional landscapes being put back into country in a sensitive way,” Mr Kelly said.

“The tanker will allow our fire team members to conduct burns more safely and effectively, protect larger areas of our land and assist other fire agencies during bushfire emergencies.”

At the handover of Monday, FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said the emergency services organisation was committed to reducing fires and other emergencies in Aboriginal communities with the aid of traditional culture, knowledge and skills

“It’ll be a good catalyst for a whole lot of other stuff that you guys will end up doing,” he said.

Coffs Harbour Local Aboriginal Land Council land and sea ranger Narina Ferguson at a cultural burn.

YAC chief operations officer Brentyn Lugnan designed and painted the vehicle with locally significant imagery – a work titled Connection to Country.

The area he chose to paint, the Bellinger River, is home to endangered and vulnerable animals including koalas, grey headed flying-foxes, giant barred frogs and the Bellingen River snapping turtle.

The Waagay Julu fire truck handover at Urunga.

“It’s home to the flying foxes and the bats, but the way to portray that is by their droppings so there’s bat poop all the way along there,” Mr Lugnan said.

“I thought I’d throw that in there for the kids,

“We’re so grateful to NSWFR and we can’t wait to get out on our first burn now.”

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