Lakes Entrance CFA volunteer Carl Timothy Schaefer in Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court for using CFA fuel card to purchase petrol for his car

A respected East Gippsland volunteer firefighter was busted using a CFA fuel card to purchase $80 worth of petrol for his own vehicle in Lakes Entrance.

Carl Timothy Schaefer appeared at the Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

A respected member of the East Gippsland community and volunteer firefighter who used a CFA card to splurge on petrol for his car says he was on his way to the hospital after finding out his dad had cancer.

Carl Timothy Schaefer fronted the Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to obtaining property by deception.

The court heard Schaefer put petrol into his vehicle and used a CFA fuel card to purchase the petrol valued at $80 in Lakes Entrance on September 11, 2023.

The misuse of the fuel card was then reported by a CFA district business manager.

Schaefer’s defence lawyer Chris Walker told the court his client had worked a lot of jobs in his life, such as a dairy farmer and truck driver.

Schaefer, who is a member at Lakes Entrance CFA, was also a respected member of the Lakes Entrance Men’s Shed for more than six years.

“He has a history of some trauma following his time in the CFA, he’s instructed that he did get some PTSD and he lost a friend in the 2020 fires — it was a gentleman at Buchan,” Mr Walker said.

Schaefer works as a volunteer at the Lakes Entrance CFA. Picture: Google Maps

“He was a good friend — and it knocked him for six — they had been friends for 27 years.”

Mr Walker said Schaefer had filled up a CFA truck and accidentally left the fuel card in his wallet when he went to fill up his own car.

He added on the day Schaefer used the card, he found out his dad got a terminal diagnosis of cancer and made his way to the hospital.

“He doesn’t really remember the time using the card — he was in a real mess,” Mr Walked said. He added Schaefer was seeing a counsellor on a weekly basis.

Magistrate Tim Walsh said there was no dishonesty in Schaefer’s history and accepted this offending was “completely out of character”.

“There is a bit of breach of trust there,” Mr Walsh said.

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“I’m taking into account (that) you went through the 2020 fires as a volunteer I take it — to say that would have been a horrendous experience for you is an understatement having lost a friend.”

Schaefer told the court the same day he lost his friend, he also had to save his kids.

“I accept just by your demeanour that you’re quite distressed about this,” Mr Walsh said.

He placed Schaefer on an adjourned undertaking for one year without a conviction and ordered him to pay $250 to the Lakes Entrance CFA.