Buchan CFA firey braves loss for his community

This long-serving Buchan CFA brigade member fights to protect life and land, and give locals dignity in death. He has been nominated in The Weekly Times Heart Volunteer Awards.

Buchan CFA brigade treasurer Bob Carney on his burnt property with his German Shepherd, Xena. Picture: Alex Coppel

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FOR East Gippsland’s Bob Carney, volunteering is a matter of life and death.

Bob has been a member of the Buchan CFA Brigade for almost 40 years, helping protect both his town and others from fires.

Saving lives and properties is high on Bob’s priority list, and so is giving locals a dignified final resting place, which is why he also devotes time to running Buchan’s cemetery trust.

Bob Carney has spent nearly 40 years volunteering with his local CFA brigade, as well as on the cemetery trust, local school council and for the Buchan Rodeo. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Bob and his wife, Linda, have lived in Buchan for 43 years. The grandfather-of-two, who has retired from the logging industry, says he joined the CFA for the camaraderie and to “help the community”.

“To basically help save Buchan if it ever came under fire, pretty much, that was the main thing,” says Bob, who has held many roles with the brigade and is currently treasurer.

As if that’s not enough, he also serves as secretary of the cemetery trust, taking care of the grounds, selling plots, arranging for graves to be dug and headstones erected.

In addition, Bob has spent time as a member of the local school council, and also volunteers every year at the Buchan Rodeo, earning life membership to that organisation.

“It is a big get-together for the local community, and the proceeds go towards the bush nurses, SES and various charities around the town,” he says.

“That is a lot of their fundraising for the year, so it is very important to the town.”

Buchan has been threatened by fire several times during Bob’s four decades of CFA involvement, but nothing compared to what it has endured this past summer.

“Everything came together. I just keep referring to it as a perfect storm — fuel load, lightning and low humidity,” Bob says.

The Carneys’ home was destroyed and while he and Linda plan to rebuild it almost exactly the same, Bob says the emotional loss — “all the memorabilia for 40-odd years, 50 years, just all gone” — is hard to endure.

“That was devastating, and we’re still living on the property so we see it every day,” Bob says.

“What the town was going through was pretty horrific.”

The couple has recently “upgraded” their makeshift post-fire accommodation, moving out of a large horse float into a caravan while they work through the long recovery.

Despite the heartache, Bob takes solace in the fact he was able to save all 42 dogs that were on their property when the blaze ripped through.

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Bob and Linda breed Cavoodles and Cavaliers. Their dogs, including 22 puppies and Bob’s beloved German Shepherd, Xena, all survived.

“We saved all the sheds and all that. I was well prepared, being in the CFA for about 38 years I knew what to do,” Bob says. The fire also came within 100m of the cemetery.

Bob says he’s just one of many volunteers who play important roles in the town.

“Everything that is done in Buchan is pretty much by volunteers, such as the football club, the rodeo, that’s all volunteers,” he says.