Firefighter calling time after 51 years
Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Bevan Koppert stepped down last month after 51 years with the brigade. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
For the last 51 years Bevan Koppert has been a mainstay of the Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade.
He was one of four founding members that started the brigade back in 1974 and has now called time on his firefighting career.
Mr Koppert stepped down as chief fire officer at the end of last month, a role he had held for nearly 40 years.
"I'm bloody proud of what we've done," he said.
"You've got to be. We serve the community. That was the main reason for [starting] it, serving the community and the surrounding districts.
"I'll miss the comradeship.
"I certainly won't miss getting out of bed in the early hours of the morning."
He received his 50-year Service Medal last year.
Mr Koppert was the last remaining founding member of the brigade.
"When we started we had nothing, absolutely nothing.
"We had a house fire and the fire engine had to come from Oamaru, which took a while. So, it was discussed then and we looked at whether it would be possible to have a fire brigade out here. It just grew from there.
"We'd probably turned out to about 20-odd calls for the first 12 months. Last year, we did 137 calls."
It took them 12 months to get the brigade started, which explains how he has 51 years of service despite the brigade only being 50 years old.
Mr Koppert still recalled the brigade's first callout.
"It was to a property on Argyle St where people had left a pot on the range and went to work.
"It steamed up and people thought it was smoke, which you naturally would think."
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Waitaki group manager Mike Harrison said Mr Koppert has been "the heart and soul" of the brigade since day one.
The brigade's former station officer, Richard Cranston, has been appointed as the new chief fire officer.
nic.duff@odt.co.nz
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Firefighter calling time after 51 years
Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Bevan Koppert stepped down last month after 51 years with the brigade. PHOTO: SUPPLIED For the last 51 years Bevan Koppert has been a mainstay of the Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade. He was one of four founding members that started the brigade back in 1974 and has now called time on his firefighting career. Mr Koppert stepped down as chief fire officer at the end of last month, a role he had held for nearly 40 years. "I'm bloody proud of what we've done," he said. "You've got to be. We serve the community. That was the main reason for [starting] it, serving the community and the surrounding districts. "I'll miss the comradeship. "I certainly won't miss getting out of bed in the early hours of the morning." He received his 50-year Service Medal last year. Mr Koppert was the last remaining founding member of the brigade. "When we started we had nothing, absolutely nothing. "We had a house fire and the fire engine had to come from Oamaru, which took a while. So, it was discussed then and we looked at whether it would be possible to have a fire brigade out here. It just grew from there. "We'd probably turned out to about 20-odd calls for the first 12 months. Last year, we did 137 calls." It took them 12 months to get the brigade started, which explains how he has 51 years of service despite the brigade only being 50 years old. Mr Koppert still recalled the brigade's first callout. "It was to a property on Argyle St where people had left a pot on the range and went to work. "It steamed up and people thought it was smoke, which you naturally would think." Fire and Emergency New Zealand Waitaki group manager Mike Harrison said Mr Koppert has been "the heart and soul" of the brigade since day one. The brigade's former station officer, Richard Cranston, has been appointed as the new chief fire officer.
