Current Cobram CFA volunteer and former Diamond Creek Fire Brigade captain Peter Clarkson has won the 2020 Spirit of CFA Living the Values individual Gold award at this year’s ceremony.
Peter joined the CFA in 2002 after a fellow Scouts member asked him to join the local fire brigade, a decision he said was one of the best he had ever made.
“To win a Spirit of CFA Award is an honour and a privilege as you do things for the community not to be recognised,” Peter said.
“But when you do get recognised it’s an absolute honour. I’ve spent 20 years on my journey at CFA and when your peers nominate you for an award, it’s a real honour.”
Peter said his proudest moment was when he was elected captain of the Diamond Creek Brigade; he wanted to make it a more welcoming place for everyone.
“I also wanted to make the brigade more diverse and inclusive which I felt was lacking previously and it was good to make sure females joined the brigade,” he said.
“Out of four of the lieutenants at the brigade, three of them are female. I am so grateful to have represented (the) CFA.”
While on the Black Summer strike team in Gippsland in 2020, he provided diesel to a resident who had no food, power or fuel for his generator; he also encouraged his team to look after local suffering wildlife during this time and was commended by the chief officer for his actions.
Cobram CFA captain Adrian Hilder said Peter is a great part of the Cobram team and congratulated him on the award.
“I reckon it’s fabulous and it goes to a person that definitely deserves it, its absolutely fantastic,” he said.
“Peter’s such a great bloke and he’s brought a lot of expertise with him to Cobram and he’s really down to earth, a really good fella.”
“it’s really good to see and we’re proud of him, he’s a great asset to our team at Cobram.”
Even Peter’s family have gotten involved, with his youngest son and daughter now members of the Diamond Creek Brigade.
Diamond Creek Brigade 2nd Lieutenant Fiona Macken nominated Peter for the Award because of his empathy and his encouragement for inclusivity and diversity in the brigade.
“Peter wears his heart on his sleeve and said he’s not afraid to share his story and show his emotions,” Fiona said.
“He creates a safe place for members to share their feelings and talk about the challenges they are experiencing.”