New Echuca CFA captain Daniel Moylan might be a bit of a blow-in — after all, he’s only been in Echuca for seven years — but he is steeped in firefighting history stretching back three generations.
Starting with his grandfather Tom, who clocked up 35 years of service, receiving the Queen’s Medal in 1980, and gold star in 1982.
And his grandmother Lorna, who was a founding member of the Rushworth Ladies Auxiliary in 1950, serving as president and secretary in her 30 years with the brigade.
“When my grandfather died, he was honoured with a CFA funeral,” Mr Moylan said
“My father John went one further, he clocked up around 50 years at Rushy, receiving life membership in 2013 after he had passed 40 years, while mum Wendy was in the auxiliary for 25 years, and like my grandmother, also served as president and secretary at various times.”
“Brendan, my brother, lives in the Mallee, but he already has 18 years service up.”
With just 15 years under his belt — eight in Rushworth and seven here — Mr Moylan even looks a bit of a blow-in with his own family.
But his election as captain is also an indication of how well he is fitting in at Echuca and with the other volunteer members of the brigade.
But it’s not as if Mr Moylan doesn’t come with his own CV – apart from local deployments he was also on the frontline at the Singleton fires in 2019 in NSW and was back in action during the height of the Gippsland fires in 2020 defending Swifts Creek in the High Country alongside other Echuca volunteers.
Mr Moylan said Echuca was a brigade which had been easy to join — even though they made him change his name.
“There were too many Daniels when I joined, so everybody calls me Mick,” he laughed.
“But this is a fabulous team, very family-oriented with a great atmosphere here all the time — yet when the occasion arises an incredibly professional group in their approach to every challenge.”
Mr Moylan said it was also a great time to be part of the Echuca CFA as his predecessors and other office holders had all worked hard to make it one of the more successful brigades in the state.
He said he was inheriting a good structure with a growing membership, where the juniors were delivering new blood into senior ranks and where he gets to work with a very supportive public.
“You only have to look at the comments and good wishes we get through our social media as well as when we turn up to fires or other incidents,” he said.
“I would also like to thank Rob Amos, who has stood down after his term in the captain’s hot seat, for the job he and the other officers have done — their work has made life that much easier for the new leadership team.
“Everyone across regional Victoria knows how important CFA brigades are, but in Echuca I have been amazed at just how many people support us. We try to maintain as close a link as possible with the wider community and yes, social media plays a big role in that,” he said.
“We’d rather not meet them when their house is on fire, but when we do post to let people know what’s going on, the response is always so positive.
“Volunteer brigades here — and across smaller towns in our region — are an integral part of those communities and I hope to be able to not just keep that going but to build on it.”
Other new officers joining Daniel at the pointy end of the Echuca Brigade’s future are 1st Lieutenant Alex Green, 2nd Lieutenant Mark Hooper, 3rd Lieutenant Rhys Pontelandolfo and 4th Lieutenant Jordan Simpson.