Fonterra teams up to support community groups in Gippsland

This support will allow the brigade to purchase much-needed water-saving fire equipment and safety lighting to help while they are out battling a blaze.

Nilma North Fire Brigade is one of five community groups across Gippsland to receive support from the Fonterra Grass Roots Fund this year, with other initiatives ranging from defibrillators and water tanks to memorial gardens. 

Fonterra Regional Operations Manager – East, Andrew Nooy, says Fonterra was pleased to once again support local community groups across Gippsland.

“We’ve partnered with Nilma North Fire Brigade because it plays a crucial role in keeping our region safe.

“The brigade is led by volunteers, and they put everything they have into saving lives, homes and livelihoods, but they need the right equipment to be able to do this.

“We know how important this service is, especially given the bushfire season we had last summer, so we want to make sure they are well prepared for the fire season ahead.

“This partnership means a lot to our people, our farmers, and our community and we are pleased to support such a worthy organisation,” Andrew says.

Nilma North Fire Brigade Captain Jamie Magyar says the brigade has been operating since 1950 and is run by passionate volunteers keen to make a difference.

“Our dedicated volunteers selflessly give up their time to keep our community safe, and any assistance we receive makes an incredible difference.

“We usually raise funds by holding raffles at the Longwarry Market, but we haven’t been able to do that since COVID-19 hit, so this support is absolutely integral.

“The funding means we can buy lighting equipment that will make it easier and safer for us to fill up our trucks and tankers at night and get water to incident scenes more quickly.

“We’ll also be able to buy low-water-flow nozzles for our hoses which produce finer sprays over a longer period and reduce the need for us to leave the fire ground to refill our tankers.

“The partnership will help us prepare for the upcoming fire season and ensure our firefighting efforts are safer and more efficient,” Jamie says.

The other Gippsland recipients of the Fonterra Grass Roots Fund for 2020 are:

Andrew said Fonterra’s community sponsorship program is changing next year so it could further support the local community.

“The team is working through these changes and will share more information on this later in the year – so keep your eyes peeled,” he said.