Nine RFS members honoured on King’s Birthday

Group Captain Andrew Cameron, Hornsby Brigade (Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai)

Andrew Cameron joined the Elouera Brigade in 1980 and helped re-establish the Hornsby Brigade in 1989 as the senior deputy captain and captain for 12 years before his appointment as a group officer in 2002.

Andrew has led strike teams across NSW and interstate, including the 2003 Canberra and 2019/20 Black Summer bush fires, where he demonstrated high-level leadership skills, directing strike teams in very dangerous and testing environments at the Gospers Mountain, Green Wattle Creek and Currowan fires.

Andrew is a member of the Greater Sydney Command Leadership Group and has been chair of the District Bush Fire Management Committee for a decade, leading this cross-agency group in the planning of hazard reduction and mitigation works for the whole of the Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai District. He has worked tirelessly over the past 15 years providing leadership, guidance and mentoring to brigades across the district in the preparation and conduct of hazard reduction and risk mitigation activities.

Andrew is dedicated to training and developing crew leaders within the district, committing many years as part of the Crew Leader Training and Assessment Team. He is also engaged in developing future group leaders across the Greater Sydney area, where he provides training in ethics and accountability.

Assisting members who have suffered as the result of critical incidents has been an area in which Andrew has demonstrated both compassion and skill. He has been instrumental in providing personal support as well as advocating for members impacted by critical incidents to receive appropriate ongoing support.

Group Captain Wayne Halliday, Sandy Flat/Bolivia Brigade (Northern Tablelands)

Wayne Halliday joined the RFS in the Tenterfield local government area (LGA) in 2002, progressing from deputy captain to group captain in 2006, a rank that he retains to this day. He has been a permit officer for 21 years along with other executive roles and has been a driving force behind many RFS activities in the Tenterfield LGA.

Wayne was instrumental in establishing the cadet program in Tenterfield and has coordinated the program ever since, encouraging and promoting young people to join the RFS. As brigade and district training officer, he has trained a vast number of volunteers through the required qualifications needed to be confident and effective firefighters.

Wayne has served on the Senior Leadership Team, Council Service Level Agreement Committee and other committees over many years. Wayne’s local knowledge and calm demeanour were vital to ground crews working in the area during the 2019/20 Black Summer bush fires, and he has provided countless hours of diligent service to his community and district.

Wayne is willing to share expertise and information, a role model of professionalism and calm, and has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the RFS and his communities.

Deputy Group Captain Philip Hurst, Kurrajong Heights Brigade (Hawkesbury)

Philip Hurst joined Kurrajong Heights Brigade in 1981. He served as senior deputy captain for 11 years from 2003 to 2014, was the brigade treasurer for 25 years and has been a permit officer since 2004. Mr Hurst has been an integral part of the Hawkesbury District's Learning and Development Team for many years, contributing to various operational training courses. He is the coordinator of the district's School Cadet Program, with many cadets going on to join brigades as firefighters.

In 2012, he was appointed as a deputy group captain in the Hawkesbury District. Philip has led numerous operational deployments across the state and interstate. He has attended major fires within the Hawkesbury District, and numerous incidents, including more than 18 Section 44 emergency fires and many local, daily incidents. He serves as an operations officer during local major fire campaigns and as an operations and divisional commander for regular flooding events.

During the 2019/20 Black Summer bush fires, Philip played an integral role in the Gospers Mountain and Three Mile fires as a divisional commander, risking his life during the many days of unprecedented extreme fire behaviour. Philip’s staunch dedication and commitment to the RFS and his contributions to his brigade are extensive. He is well-respected in the local community and highly regarded in the RFS community.

Deputy Captain Mark Lewis, North Arm Cove Brigade (Mid Coast)

Mark Lewis has served the RFS since 1972 when he joined the North Arm Cove Brigade. He is currently serving as the deputy captain and has previously served as the senior deputy captain, captain, deputy group captain and group captain. He served as acting fire control officer for the Great Lakes District and was district instructor for the newly introduced Basic Bush Fire Course and Crew Leader Course.

Mark was state instructor for the initial chainsaw and rural fire driving instructor courses, contributing to the first rural fire driving manual. He was appointed as the deputy fire control officer at Port Stephens in 1991 and updated brigade training to a predominantly practical system.

Mark designed, drafted plans, prepared specifications, consulted affected residents, managed projects and assisted the council in seeking tenders and quotes for the construction of the Port Stephens Fire Control Centre. He drafted comprehensive standard operating procedures for the district, updated them and promoted their use to the brigades, which were used until the introduction of the RFS service standards.

Mark managed Port Stephens District through the staff transition to the RFS employment from local government and through the initial zoning process. Mark was district manager before becoming superintendent for the Great Lakes District and Port Stephens and maintained his rank until retiring as a staff member in 2010.

Mark continues to volunteer for the North Arm Cove Brigade and was elected captain in 2014, building the brigade up to the operational brigade that it is today. He has demonstrated a staunch professional attitude and duty to the RFS over more than five decades of service and is well-respected by members and staff.

Captain John Nardi, Federal Brigade (Far North Coast)

John Nardi joined the former Goonengerry, Nashua and Eureka Brigade in the Byron Shire hinterland in 1971 and has continually served as an operational member for 54 years. Following expansion in the area, he was a founding member of the Federal Brigade in 1993 and the brigade's first senior deputy captain. John used his own farming equipment to undertake all earthworks of the site at his own expense.

John served as the deputy captain for 11 years, a brigade training officer for 16 years and was elected as captain in 2001, his current role. He has also held the role of the deputy group captain for the district and served as a permit officer for 15 years. John has assisted in significant campaign fires in the Clarence, Northern Rivers and Far North Coast areas, and assumed senior roles as sector and divisional commander. He has assisted in leading RFS crews in community recovery for numerous events, including the 2022 North Coast floods and ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

John represented the RFS on the local Bush Fire Management Committee from 2015 to 2022 and contributed his local knowledge to the development of the Far North Coast Fire Access Fire Trail Plan in 2021. Despite weathering drought and personal hardship, John has continually prioritised the RFS, Brigade and community before his own interests, with unwavering dedication and commitment.

Deputy Group Captain Neil Shepherd, Wallaroo Brigade (Southern Tablelands)

Neil Shepherd has demonstrated an ongoing passion and dedication to the field of training and improving the quality of course delivery over the past 20 years. He has delivered the full spectrum of RFS courses during his career and has been a strong advocate and leader of the Village Firefighter program.

Neil led the delivery of this program for 15 years while also training and mentoring a generation of new instructors. He spends countless weekends each year delivering and assessing courses across the Area Command, a role undertaken on top of his operational duties as both a brigade captain and deputy group captain.

Neil has been an active RFS member for in excess of 20 years holding many and varied operational roles including deputy captain, senior deputy captain, captain and deputy group officer. During the 2019/20 bush fires, he led strike teams out-of-area, both in NSW and in Victoria. More recently he led a strike of RFS firefighters to Victoria to support their suppression efforts in early 2025.

Neil was heavily involved as a volunteer in the development and delivery of the Area Command’s Command and Leadership program and Divisional Commander workshops. Both initiatives aim to raise the quality of fireground leadership. He was a founding member and is the current chair of the Zone Training Advisory Group and a member of the Area Command Training Advisory Group.

Most recently, Neil led the training program in support of the operational adoption of breathing apparatus capability in the Southern Tablelands and is a volunteer representative on reference groups for breathing apparatus and village firefighting course development.

Group Captain Andrew Southwell, Rye Park Brigade (South West Slopes)

Andrew Southwell joined the Rye Park Brigade in 1977. Between 1977 and 2005, he displayed extensive leadership within the brigade by undertaking the roles of deputy captain, permit officer, vice president and president. He was a captain for 10 years and was elected as a group officer in 2005, a position that he still holds today.

Andrew has shown distinguished service in the area of community risk management. He was heavily involved in the development of the recently approved South West Slopes’ next generation Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, one of the first approved in NSW, with Andrew’s involvement greatly assisting this achievement.

Andrew’s commitment and dedication as a long-serving member of the Bush Fire Management Committee and Community Risk Workgroup enabled him to provide significant input in identifying risks and treatments, particularly in the Boorowa area. He has played a pivotal role in planning for hazard reduction burns across the district and has also undertaken leadership roles in a number of community engagement activities.

Andrew has undertaken multiple divisional commander roles at fires over the past 20 years, including the Lodgevale, Watershed and Geegullalong road Section 44 bush fire emergencies. His calm and professional approach to incident management is widely respected across the South West Slopes. He has also lead strike teams on out-of-area deployments.

Andrew has a passion for community risk management and with extensive operational experience, he has proven his leadership skills.

Group Captain Andrew Sweeney, Gerringong Brigade (Illawarra/Sutherland)

Andrew Sweeney was first elected as a group captain in 2014. He was the captain of Gerringong Brigade for six years before becoming a group captain of the Illawarra District. He is a member of the Illawarra/Sutherland leadership team, the Illawarra senior management team, and the Bush Fire Risk Management Committee.

He is also the coordinator of the district crew leader course, and coordinator and a member of the remote area firefighting team. As an area command and leadership team member, he provides a vital and effective link between the staff and volunteers.

Andrew demonstrates dedicated, advanced and proactive leadership, resulting in outstanding cooperation, understanding and performance. He is an authorised wildfire and structural fire investigator and conducted numerous investigations during the 2019–20 Black Summer bush fires, including the Green Wattle Creek fire.

Andrew consistently and positively promotes the RFS and his pride and enthusiasm at a senior leadership level have come to be widely respected. His professional approach has resulted in him being a great ambassador for the RFS.

Superintendent Stephen Walker, Lower Western District

Since 2013, Stephen Walker has been the district manager of the RFS Lower Western District, comprising the Wentworth Shire and Balranald Shire Council areas. He started with the RFS in 2000 as an operations officer, after 10 years as a firefighting supervisor for the then Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Victoria. Under his leadership, active brigade membership has continued, with a solid and active volunteer base that continues to provide much-needed support to their communities.

Stephen supports brigade initiatives such as the Police and Fireman's Charity Golf Day, for which he worked tirelessly to promote, source sponsorship and manage the annual event.

As a fire investigator, Stephen assists forensic police and detectives in determining the origin and cause of bush and structural fires locally and across the state, including the devastating Canberra fires in 2003. He has trained and mentored investigators from fire agencies and the police across NSW and assisted the management of large, prolonged and complex bush fire events.

Stephen helped coordinate the strategic fire trail network across Wentworth and Balranald shires to protect remote communities. He supports his volunteers, including in times of need, and supports recruitment and training across the district in remote areas and established townships. His diligence and dedication to the local area is well-known among staff and volunteer ranks and he is held in extremely high regard by other emergency services, land managers and local government.

Stephen has spent countless hours consoling those in their time of need and he continues to provide support to those that need him. He promotes the value of RFS membership in his communities and continues to support recruitment and training across the district in remote areas and established townships.