Two North Haven residents – Brigade President Tom Melville and Captain Syd McRoy – are charged with the responsibility of coordinating the service’s local efforts.

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Their area of coverage extends from Port Stephens to Telegraph Point in the north and out west to Barrington Tops, an area home to 86 land-based RFS Brigades.

Tom and Syd are part of a 20-strong group of volunteers who operate out of Taree Airport.

Gary Tonkin, President of Taree Aero Club, is responsible for airport operations and liaises with the Aviation Brigade when the facility is required for firefighting aircraft.

The Brigade is broken down into several sections with various responsibilities.

Radio operators are required to have training from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and provide vital communication links.

Then there are the air base operators; ground crew who assist in loading firefighting aircraft with water, foam and fire retardant.

There are also aircraft officers and air operations managers, who are in charge of deployment of assets and overall situation control.

Aircraft officers can also work with on-ground RFS brigades, providing real time information to operations.

There are various types of aircraft used to fight fires, including a single engine air tractor that needs to return to base to refill with water, a ‘Fire Boss’ that can refill from lakes and dams, and the ‘Cover Raft’ helicopter that can deploy ground firefighters to remote areas so they can make fire breaks.

Syd has forty years’ experience and has been deployed to a number of interstate hot spots in the past.

In 2022 Syd found himself in the Cradle Mountain region of Tasmania and was instrumental in deploying a “pop-up” village and control centre to house 200 firefighters.

Later he did a stint in the Northern Territory on a similar mission.

He also operated during the 2019 Black Summer bushfires.

“During the 2019 bush fires we had 25 aircraft operating out of Taree Airport every day for five months, so communications were vital,” he said.

Tom has 25 years’ experience and has also deployed interstate.

“The difference between our Aviation Brigade and the RFS is that we get called in when things become critical,” he said.

The Mid Coast Aviation Brigade currently operates out of a shipping container and one bay of a Council shed at Taree Airport.

With funds tight, the Brigade was grateful to receive $6000 from the Kendall Op-shop to buy a new water pump.

The Brigade is always looking for volunteers and will have a display and stall at the Barrington Coast Airshow at Taree Airport on 9 November, where Syd and Tom will be available for a chat.

By Bill HARROW