Two Parkes locals have been recognised for their dedication, leadership and commitment to community through their involvement with the Rural Fire Service.
Terry Job and Marshall Munn were awarded at the organisation's 2024 Youth Awards at the RFS Headquarters in Sydney Olympic Park.
It's 20 years since RFS volunteer Terry Job pioneered the Secondary School Cadet Program at Parkes High School and his service was celebrated at the awards.
A member of the service for 42 years now, he has used his vast knowledge and experience to shape future generations of firefighters.
"It's great to be recognised for all those years of service and the actual inaugural starting up of this cadet program," Mr Job said.
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Mr Job said the program all started at Parkes High School when the then principal saw a similar program up in Moree.
"He brought it back to school and asked me as I was a group officer with the Rural Fire Service at the time, if we could start some sort of a program similar within the Mid Lachlan Valley area," Mr Job said.
The program is designed for year 10 students providing them with an overview of the basic fire fighter training.
"The students are given an insight into what volunteering for an emergency service is all about and what the expectations of being an active volunteer would mean in an emergency service because the RFS like others is a front line service and can be a very dangerous volunteering exercise," Mr Job said.
Mr Job is hopeful now that the program has been established for 20 years that it will continue and get stronger throughout the next 20 years.
“Terry’s unwavering commitment and mentorship have made an invaluable impact on both the service and the community," Commissioner of the RFS, Rob Rogers said.
"His dedication to training and inspiring young people has left a lasting legacy that will benefit the RFS and volunteerism for years to come."
The cadet program began in Parkes and Forbes through the Mid Lachlan Valley team and the program has continued for 20 strong years in Parkes with Mr Job saying 18-20 students participate each year.
"You've got to take your hats off to the students as well because the students have been absolutely brilliant in what they have been doing and how keen they are," he said.
"At the end of each 10 week program I always get asked by the students quite regularly 'why can't we continue on?' and 'why do we have to stop now?', but they can then go on and join a volunteer organisation and join RFS and become a basic fire fighter."
The Secondary School Cadet Program has now been taken up by hundreds of public and private schools around the state and now Australia with more than 12,000 students involved in the program in NSW just this year.
"It really has grown and got larger and larger as the years go on," Mr Job said.
Parkes' Marshall Munn was named the NSW Rural Fire Service Young Volunteer of the Year (12-15 years) at the award ceremony.
Marshall, who was earlier this year named Parkes' Young Citizen of the Year, serves with Parkes Headquarters Brigade for the Mid Lachlan Valley.
He's a dedicated member of the brigade, displaying a commitment to volunteering, actively training and attending incidents and local events to engage with the community.
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib extended his congratulations to Marshall and to the other two major youth award recipients on the day.
“Congratulations to these exceptional young people who have been recognised for their outstanding accomplishments,” Mr Dib said.
“These awards recognise the achievements of young people at growing stages of involvement with emergency volunteering.
“With young members like these recognised today, we can see the future of the RFS and emergency services in this state is in safe hands."
