For Melton CFA Captain Anthony Rhodes, volunteering with CFA is more than helping the community. Rhodes joined the CFA when he was just 12 years old and now, decades later, he’s proud to see his sons share the same passion for helping others. On International Men’s Day, Anthony and his sons Bailey and Cooper reflected on leadership and resilience to remind those about the strength that comes from volunteer work.
Jack O’Shea-Ayres talks family, empowerment and the importance of conversation with the Melton Fire Brigade’s captain.
What’s your connection to Melton? How long have you served as Melton CFA’s captain?
I’m connected to Melton through my role as captain for the Melton Fire Brigade. I first started about the time my dad passed away – I got taken in about 39 years ago, when I was still paying in junior footy.
What do you enjoy most about your role as captain of Melton CFA?
It’s challenging, but getting to represent the CFA and my town not just on a fire but in the competitions is rewarding. Currently, we’re doing the best in all the open competitions.
The absolute best thing about it all is the camaraderie. It’s very family-orientated, it’s a village. It’s not just Melton, but it’s statewide and Australia-wide. It’s a network. I’ve met more people through the fire brigade than I’ve met in my entire working life. I know people from overseas through my fire brigade work – there’s friends I have from interstate, – Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, and New South Wales.
What we’re giving people is the opportunity or the hope. It’s a network, it’s not all about fighting fires. There’s a lot to be done, like education of the community. I’ve been taught lessons through CFA that have helped me through my working life, the CFA has really taught me to listen.
What makes men’s mental health so important to you?
It’s important to talk – there’s too much fun to be had in this world. When I was 12 years old trying to do CPR on your dad it really was hard.
It’s probably only been 12 months since I’ve opened up, but I’ve learnt it’s important to talk.
At the station, I’m big on debriefs. We go out to a lot of different calls, some are simple and some are a lot harder on people, so we need to talk about what we did – the reason why I opened up is because in my role as a CFA member you get confronted by a lot.
Don’t live in the past, live in the now. Look to the future, but live in the now… We want to empower people because we’ve all been given an opportunity.
