Three members of the Trentham Fire Brigade have been recognised for their bravery during a severe storm.
CFA volunteers David Wheeldon, Pat Sutton and Ethan Brown each received the distinguished Unit Citation for Courage, at a ceremony at the Trentham Community Hub on Sunday, July 6.
On the night of June 9, 2021, destructive winds exceeding 160km/h tore through central Victoria, with hundreds of trees down, roads blocked, and power and water cut to the entire Trentham community for days.
The three volunteers recognised the need for immediate action after receiving an urgent call for help from a woman who had been left stranded by the storm damage and urgently needed access to an oxygen cylinder due to a health condition.
With roads blocked and no way for vehicles to get through, the trio set out to deliver the oxygen themselves.
Joined by a Victoria Police officer, they began to cut their way through a road strewn with dozens of trees.
Mr Wheeldon, who is now the captain of the brigade, said they didn’t give the rescue a second thought.
“You don’t think, you just go. The road was completely blocked, some of the fallen trees were huge and the weather just kept getting worse,” he said.
“I’ve never experienced winds like that, it was over 100 miles an hour, and trees continued to come down around us as we worked.”
Despite their efforts, the road proved to be impassable, but using local knowledge of backroads and paddocks, the crew was able to reach the person in need and deliver the oxygen in time.
“We thought we were responding to help the one person, but when we finally got through, there were six or seven cars out there with around 10 people trapped,” Mr Wheeldon said.
The crew moved the group to a nearby farmhouse, providing them with blankets, water and supplies to ensure their safety.
“We couldn’t bring them back, it was too dangerous,” Mr Wheeldon said.
“So we gave them any essentials we had on hand to ensure they were comfortable.”
After confirming the group was safe, and catching a few hours rest, response efforts resumed in the morning.
Mr Wheeldon said it was an honour to be recognised alongside his colleagues.
“I couldn’t have asked for two better people to be out there with,” he said.
