The Hunter Welcomes 23 New Firefighters Graduating from the Academy

BY ISABEL EVERETT

The Hunter will welcome 23 new firefighters to the region after they graduated on Friday from the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Emergency Services Academy.

Some of the states 264 new firefighters include a former professional rally car co-driver, a martial arts instructor, a former dairy farm manager, youth worker and a number of teachers.

Those who graduated as permanent firefighters include;

• Kane Jennings - Cessnock
• Ashley Gordon - Rutherford

Those who graduated as on-call (Retained) firefighters include; 

• Jessica Edwards - Aberdeen
• Simon Geerin - Aberdeen
• Ben Orlowsky - Aberdeen
• Riley Graves - Abermain
• John Cullen - Branxton
• Adrian Robinson - Branxton
• Jereme Worth - Kurri Kurri
• Ryan Turton - Maitland Retained
• Isabella Circosta - Merriwa
• Sam Tinsey - Minmi
• Christopher Burke - Morpeth
• Megan Mcloughlin - Murrurundi
• Nathan Holz - Rutherford Retained
• Alister Truett - Salamander Bay Retained
• Beau Merrick - Singleton
• John Robb - Singleton
• Lewis Weber - Singleton
• Kristen Frize - Stockton
• Noah Hailstone - Stockton
• Travis Redding - Stockton
• Bradley Bauerhuit - Tarro

FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter congratulated the new recruits at today’s ceremony.

“Becoming a firefighter is no easy feat. We attract 6-8,000 applications each year, yet of these thousands, only an elite few are chosen,” he said.

“It is also pleasing to see that many graduates are joining family members already in service, with some being second generation firefighters.

Commissioner Baxter said the graduates have trained with passion and dedication to become part of the FRNSW family.

“These recruits have shown they have the diverse skills, capabilities and talents required to undertake the varied work that our firefighters do – from educating the community about fire safety and providing emergency medical care to responding to fires, natural disasters and hazmat incidents,” he said.

“They’ve been trained to be prepared for anything and I know they will uphold the high standards of integrity, courage and professionalism expected of a FRNSW firefighter.”

Image: NSW Government

New Graduates Join Workforce Through Joint Pathways Venture

Fresh graduates are being given the opportunity to gain two-years' experience straight out of university thanks to a new joint programme between Lake Macquarie City Council and Hunter Water.

Four new graduate employees have just started the pathways programme, which gives one year at each organisation in either communications or engineering departments.

The Hunter-first career pathways programme hopes to enable new graduates to get into the workforce straight out of university.

The firms have teamed up to provide skills and experience as part of the two-year programme.

“The hope is that these graduates will be able to incorporate knowledge and practices they have learnt into both our organisations,” Lake Macquarie City Council Workforce Planning Coordinator Belinda Leck said.

“As two of the region’s largest employers, we want to be industry leaders when it comes to innovation and job opportunities for the younger workforce," she said.

The programme aims to allow graduates to collaborate with other participants, sharing knowledge of each organisation’s workplace practices. 

University graduate Eliane Beveridge is one of the first to start the programme and says she feels lucky to have such a great way to kick off her career.

"To be able to stay in Newcastle to work, and still be near my family and friends when I thought maybe I might have to move to Sydney or Melbourne has been really great and something that I'm so happy I get to do," she said.

After 12 months with Lake Macquarie Council, she will move to Hunter Water.

Eliane Beveridge is encouraging other university graduates to consider the local pathways programme.

"Just apply for as much as you can and put yourself out there, even for things that you might not necessarily think you want to do. Take every opportunity you can to learn new skills," she said.

New graduates Eliane Beveridge, George Harrodine, and Georgina Ragen. Picture: Lake Macquarie Council