By Parker McKenzie
Boronia CFA Captain Ramon Relph was awarded an Individual Award at the 2022 Spirit of CFA wards for his commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at the brigade.
Mr Relph received the award for Excellence in Innovation, which celebrates “CFA members who lead transformational change in our services, systems, governance and processes to improve service delivery outcomes, meeting organisational and community needs now and into the future.”
He said he didn’t find out he was winning the award until the event on Sunday 17 July.
“Actually winning the award was brilliant. It was very much a shock,” he said.
“A number of awards were given out on the night for volunteers, and family members were in attendance to see some recognised for their work.”
Mr Relph said despite being an individual award, he couldn’t have done it without the rest of the brigade.
“The type of brigade and membership I have is very diverse with different nationalities, different age groups from different walks of life,” he said.
“It was more for the whole of the brigade and the way they look after each other, look out for each other and support each other.”
CFA CEO Natalie MacDonald said she was pleased to be able to recognise those who have made a real difference to the organisation through their contributions.
“Hearing about the accomplishments of our nominees was tremendously humbling,” Ms MacDonald said.
“Meeting and recognising our winners confirms the significance of CFA in the community and the principles we stand for.”
CFA Acting Chief Officer Gavin Thompson congratulated the recipients and finalists on their significant contributions and outstanding achievements.
“CFA is incredibly proud of its members, and it is great to see our members recognised for their contributions to both our organisation and local communities,” Mr Thompson said.
“Their dedication and effort are essential to assisting us in achieving our mission, which is to protect lives and property.”
Mr Relph said as the volunteers in CFA don’t do it for recognition.
“It was a privilege to be recognised and honoured with the award for the work we do at Boronia.” He said.
Boronia CFA is located at 300 Boronia Road and was founded in 1942. The Brigade has four operational vehicles and over 80 staff, volunteers, auxiliary and junior members. It responds to over 1000 call-outs each year.
