Celebrating the heroes who help keep our communities safe
When you’re a firefighter out on a call it’s essential to know someone in the brigade has got your back, but it’s also handy knowing someone is supporting you back at the office.
Steve Gee and Jono Turnbull are volunteer firefighters who both work at Connetics (Southern) Ltd in Cromwell, a network contractor that specialises in power installations and maintenance.
While they’re with different brigades - Gee is chief fire officer for Clyde and Turnbull is a recruit for Cromwell - and have very different roles within the business, they say having a co-worker who understands their dual roles is critical.
They’re grateful to work for a company that understands the importance of their role and values their commitment to the community.
Gee and Turnbull are two of the nearly 12,000 Kiwis who volunteer for Fire and Emergency New Zealand and are ready to respond in a crisis.
Their ability to do that depends on workplaces who are willing to be part of the back-up crew.
Stuff’s community newspapers are partnering with Fire and Emergency to recognise the local businesses who support this important work with the Proud Employer mark, which acknowledges the role they play in keeping communities safe by allowing their staff to respond to an incident during working hours.
“The company is very supportive of the community input that Jono has in Cromwell and I have in Clyde,” says Gee.
With his job based in Cromwell, Gee is less likely to be called out during the day, but says volunteering for Fire and Emergency constantly requires juggling responsibilities between his work and home lives. However, he says volunteering is more than worth it.
“People often ask me why I’m involved with Fire and Emergency. It’s because I have a genuine interest and It’s something I can do to give back to the community. There’s also a lot of value in terms of your own personal development. I treat it as a sport, a hobby and a whole lot of other things rolled into one. It keeps me fit, it keeps the brain active, and it keeps me grounded.”
Turnbull volunteered for mountain rescue in the UK and was keen to continuing volunteering in some capacity when he moved to New Zealand. He was thrilled to be accepted as a recruit with the Clyde Brigade.
“It’s a fantastic thing to be involved in,” he says.
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.1% Yes
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15.2% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
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