Monday, June 2, 2008

Queen's Birthday Weekend


Taking advantage of the long weekend, Hubby and I drove a round trip of 1270km to the Mapua Fire Station, situated 30mins from Nelson in the Arapawa Fire Region of the South Island. There we were treated to some great hospitality by Firelady Ella Evans and her family.We were treated to a lovely meal and watched the Crusaders beat the Waratahs in the Super 14. Well done the Crusaders. Ella has the rank of Fire Fighter and first joined as a Volunteer in the Geraldine Brigade in 1999. She moved to the Lyttelton Brigade where she met her Husband, Grant, who is also a Fire Fighter and they moved to the Mapua Brigade where they have been for 1 year. Ella is a full time Mum, with 5 children so has had some time off for maternity leave. She has just redone her basic training and is ready for a callout if the siren goes, that is if she can get out the door before Grant. Ella has a passion for motorbikes, she has one of her own that you can see in her photo.
Ella also wanted me to let you all know why she become a volunteer, in her own words......
"I love the team work, community spirit and learning new things. I believe it is setting a good example to my children, especially my daughters. I want them to grow up knowing that gender and age is not a barrier to doing anything that you set your heart on."

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