A SPECIAL awards ceremony was held at Peechelba CFA brigade on Sunday afternoon with 16 members honoured for their years of service.

Those to receive medals and acknowledgement were John Kelly [10 years], Lisa Cottle [15 years], Tom Marshall [15 years], Christine Peruzzo [25 years], Steven Peruzzo [25 years], Paul Holloway [30 years], Brad Lawrence [30 years, life member], Darren Nish [35 years], Vin Kelly [35 years - life member], Brian Vincent [35 years - life member], Michael Doran [40 years - life member], Malcolm Cohen [45 years, life member], Brian Lawrence [50 years, life member], Geoff McRae [55 years - life member], Graeme Lavis [60 years [life member], Graeme Nish [60 years - life member].

Peechelba captain Brad Lawrence said there are 20 active members at the brigade.

He welcomed dignitaries on the day, including District 22 Commander Rod Railton and brigade support officer John Parnell, who presented the medals to the milestone members.

The award consists of a circular medal with the CFA emblem contained within the rim and a scroll carrying the words service award [or life member].

The emblem is superimposed on the Fire Star, which is based on the eight-pointed Cross of St John.

Each point of the star separately represents the virtues of dexterity, explicitness, gallantry, loyalty, observation, perseverance, sympathy and tact.

These virtues were considered to represent the qualities of a firefighter, so the star was chosen as the insignia of many fire services including CFA.

The medal is suspended by a bar carrying the coat of arms of the state of Victoria attached to a ribbon of red and white squares symbolising the CFA logo.

Creating a talking point on the day was the commissioning of an ultra-light firefighting vehicle that the brigade received 12 months ago and has since been fitted out with a full array of the latest equipment.

Mr Lawrence explained that they applied for a VESEP grant in 2023 and although they missed out on the first occasion, the wait was worth it because they were awarded the grant to purchase the vehicle in 2024.

"It takes about 12 months to build the vehicle, which cost $150,000, and it is one of the new Ford Ranger versions following on from its predecessor the Toyota Landcruiser.

"The idea behind the vehicle is that it has 450 litres of water and is ideal for quick response and it's able to access hilly areas and tight tracks.

"It can get to areas that a truck can't and it's response time is a lot quicker than a truck."

Equipment ranges from chainsaws, recovery gear, foam, water, first aid kit, and defibrillator.

Peechelba CFA brigade members were fully trained in the use of vehicle and its assets and are now completely across its functions and capabilities.

"The best part about the new ultra-light is the driver only requires a car licence so this presents an opportunity for members who don't have a truck licence to drive it," he said.

Those in attendance enjoyed a barbecue to celebrate the occasion and cap off the event.