MORE than half a century of dedication to a local emergency service saw a long-time Riverland volunteer honoured recently.
Former Moorook man Syd Villis, 97, was last month awarded a medal for 60 years of service to the CFS during a presentation held at the Barmera Club.
Mr Villis said being part of the CFS allowed him to have positive effects on fellow Riverlanders.
“(I saw) a few blokes that I worked with 50 years ago and they’re still going,” he said.
“You’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got.
“I find it a bit awkward nowadays because I’m used to helping someone every day and now there’s no way to do it.
“I’ve never gone any longer than a couple weeks in my life without helping someone. It might sound silly, but it’s a hard pattern to get out of.”
Mr Villis said improvements surrounding communication equipment, hoses and trucks had increased safety for Riverland firefighters.
“I’ve seen quite a lot change in the radio and communications side of things,” he said.
“The (vehicles) themselves are a lot better… it’s good they’ve made improvements because it’s bloody hard work.”
Mr Villis said emergency service and community organisation volunteers played a vital role in many Riverland communities.
“If more people did things for their community… we would all be better off,” he said.
“People don’t realise how important modern volunteers are. If we didn’t have volunteers in our community, what would we do?”
Mr Villis – who is now a resident of Bonney Lodge – said he would continue to assist the CFS at fundraising and community events.
“They might want some help one day and I can still do a hell of a lot,” he said.