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Events

Bush Fire Season 23/24

After an extremely busy spring period where the brigade attended ten escaped burns and a major incident, the summer of 23/24 has been very quiet – to say the least, however, we haven’t been in hibernation. Following a HUGE Christmas party, and a quiet new year, many members of the brigade took advantage of simulated fire and property protection training in February. Members, new and experienced, attended a simulated bush fire approaching Canyonleigh, prepared a

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New Recruits Secure Brigade’s Future

Like many RFS Brigades from around the state, falling volunteer numbers has become an issue – and Canyonleigh was no exception. In mid-2023 a call went out to the community to bolster numbers, and secure a future, for our Brigade. With a combination of home visits and with the help of the Canyonleigh Community Association, we secured eighteen new members. Following a recruitment day held at the fire shed, 13 of the 18 members (four

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First Major Fire of 2023

Canyonleigh experienced its largest fire in several years in late September at a location mid-way between Old Coowong & Bangadilly Roads. Mid-afternoon on Wednesday 20 September a fire call was received reporting a large plume of smoke in the Bangadilly Road area. Rapid responses from a number of brigades quickly located the fire in difficult to access terrain. As ground-based brigades couldn’t easily access the front, the fire quickly grew. From mid afternoon to around

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Spring 2023 – the start of a busy season

It seems that fire season has come early to Canyonleigh. Since mid-July 2023 there have been six incidents that have required RFS response and assistance. Here’s a brief recap: 19 July – pile burn escaped on a property on Hawkeshill Road. Even though the fire was small and quickly contained, it could have caused concern if weather conditions changed. Many thanks to brigades from Moss Vale and Penrose that responded and dealt with the fire.

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2019-2020: Black Summer

The bush fire season of 2019-2020 will be remembered as a time of devastating fires, property loss and, unfortunately, the loss of many lives including RFS volunteers, New South Wales residents and overseas firefighters.  Whilst we were not physically impacted, the brigade was actively involved in a range of activities including fire fighting, property protection, back burning and patrolling, community consultation and community communication. And so it began …….. The bush fire season for New

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Brigade honours Charlotte Stahl

  On the evening of Saturday 15 September 2018, long-time member of the Canyonleigh Brigade Charlotte Stahl thought her catering duties were required following the Brigade’s all-day training event.  As usual, Charlotte and husband Ron (a Life Member of the Brigade himself) went about setting up tables, BBQ, plates and getting food ready for the hungry brigade members.

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April 2018 – A Very Busy Time

The month of April usually means things start to get a bit quieter for RFS crews, but April 2018 was certainly different. Briefly – here’s how our month went. Sat 07.04:   Joadja HR . Brett ,Terry and Kellie spent the day lighting up control lines and then putting out spot fires Sun 08.04:  Joadja HR . Mark, Claudia, Mary and Greg spent the day doing the same as above Sat 14.04:   Joadja HR.  Brett and Matt  spent the day blacking out and

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Paddys River Fire

At approximately 12.30pm on Saturday 23rd September 2017 the Canyonleigh Brigade received notice that a fire had broken out on a property located on Inverary Road Paddy’s River, approximately 500 metres west of the Hume Motorway. Fire conditions on the day were Severe with a Total Fire Ban in place. The temperature was in the high 20s and a very strong wind was blowing from the west and north west. The Canyonleigh brigade was the

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Australian Bush Fire History

Bushfires have accounted for over 800 deaths in Australia since 1851 and the total accumulated cost is estimated at $1.6 billion. In terms of monetary cost however, they rate behind the damage caused by drought, severe storms, hail, and cyclones perhaps because they most commonly occur outside highly populated urban areas. Australia’s worst ever recorded natural disaster was a Bushfire, the Victorian Black Saturday Bushfires in 2009, where 173 people lost their lives. Some of

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Ron Stahl - Life Member
Ron Stahl’s life membership

Members and their families of the Canyonleigh RFS brigade gathered in force on the night of Saturday 2nd August to celebrate Ron Stahl’s life membership of the RFS.  Canyonleigh RFS Captain Mark Pearson presented Mr Stahl with a certificate to represent a lifetime of service to the organisation and a second framed and signed certificate from brigade members. Mr Stahl joined the brigade in 1976 years when he started working in Canyonleigh and has been

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Hall Road Fire October 2013

The incident, which flared up on Thursday 17 October to the east of Balmoral village, continued for over a week, destroying over 16,000 hectares of land, 2 dwellings and numerous sheds and structures. The brigade’s volunteer members gave freely of their time to assist in fighting this fire knowing that, if a similar event broke-out in Canyonleigh, other brigades would gladly reciprocate. Briefly, here’s a rundown of our contribution: Thursday 17 October: Cat 1 (3,000

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