Honour for firefighter

Feek has completed 43 years of service and holds the record in the Matamata brigade for the longest serving firefighter.

‘‘It’s just the enjoyment of looking after the community and the camaraderie among the guys is brilliant,’’ he says.

Feek takes his role as a leader with the fire service very seriously, making sure he is always there for the younger recruits.

‘‘As a team we nurture them through. We have a few young ones at the moment who really showing good promise.

‘‘It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But when that siren goes up, someone in the community needs your help.

‘‘When I started 43 years ago, it was house and hay barn fires, then progressed to car accidents. Now it’s more car accidents and medicals.’’

From 1999 until 2012, Feek was coaching the teams entering various Waterway competition games while still taking an active part. are

‘‘A highlight for me was at age 59 our team won the Auckland provincial and at age 60, we got runner up in NZ. That was with a good bunch of guys around me.’’

Due to the nature of a volunteer fighter’s role to immediately respond when the siren sounds, Feek says the crew couldn’t perform its job without the support of their employers.

Feek’s chief executive at NZAgbiz in Waharoa is fully supportive of his role with the fire service.

This year he and wife Colleen celebrate 45 years of marriage. Their children Natalie and Kristy have grown up in the brigade family.

Visiting the fire station with poppa is a thrill for grandkids Tilly and Finn.

‘‘They think knees,’’ he says.

Former Pohlen Foundation chair Lady Margaret Spring will also receive a Queen’s Service Medal for services to governance and health. it’s the bees