Firefighter celebrates 50 years with brigade
Garry Dockary joined the fire service at age 27 after a plumber building his house told him he’d be good at it.
Fifty years later, that plumber has inadvertently saved a fair few Hawke’s Bay homes.
Dockary began as a firefighter, moved to being a senior firefighter and is now working in senior operations support at the Havelock North Fire Brigade.
The Havelock North man says he has stuck around for 50 years because of the people.
“It’s just a great bunch of people. And I’ve met great people through the competitions too.”
A month into working there he started in the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) competitions, which has been a highlight for him.
He’s worked in the team, as a judge, a referee and a coach where he took the Havelock North team to victory in the 1993 UFBA competition. The competitions have allowed him to meet firefighters from around the country, travel New Zealand and visit New South Wales.
Havelock North chief fire officer Rob Triplow has worked with Dockary for 47 years and said his work with the competitions has been of great value to the Havelock North fire department.
During his time, he has also been president of the Hawke’s Bay Sub Association, Wellington Provincial Association and Wellington Provincial Gold Star Association.
In 2014 he received the Queen’s Service Medal for his services to the fire service, which was a “privilege”.
In his 50 years Dockary says not a lot has changed, but the fire brigade attends many more motor vehicle crashes and medical events than they used to.
“[The job] is enjoyable, but you see a lot of not-nice things. But there’s a responsibility that comes with it,” he said.
His wife and two daughters have also been a huge support and dealt with him being on 24/7 call and getting up early for competitions.
He recommends a career in firefighting to anyone and said the Havelock North brigade needs more people for day shifts.