on the frontline

It wasn't the biggest or most extreme fires that RFS volunteer Darrell Binskin remembers from the 2019 bushfire season. It was the one that helped him heal his own internal struggles.

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Of the many bushfires Woombah RFS senior deputy captain Jason Nelson fought that year, it was the one that came just 200 metres from his home that he'll never forget.

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Woombah RFS volunteer Cate Field has spent the last five years looking out for her crew from afar. However, when the Myall Creek Road fire threatened her community, she was thrust into the frontline.

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In his 13 years as a volunteer firefighter, Andrew Paull had never battled anything as angry and opportunistic as the Myall Creek Road fire.

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Rookie firefighter Kaitlyn Ward was looking for a challenge when she joined her local brigade. A few months later, she would face the region’s worst bushfire season.

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When Steve Smith and the Pillar Valley fire crew made their way toward Nymboida, little did they realise that they would be facing down the region’s most ferocious firestorm.

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The Lawrence fire Station may house all the trucks and firefighting equipment, but for deputy captain Paul Simpson, it’s also where his second family live.

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When Lawrence RFS captain Scott Campbell began his shift on the morning of November 8, 2019, he knew they were in for a difficult day. What he didn’t expect was that in a few short hours, he’d be fighting for his life.

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From the creator of Cowper, this is On The Frontline, a series that reveals the first-hand experiences of NSW Rural Fire volunteers during the Clarence Valley’s horrific 2019 bushfire season.  Grafton Daily Examiner journalist Jenna Thompson takes listeners across the region to hear directly from those who risked their lives in order to protect their community.

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