Mr Brian Parry AFSM
2003 Award

Brian Parry's commitment to his community and his leadership and determination in the face of ravaging bush fires has won him the gratitude and admiration of the people of the City of Shoalhaven.

Admired by his colleagues as a fair and humble man with a strong sense of duty and extreme calm in an emergency, Brian is also passionate about volunteering and the importance of contributing to the community. In fact, it is the volunteers he works with that he credits much of his success, sharing the award with the people around him that make his success possible.

Brian Parry was born on 21 June, 1942 at Auburn, NSW and has dedicated his life to fighting Australian bush fires. At 25, he joined the Forestville Bush Fire Brigade as a volunteer fire fighter and in 1974 he moved into a paid position as Assistant Fire Controller at Sutherland Shire, later being promoted to Fire Control Officer.

In those early days as a fire fighter Brian worked without many resources, with the time particularly hard financially. He credits his family's support during that period as vital to allowing him to continue and succeed in his chosen career.

In 1987, Brian began work with the NSW Bush Fire Service and was appointed Manager of State Operations in 1993. In the bush fires of 1994, he was confronted with one of the worst fire outbreaks in the history of the area. He was in charge of responding to 67 fires in northern NSW and demonstrated incredible courage, leadership and composure under pressure to contain the blazes.

In 1995, needing a lifestyle change, Brian and his wife moved to Erowal Bay in the Shoalhaven to take up the position of Fire Control Officer, not realising that he was moving to what would become one of the state's bush fire hot spots.

At Christmas 2001-2002, the worst bush fire emergency in local living memory gripped the Shoalhaven community. As Incident Controller, Brian oversaw the operation and safety of thousands of men and women from the local area, interstate and overseas as they attempted to contain the blazes without loss of life. He worked closely with the NSW Fire Brigades, Police, SES, National Parks and Wildlife and State Forests, all of which were reliant on Brian's leadership and dedication.

During the fires, Brian became a shining light for the people of the Shoalhaven. They credit the survival of their community to Brian's involvement, which he did while also caring for his gravely ill wife, Rosalie. His strongest supporter, Rosalie continued to encourage Brian to devote himself to the community, until eventually losing her long battle with illness in June 2002.

Brian has been given the key to City of Shoalhaven in recognition of his dedication during the 2001-2002 bush fires and was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in 2000 for distinguished service.

While being named Local Hero 2003 for his work during the 2001-2002 bush fires, Brian continues to offer the leadership and support that won him the award. For 43 days, from the 8th of November to the 20th of December 2002, a bush fire burned in the Moreton National Park destroying 76,000 hectares, losing three homes, numerous small buildings and threatening a colony of koalas. Brian was again called upon to oversee the fire-fighting efforts. He will surely continue to remain a local hero, a calm leader and pillar of support for the people of the City of Shoalhaven.