LONG-SERVING Wimmera firefighter Ian Walter has described being included on the Queen's Birthday honours list as his highest accolade.
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Mr Walter will be awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal for his 53 years in the Country Fire Authority.
He has served in several brigades after growing up in Goroke, living in Edenhope before moving to Horsham in 1982.
Mr Walter is a member of Dooen Rural Fire Brigade and Region 17 headquarters brigade and air observer.
He has served in various role within CFA, including captain, group officer, group secretary, regional and area health and safety delegate, and roles on the Victoria Rural Fire Brigade Association and Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria.
Mr Walter said he was shocked to receive a letter of notification about the medal.
"I'm certainly not in it for awards and or to get accolades. I do it for the community and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I've met people throughout the state who I can look up to and have formed friendships with," he said.
Mr Walter said his various roles, including three state committees, took up much of his life.
"Just ask my wife," he said.
"I enjoy it, and if I can do anything to help I will. As a family our father was always mixed up in organisations in Goroke and my three brothers are involved in community activities."
As well as his fire brigade commitments Mr Walter is also chairman of Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre and involved in the Lutheran church.
Mr Walter predicted a time of change ahead for fire brigades.
"There's quite a bit of controversy over the Royal Commission and I hope not too many things change," he said.
"There's always going to be controversy over change."
Mr Walter said the community appreciated the firefighters.
"The community certainly wouldn't run as they do without volunteers. In the CFA if we didn't have volunteers there would be no way knowing we could control wildfires in rural areas," he said.
Mr Walter said he had been involved in major incidents in his time as a firefighter - the aftermath of Ash Wednesday, major hay shed fires at Johnson Asahi in Horsham, strike teams in north-east Victoria and Bairnsdale and Horsham and Daylesford in February last year.
"The one that did the most damage was obviously Black Saturday but every fire usually affects somebody - whether it be on a large or small scale," he said.
