General News
25 March, 2025
Decades of service
ALLAN ‘Butch’ Anderson has dedicated five decades to the Amphitheatre CFA, stepping into the role of Captain five years ago.
ALLAN ‘Butch’ Anderson has dedicated five decades to the Amphitheatre CFA, stepping into the role of Captain five years ago.
His journey began as a young teenager, following in the footsteps of his father and other local firefighters.
“We joined when we were twelve. Our fathers were in the CFA, and that started the whole ‘Come on, you’re coming too.’ They’d sign you up, and that was it, you’d learn from them,” he said.
Though training has become far more extensive over the years, Butch still sees the CFA as one big family. The Amphitheatre brigade, which works closely with Lexton, Elmhurst, and Avoca, currently has 68 members, with around 45 active firefighters.
Despite its strength, Butch acknowledges the need for modern equipment.
“It would be handy to have up-to-date trucks with air conditioning, but we work with what we’ve got.”
Butch acknowledged the challenges facing volunteer firefighting, particularly as CFA members work alongside career firefighters.
“There’s a stigma about the CFA losing members, and rightly so. Because we are working alongside paid fire fighters and you are there as a volunteer getting nothing, somewhere along the track that has to change, that’s the only way to get the young ones back in. But we do the job because we love it. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of people,”
To ensure all members can contribute, the brigade established a senior group for firefighters aged 65 and over, who assist with essential tasks.
“We are lucky enough that they will take a QuickFill so we don't have to worry about that as first responders, and they are prepared to do that which is really good,” he said.
For Butch, training is a key focus, particularly for young recruits.
“Whenever we go away on a strike team, I always want a young guy to come in with the crew, because they need to learn. They don’t learn from being in the background, they learn on the fire ground.”
“A couple of the young guys who came to Bayindeen, when we were in a burn over, a week before that, we were in a burn over in Pomonal, so they had a very good grounding, and we train for these things.”
Butch reflected on some of the most intense fires he’s faced, including those burn overs at Bayindeen and Pomonal, where quick thinking and training saved lives.
“You never know what you’re walking into. You risk your life every time, but our number one rule is making sure everyone comes home safe.”
One moment that sticks with him is a chance encounter with an 83-year-old man walking around during the fires in Pomonal.
“I said, ‘I don’t know if you understand the enormity of what’s about to happen here.’ He told me, ‘I’ve been in the CFA a long time.’ I replied, ‘Yes, but with all due respect that was a long time ago.”
Hours later after fighting spot fires, Butch and his team returned to check on the man.
“We came back in when it all came down on top of us and couple hours later, we thought ‘Gee, how is that old chap going?’ So we went back out, the fire was all over him but the house was still there and he was okay, he said, ‘Oh, I was wondering about you blokes!’ I told him we’d been wondering about him too, and he said, ‘If I had power, I’d make you a cup of tea.’”