Community
11 April, 2025
Carrying the Whytcross legacy
WITH the Country Fire Authority (CFA) celebrating 80 years as an organisation, two members of the Weerite CFA brigade are reflecting on their family’s history with the CFA in the district.
Father and daughter Phil and Hannah Whytcross have had strong ties to the brigade, with the Whytcross name forming a strong part of the history of the Weerite brigade.
Ms Whytcross said she signed up not only due to the family connection, but also as a way to help out in the community.
“It’s a way of helping others out when they need it,” she said.
“It’s a small thing, and if everyone does their little bit, it’s good.”
Speaking with Western District Newspapers, Ms Whytcross said her grandparents were long-time members of the brigade.
Max Whytcross, her grandfather, joined the brigade in 1964 and was a member for over 50 years before passing away in 2018.
Ms Whytcross’ grandmother, who died last year, spent 45 years with the brigade.
Mr Whytcross, who serves as the captain of the brigade, said he had been a proud CFA member since he was 16.
He has followed in his parents’ footsteps, racking up nearly 40 years with the brigade.
“I did a couple of years – two to four years – learning the ropes, then I took on an equipment officer’s job for a few years,” Mr Whytcross said.
“We had a captain who had done his stint and wanted to move on, so I took up the captaincy – that would have been around 1998, and I’ve been captain here ever since.
“I joined because, being a landowner and living in the area, it was just something we did back then to help out.
“I’m never one for accolades or anything like that – I just try and get the job done and get home.”
While not one to take notice of time passing, Mr Whytcross said it was an achievement for the CFA to be marking 80 years as an organisation.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the milestone year was an opportunity to reflect on how far CFA has come since its establishment in the wake of the 1939 Black Friday Royal Commission.
“CFA has come a long way since its inception,” he said.
“Eighty years on, the way we fight fires may have changed a little, but our core mission remains the same – to protect lives and property.
“Today, nearly 52,000 CFA members support communities across Victoria, not only through fire response but also in road crashes, rescues, floods and medical emergencies.
“As we have done over the past eight decades, CFA will continue to invest heavily in training and equipment and above all else, we’ll continue to invest in our people.
“Our members are the backbone of our organisation, a remarkable collection of highly skilled volunteers who step up and protect their community whenever called upon.”
Mr Whytcross said one of the best things about being a part of the CFA was the “terrific” group of people within the region who were members of the brigade.
“We’ve got a lot of good people who are involved in the CFA – they’ve always helped out,” Mr Whytcross said.
“I think that’s the other side of things – everyone chips in where they need to, and everyone’s got their own specialties.”
Ms Whytcross, who is the third generation of the Whytcross family to be a member of the Weerite brigade, is hopeful for the future.
“It’s definitely a good tool for the community to keep people safe,” she said.
“I certainly get a lot out of it – not only helping out the community, but the mates I’ve made out of it as well as the learning opportunities through the CFA.
“Hopefully that’s around for many more years to come.
“We not only go to fires – we also go to car accidents, we go to gas leaks, we go to chemical leaks – we go to a range of things.”
Ms Whytcross encouraged others to put their hand up and volunteer with their local brigade, but warned it was “not for the faint-hearted”.
“It’s just about doing your bit – there’s a feeling inside once you’ve come home from a job that someone might have had a really bad time and you’ve gone out and you’ve tried to do what you can to help,” she said.
Read More: local