Medowie firefighter Lou Cassar receives Australian Fire Service Medal in the Queen's Honours List

Lou Cassar, who has lived all his life in Medowie having first joined the Medowie Rural Fire Brigade in 1976, said that he was "totally surprised and humbled" on receiving the news.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would receive this recognition ... there are far more deserving people than I and I am accepting this medal on behalf of all the volunteer firefighters in the region," he said.

"I also would never have been able to rack up those years without the support of my family, and I want to pay tribute to my wife Maria, our six children, grandchildren (14) and great grandchildren (two)."

While Louis 'Lou' Cassar officially joined the Medowie rural fire service in 1976, he had been performing the duties of a volunteer firefighter long before even then.

"Back in the day, as far back when I was a kid, helping neighbours in times of bushfires was just a thing you did," Cassar said.

"I remember helping my dad fight fires when there was no official volunteer brigade ... there was a bit of self preservation but neighbours always looked after each other in times of need."

After two years as a firefighter Cassar was elected deputy captain, before becoming captain from 1984 to 2015.

In 2005, he was appointed Lower Hunter deputy group captain and currently he is group captain. He has been a member of the local Bush Fire Management Committee since 1985 and has also held terms as president of the Port Stephens branch of the Bush Fire Brigades Association.

Cassar has put his numerous qualifications into practice as a leader/controller and has responded locally, out-of-area and interstate to fight fires, in addition to disasters such as the Newcastle earthquake, the 1994 fires, storms, floods and other incidents.

"In all of these, he has displayed dedication, enthusiasm and above all, leadership," his citation reads.

Lou Cassar says his childhood helped frame the man he is today. He attended St Peter's Primary school at Stockton travelling to and from school on dirt roads by bus and later went to Marist Bros Hamilton where he would catch the bus, ferry and bus.

"After school I worked at BHP initially in their commercial side and later in IT primarily around shipping documentation and recording right until it closed [in 1999]."

He says he has watched the town of Medowie grow and flourish over the years.

"I never thought it would progress the way it has, but I will say I recall as a little boy standing on the very spot where the Medowie RFS building is today with Reece James [then fire chief] remarking: 'mark my word there will be a city here one day'."

Working tirelessly to promote the volunteer fire service, Lou Cassar always gives his total commitment. He engages with a range of community organisations such as Scouts, preschools, primary schools, Rotary, Senior Citizens and others to promote the Rural Fire Service and fire safety. In 2009 he was awarded life membership of Medowie Rural Fire Brigade.

Having witnessed firefighting techniques evolve from wet hessian bags to the high-tech equipment employed today, he not only appreciates how best to use and harness the benefits of these resources, but also has the ability to pass this knowledge to others.

He counts the 1994 eastern seaboard bushfires as the worst he has seen, but insists that every fire is different and must be treated as such.

"I have been extremely lucky to have worked with such a great group of volunteers and I am extremely humbled by the recognition."

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