His younger colleagues lovingly call him “the dinosaur,” and after five decades of serving the public, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Station Officer Fred Parkhouse, has called ‘time’ on his career.
68-year-old Fred joined NSW Fire Brigades, as it was known then, as a teenager and progressed through the ranks, learning all aspects of firefighting and rescue work.
Fire and Rescue NSW Duty Commander, Chris Bishop, says Fred is still as keen to protect the community as the day he joined.
Fire and Rescue NSW
“Fred thrives on going to active incidents, extinguishing fires, and helping those in need,” Duty Commander Bishop explained.
“He’s just that type of character, that’s his domain…if a major incident is happening and he’s there, he takes control and he still loves it after 50 years.”
“It’s obviously a very hard decision for him to leave Fire and Rescue NSW because he still has a great love for firefighting. He’s got an enormous amount of knowledge and a great ability to see the ‘bigger picture’ at incidents.”
Remarkable period of service
“At times, when I’ve arrived at a scene, Fred will already be liaising with all the other agencies, and he’ll have everything in hand,” continued Commander Bishop.
"He’ll have informed the Police…and he’ll have all the utility companies organized, he’ll be speaking with the owners, he’ll be dealing with people who’ve been impacted by the incident. You just can’t buy that experience.”
Fred’s colleagues suggest he’s also remained a firefighter all this time by order of his wife, Janet.
Surprise farewell lunch
Jeremy Fewtrell joined his Central Coast colleagues at a surprise farewell lunch at Gosford Fire Station
“We’ve always said Janet doesn’t want him to retire, she wants him out of her hair…that’s why he’s stayed in the job so long,” Duty Commander Bishop said. “But we really know it’s her support that has enabled him to achieve this remarkable period of service.”
There’s been plenty of good-natured banter with his younger colleagues, and father-figure, Fred, is known to give as good as he gets.
On his last shift yesterday, a host of Fred’s commanders, including Deputy Commissioner – Field Operations, Jeremy Fewtrell, joined his Central Coast colleagues at a surprise farewell lunch at Gosford Fire Station.
With his kids now grown up and his service number retired, Fred now plans to enjoy a holiday with his wife and settle down to a quieter life in the Hunter Valley.