Piallaway Rural Fire Brigade (RFB) captain Mitchum Neave and Dunedoo (RFB) deputy captain Mick Miller were both named the 2021 members of the year for the Rural Fire Service Association.

Both Mr Neave and Mr Miller are active members of the RFSA Division 10, which is situated in the Liverpool Range.

Since joining the RFSA both men have pioneered changes in training, fire service structure, brigade funding, health and safety and equipment standards.

READ ALSO:

With a career spanning a decade, Mr Neave said his main priority was to inspire young Indigenous people to get involved with the service, as the current volunteers continues to age.

"To know there's Indigenous people there makes you stand taller because you've got you're mob there doing the same thing you're doing," he said. "But you've also got all different nationalities working together, and no one cares who you are once you've got the yellows on, you're just one of the group, one of the gang, one of the mob. It's so rewarding."

Mr Miller has been with the service since 2008 when he joined the Castlereagh branch and is the current chairperson of Division 10.

Recently the pair were the driving force behind the introduction of the NSW RFS Indigenous Pin.

The idea was first proposed by Mr Neave in 2019 before the Divsion 10 members worked tirelessly throughout COVID-19 lockdowns for its launch in Gunnedah in 2021.

Now the pin is available for all NSW RFS members across the state who wish to wear it with respect.

Mr Neave said he was "gobsmacked" and "humbled" to be presented with the joint member of the year award.

"I wasn't expecting anything like that," he said. "It's all come out of Division 10, we're a team and I'm a team player."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: