Renfrewshire firefighter celebrates 50 years of service
A veteran firefighter, who emigrated to Australia, has been helping to keep communities safe for more than half a century.
Douglas Dickie moved in 2003, having already clocked up 29 years of service in Scotland.
The 68-year-old from Renfrewshire began firefighting in the Western Area Fire Brigade on 11 November 1974.
1974 had a few notable things. The year Douglas first pulled on his helmet also saw George Foreman take on Muhammad Ali in the legendary Rumble in the Jungle match, Richard Nixon resigned as US president following the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War was raging on.
Douglas was later transferred to Strathclyde Fire Brigade where he remained until moving down under.
He was known to have worked at Port Glasgow Fire Station, Greenock, Renfrew, Barrhead, Pollok and Johnstone. He also moved to Paisley Fire Station three times during his Scottish career, which was his last station before emigrating.
Douglas led teams in high-pressure situations, including at a large wool mill fire in Paisley, where moments after coming out of the building, it collapsed.
During his time in Scotland, he lived in Johnstone, Paisley and finally in Bishopton, before he and his family moved to Australia to start a new chapter of their lives. They settled in Mullumbimby, Northern New South Wales (NSW).
He joined the Fire and Rescue NSW in August 2003 and was part of a station in Mullumbimby as an on call firefighter. On call firefighters respond to emergencies from their homes or workplaces. They are not on duty at the fire station, but are available to respond when called or alerted by a pager. He was appointed Captain of Station just eight months later and remained in that position for one year. Douglas was then successful in becoming a permanent firefighter with the organisation and was stationed in Sydney until 2006.
He started working with Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and was given the title of Station Officer. Dougie was recognised for his efforts during natural disasters and received the Queensland Flood and Cyclone Citation. He remained in this post until 2021.
During his time at Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, he was able to return to Mullumbimby as an on-call firefighter in the position of Deputy Captain.
Douglas is pleased with what he has achieved over the years in two parts of the world.
He said: “I am proud to have completed 50 years in one job.
“I am also proud that I managed to become a qualified Station Officer in two different countries, after promising myself that I was not going to do it again, then deciding that I would.
“It’s also great to have been involved in training new people and watching their skills develop to become competent firefighters.”
Station Commander Craig Bilsland fondly reflects on his time working with Douglas as part of Blue Watch in Greenock Fire Station.
He said: “I was the new recruit and worked out that Dougie lived in the same village as me, so I regularly gave him a lift home from work.
“One morning there was torrential rain and wind and I was asked to stay on after a night shift to ensure crewing until a colleague who was running late had arrived.
“Dougie came out to the muster bay wrapped up for the weather and I told him I unfortunately couldn’t give him a lift home.
“When I eventually left the station, I had no option but to drive past him some time later as he was walking home from the train station.
“He was very wet as he jostled along the street pushing against the wind. When I spoke with him the next day, he was completely fine with it and laughed it off.”
Douglas still serves at Mullumbimby as an on call firefighter in the position of Deputy Captain and we wish him all the best with the rest of his career.