Cobram CFA members Adrian Hilder and David Barr in Melbourne to protest the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, which was recently passed into law.
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A handful of Cobram’s own volunteer firefighters have taken to the streets of Melbourne alongside thousands protesting the government’s new emergency services tax.
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David Beard, Adrian Hilder and David Barr travelled to Melbourne on Tuesday, May 20, to protest the government’s passing of the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.
They set out for Melbourne before sunrise in the no. 2 Cobram tanker, pausing to rendezvous with dozens of other volunteer firefighters at the BP service station in Wallan en route to Melbourne.
It was Mr Hilder’s first time taking part in such a protest, and he found the experience exhilarating.
“It was better than what I expected. Everyone was was joining in on the chanting, and everyone was there. We were all there for the same reason,” he said.
When the trio eventually arrived in Melbourne, they found the streets of Melbourne’s CBD bursting with their fellow CFA volunteers, riding along in tankers and trucks similar to theirs.
Protestors assembled on Spring St to voice their fury over the government’s new levy.
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“You’ve seen protests on TV and overseas, where it’s all angry. This was such a peaceful, peaceful rally and, like I said, everyone was there, from community members to farmers to emergency services workers; they were all there for the same reason. It was great,” Mr Hilder said.
Although neither Mr Hilder, Mr Barr nor Mr Beard are farmers themselves, they decided to take part in the protest as a show of solidarity.
“I’ve got a lot of mates who are farmers, we’ve got brigades surrounding us, our local neighbouring brigades — they’re all farmers,” Mr Hilder said.
“So we feel as though we must support them as well, you know, and they will support us.”
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