By TANIA PHILLIPS
THE Cudgen Rural Fire Brigade will open its doors to the general public on Saturday as part of their annual open day.
The brigade’s station on the Tweed Coast has a bit of a new look this year after receiving a grant earlier this year for work to their kitchen facilities.
Earlier this month the brigade were also recipients of the Saltbar Beachbar and Bistro’s “Good Deed For The Day Program” receiving a $5000 donation.
Cudgen Rural Fire Brigade president Troy Middlebrook said the donation was most appreciated.
“We are very excited to accept this donation, and proud of the support the community has shown for our service,” he said.
“We have already seen a number of fires around the local area, however the Cudgen Rural Fire Brigade provides support for the entire Tweed Shire and beyond, and we are gearing up for a very dry summer.”
“This donation will assist us to purchase safety gear including safe-working-on-roof harnesses.”
Cudgen fire captain Robert Eglington also welcomed the donation.
“As a volunteer service, we are available 24/7,” he said.
“I am a farmer, Troy is a business analyst, and most of our volunteers are engaged in paid work, while providing this very important service to the community. We not only attend to fires, we also assist with car accidents, storm damage, structural fires and community education through a well-established school program.
“We are always looking for more volunteers – if anyone is interested they can contact our main office in Murwillumbah on 02 6672 7888.”
The Good Deed for the Day program offers Saltbar Beachbar and Bistro customers the chance to vote for their preferred group – the charity group with the most ‘votes’ receives $500 and the remaining charity groups receive $250 each.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community, while encouraging our customers to be involved in the decision,” Siemon McFie, general manager of Saltbar Beachbar and Bistro said.
The Cudgen Rural Fire Brigade, Kingscliff Primary School and the Kingscliff RSL have each received a cash donation from Saltbar Beachbar and Bistro with the Good Deed for the Day program.
“When customers purchase a main meal at the bistro, they receive a ‘Good Deed for the Day bottle cap’, which they can use to vote by putting it in our ‘Good Deed for the Day box’ just by the bistro,” Mr McFie said.
“There are three cylinders inside the box, each labelled with a different group. The group with the most bottle caps in their cylinder at the end of the quarter will receive $500 and the remaining charity groups will receive $250 each.”
