Our firefighters 

Our firefighters

There might have been bigger fires - the Warrambungles for instance - but the start of the fire season here in Cowra brought an unprecedented number of fires for our local NSW Rural Fire Service brigades to tackle.

Just before Christmas, we had thousands of hectares burnt between here and Boorowa, then it was Warwick and Glen Logan’s turn to the north.That fire destroyed a home that was the centre of more than a century of family history.

Then, Walli went up – not once but twice, alongside, Conimbla, Merriganowry...the list goes on.

We wanted you to know who to thank for protecting your property. So, for several weeks we’ve travelled across the shire, meeting up with local brigade captains and hearing what makes them give so much to fighting fires.

Their photos now feature in a special ‘thank you’ edition from us at the Cowra Guardian.

Click on the brigades below to see interviews with the captains

He came all the way from Sweden and spent his final two weeks in Australia in Cowra. Damir Hajdarevic is a professional photographer and website designer from Harnosand in Sweden’s north. He arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa in 2011 and spent the majority of his two years in Sydney. His last two weeks in the country were spent in Cowra and surrounds, chasing and capturing our Rural Fire Service firefighters. He wanted to capture the essence of what rural Australia was, as well as the people who live and protect it.