I honour Chief Superintendent Craig Geddes, whose service to the NSW Rural Fire Service spanned more than 45 years. Craig joined the Beacon Hill Rural Fire Brigade on 1 February 1980 and served in many roles, including as brigade secretary, first aid officer and brigade captain. He was awarded life membership in 1995 and also served as a deputy group captain. Craig moved into staff roles in 1994 as a fire mitigation officer, then as fire control officer and district manager for Warringah‑Pittwater and the northern beaches. He worked up to senior roles, including manager of Region East and manager of operational response. As a level 3 incident controller, Craig played a key role in major fire responses in 1994, 2001, 2013 and the Black Summer fires, and he helped to roll out the centralised computer‑aided dispatch system. Craig was a mentor, a calm and practical leader, and a true mate. His humour, wisdom and dedication will be profoundly missed. I extend my sincere condolences to his sons, Luke and Matthew, his family, friends and colleagues, and the entire RFS community.
Read the Community Recognition Statement in the NSW Hansard, here