Hans van Hamond AFSM
President

P: (03) 5339 2436
F: (03) 5339 2436
E: h.vanhamond@vfbv.com.au

VFBV's President Hans van Hamond joined the Creswick brigade in 1967, at a time when fire was challenging the state of Victoria the way it would again in 1983 and 2009.

He later transferred to the Wendouree brigade, where he has served as Secretary, Captain and later Treasurer.  He has worked at Group level, and served on the committee of the Ballarat Urban Fire Brigade's Championships, and as State President of the VUFBA.

As a teacher with TAFE and the University of Ballarat, Hans has taught fire technology for more than a decade.

In a long career as a CFA volunteer, he says his most satisfying moment was seeing his three sons succeed as members of a State Championship winning team in the early 2000s.

Hans van Hamond says VFBV's most vital role is as the voice of volunteers, recognised by government, the CFA Board and the volunteers themselves.

Bruce Vine
Vice President
Vice President Rural Stream

P: (03) 5754 4046
F: (03) 5754 1241
M: 0409 468 230
E: b.vine@vfbv.com.au

As a secondary teacher, VFBV Vice President Bruce Vine suspects it was his skill with paperwork that was behind the Tawonga Brigade's decision to make him brigade secretary at his first meeting.

And the brigade chose well - since then, he has been a volunteer at Tawonga for 35 years, serving as Group Officer at the Kiewa Group in Region 24 and an accredited Fire Investigator.

Involved in combating the major campaign fires of recent years, Bruce had the experience of seeing the 2002/3 fires all around his rural home, and the flames eventually burning to within 150 metres of the house.

Bruce Vine sees the VFBV's role as representing the interests of the volunteers fairly and to the best of everyone's ability, ensuring that the CFA is recognised as an organisation of professional skills and standards manned by volunteers and supported by full time staff.

Bill Maltby
Board Member
Vice President - Urban Stream

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E: b.maltby@vfbv.com.au

Tom Brodie AFSM
Board Member

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E: t.brodie@vfbv.com.au

Tom Brodie has great confidence in the volunteers themselves, saying that the arrival of minimum skills requirements visibly raised their level of training and their ability to attack fire.

Tom was a member of the Longwood Water Trust and the Nagambie/Euroa Water Board, where he served as President and received his 25 year certificate for his service to the community.

A Councillor with the Shire of Goulburn from 1977-94, Tom served two terms as Shire President. He has also been Chairman of the Longwood Community Centre Committee of Management since its inception.

A member of the steering committee of the Rural Financial Counselling Service, he has also served one year on the board of Rural Financial Counselling Service – Victoria North Central

Andy Cusack AFSM
Board Member

P: 0418 849 911
F: (03) 5528 6248
E: a.cusack@vfbv.com.au

Living in a farming district in the state’s far South West, Andy Cusack joined the CFA initially to serve his local community. Since 1977, he has been a long serving Brigade Secretary, Lieutenant and Group Officer.

As the manager of a forest industry training organisation, Andy Cusack has a passion for operational training and worked on the development of training grounds as a member of the State Training Grounds Committee.

An endorsed Level Three Incident Controller, he has undertaken extensive intra and interstate deployments with CFA.  The standout experiences of his CFA career include serving as a Strike Team Leader during the 2009 fires and working as an Operations Officer on deployment to Sydney in the early 2000s.

Andy Cusack’s wife and son are both dedicated CFA volunteers, and his ambition is for all volunteers to be properly respected for their skills and commitment, by CFA and the community.

Nev Jones AFSM
Board Member

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E: n.jones@vfbv.com.au

Gary Lyttle AFSM
President

P: (03) 5344 8406
F: (03) 5344 8525
M: 0417 302 806
E: g.lyttle@vfbv.com.au

Gary Lyttle is a farmer and businessman who lives at Cardigan, west of Ballarat.

Originally a carpenter and builder and more lately a TAFE teacher, he has been a CFA volunteer since the early 1960s. 

Trained as a fire investigator, Gary was Lieutenant of the Miners Rest Brigade for 20 years and has served in a variety of CFA and VFBV roles at local, regional and state level.

CFA service is a family tradition, Gary’s father was a volunteer and his son and daughter are members of the Cardigan Fire Brigade. 

Gary Lyttle wants the VFBV to cement its position as a strong, unified voice for volunteers, especially in these times in which the Bushfires Royal Commission, industrial issues and boundary changes are important issues.

He sees the modern CFA volunteer as a highly professional firefighter, especially since the arrival of minimum skills requirements.

Bruce Pickett AFSM
Board Member

P: 0409 168 954
F:
E: b.pickett@vfbv.com.au

Bruce Pickett joined the Geelong West Urban Fire Brigade in 1970 and has served as Captain and Brigade Business Manager.

His service as a firefighter spans an entire generation, including 1983’s Ash Wednesday and 2009’s devastating Black Saturday.

A Fitter and Turner by trade, Bruce lists his family as his main interest in life, with camping and fishing his favourite recreations, and service to the Brigade and with VFBV also high on the list.

Bruce’s service has earned him the National Medal and the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM), as well as life memberships of his brigade and the Victorian Urban Fire Brigades Association.

Bruce Pickett believes strongly in the value of practical experience for firefighters, and the role of CFA in supporting the volunteers who are the bulk of its workforce.  He says VFBV’s most important role is ensuring that volunteers have real input into all CFA decisions that affect them and the communities they protect.

Mick Taylor AFSM
Board Member

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E: m.taylor@vfbv.com.au

Mick Taylor lives in suburban Mornington, where he has been a local CFA volunteer since 1957.  A member of the VUFBA executive for 23 years, Mick became a foundation member of the VFBV and has been on the board ever since.

Now working as an FEM contractor for the CFA, he was a self employed builder for many years.

It was Mick’s fitness that got him into the CFA – the local Captain saw him running competitively and said “It’s time you started running for the brigade”.  Three years later he was an officer and 20 years later he was still a competitive runner.

Mick was Mornington’s Captain for seven years, and has served on various committees and at regional level for 40 years.  He says “the CFA is such a family organisation that once it gets hold of you, it won’t let go.”

Mick Taylor sees the VFBV’s role as ensuring the volunteers are well recognised, well looked after and well organised to deal with the challenges of the future.

Frank Zeigler
Board Member

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E: f.zeigler@vfbv.com.au

Frank Zeigler is a former CFA Board Member and former Mayor of the Glenelg Shire Council.  He has served on the State’s Ministerial Crime Prevention Council and as Chair of the Portland Eco Trust.

As a former member of the Victoria Police, Frank holds the National Medal for Service, the Centenary Medal, the CFA service medal and the Victoria Police Valour Medal.

Frank is the owner and CEO of Professional Diving Services, with offices in Portland, Melbourne and Albury.

Lecturing at Swinburne University, Frank focuses on human involvement in disasters, disaster management and recovery systems, with a specific interest in marine firefighting and industrial hazards.