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The touching family legacy behind Garry Bashford's top King's Birthday award.Garry Ian Bashford remembers when, as a fresh-faced 20-year-old growing up in Kentucky, he "volun-told" at the behest of his father for the local firefighting brigade.Subscribe now for unlimited access.or signup to continue reading That was in 1973, and 50 years later, still with Kentucky RFS, Mr Bashford has been awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) as part of the 2026 King's Birthday Honours list.Mr Bashford is a respected group officer in the New England Senior Leadership Team.He has significantly advanced local training and served as chairperson of the Bush Fire Management Committee."I was very surprised and very humbled that some people had thought of nominating me," he said of the service medal."The Rural Fire Service is an organisation I've been a part of for a long time, and a lot of people contribute to it.I don't know that I'm really worthy of being singled out." Mr Bashford is one of only seven recipients of the Australian Fire Service Medal, awarded to recognise decades of dedication and support for NSW communities.In addition to his proficiency as a leader at fires, his dedication extends beyond firefighting.He has significantly advanced local training, notably through the Crew Leader program, motivating and mentoring new crew leaders for over a decade.He was also instrumental in helping deliver training as a part of the RFS International Relations Project in Botswana.Mr Bashford has held the position of chairperson of the New England Bush Fire Management Committee for the last two years.He is an admired leader who welcomes and supports new members and regularly leads training.His dedication to operational responses and his remarkable service are well recognised.His dedication to training future generations for the demands and requirements of being an active RFS member stems from his early start in life fighting bushfires."In 1973, probably the only thing we've been supplied with were beaters and knapsacks," he said."The brigade was always in demand because we were an orcharding district, and a lot of orchardists had tree-spraying equipment, and we were always fairly popular to help put out fires."As time went on we got tanker trailers and slip-on units, and then to trucks."Thankfully, there is a lot of very good equipment these days which makes life that much easier, but it's a fair way from what we were doing 40 or 50 years ago." Working with other dedicated and like-minded individuals from a range of different backgrounds towards a common goal is one of the reasons the RFS has grown in strength year to year.He said, like any volunteer organisation, it can be tough at times to find people willing to give it a go, but brigades are part of a community need just as much now as they have been in the past."The whole thing wouldn't exist if it weren't supported by a large team of people," he said."That's what makes it special, not so much the individuals, but the ability of the brigade to do what it can all as part of the team effort." Mr Bashford has been married to his wife, Beatrice, for over 40 years.They have two sons, Adam and Graham, who are also part of the Kentucky Rural Fire Brigade."I have a few grandkids, they're not quite old enough to join up just yet," he said.Another "hobby" he has had over the years, which he is now retired from, was being a member of the Army Reserve, where he was committed to for 40-plus years."I'm very appreciative of being recognised.It's certainly very humbling, but really, the recognition should go to the Rural Fire Service and its members," he said."From brigades all the way up to the people in the zone, I'm proud to have been involved with such a fantastic organisation for as long as I have."