Firefighters Form Guard Of Honor To Bid Farewell To Colleague Who Lost His Life In Australian Bushfires

Jan 09, 2020 by apost team

Bushfires have been raging across Australia for weeks, and unfortunately there has been loss of life among firefighters. RFS volunteer firefighter Andrew O'Dwyer recently lost his life alongside fellow firefighter, Geoffrey Keaton, both of whom were honored and buried this week.

During O'Dwyer's funeral service, fellow servicemen formed a guard of honor and also performed a ceremonial Haka to honor him. Both honors touched the family and community, serving as testament to the many lives O'Dwyer touched during his life.

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Andrew O'Dwyer was just 36 years old, married, and father to 1-year-old daughter, Charlotte, who was given O'Dwyer's posthumous medal of honor at his funeral. Moments after receiving the award for her father, the young girl donned his service helmet, which had been left to the family.

While his daughter is too young to understand the importance of the day or the loss of a loved one, she will have mementos and captured images from the day to look back on when she is older. Not only were several hundred firefighters in attendance to honor O'Dwyer, but so were many dignitaries including the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

At the moment, Australia is dealing with waves of bushfires in almost every corner of the country. Volunteer firefighters like O'Dwyer put more than time and effort into fighting the blazes. Wildfires are particularly dangerous for teams to fight because they can spread and shift faster than firefighters can respond.

O'Dwyer and Keaton, 32, were fighting a section of bushfires in their community when they climbed into their tanker to better position themselves. According to PerthNow, the pair were killed instantly when a burning tree fell onto the truck, causing it to roll. Now, O'Dwyer's name will forever be remembered and has a place of honor on a new tanker, which was unveiled during his funeral.

Plans are being discussed for creating a lasting memorial to both firefighters who lost their lives, as a makeshift one has been put in place and grown over the days since the accident, reports 10 daily. A memorial gives the public a place to remember the two heroes and serves as a reminder to the sacrifices made by those that serve their community.

What do you think about this story? Do you know any firefighters? Let's honor their hard work and raise awareness about how tough this job is.