Cadets fire up to blitz competition

Bunbury Volunteer Bushfire Brigade cadets went out in a blaze of glory at the inaugural Bushfire Games.

The group, who have been climbing the ladder of success all year, came away with a truck load of awards and claimed the overall winning cadet team.

Bunbury Volunteer Bushfire Brigade captain Terri Kowal said she was beyond proud of the cadets who had a massive year, including competing at the Australian Fire Cadet Championships in Sydney.

“I’m very impressed with their efforts … after going to the Australian championships they came away with confidence and enthusiasm to go and do the Perth games,” Ms Kowal said.

“Quite a few cadets lack confidence and self-belief and it’s been awesome watching them grow in those areas.”

The inaugural Perth event, held last weekend, saw the Bunbury team collect nine awards in total including two gold medals, team safety award and best cadet team captain.

The team went up against teams from Perth and other regional towns.

Ms Kowal said it was important to have a constant number of cadets going through the ranks, with six new cadets added to the team this year.

“They’re the future of our brigade and the future firefighters of the community so we try and encourage them to stay on,” she said.