Kacey at the Strathmerton CFA brigade headquarters.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Although the season of giving may be over, giving the gift of one’s time has always come as second nature to one Strathmerton local.
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Last June, Kacey Bolitho found herself elected to the position of 3rd lieutenant of the Strathmerton CFA brigade, making her the first female lieutenant in the brigade’s 90-year history.
Not one to talk about herself, Kacey drew attention to the encouragement she’d received from her family.
“I probably couldn’t be where I am today without the support of my partner and my kids, really,” Kacey said.
“It’s a big weight off your shoulders — to know that you’ve got the help there, and you are supported. It’s a big relief to be able to turn to others when you need.”
She expressed nothing but praise for her fellow brigade members.
“It’s a really good brigade. The members are helpful, there’s plenty of learning. You can up-skill as much as you like,” Kacey said.
Especially during fire season, the unpredictable nature of emergency response means situations often arise when Kacey must drop almost everything to answer the call of duty.
“Sometimes, you’re in the middle of cooking dinner, and you get paged. You have to leave it,” Kacey said.
But Kacey’s community-mindedness doesn’t end there.
Former and current service members gathered at the Strathmerton CFA brigade’s 90th birthday in December last year. Photo: Kacey Bolitho.
Photo by
Contributed
Kacey drives to Shepparton every two weeks to donate plasma to Lifeblood.
That’s on top of working part-time at the local Bega factory.
And it’s despite a lifelong phobia of blood and needles, the overcoming of which, she said, was a big part of the reason she first donated.
Before long, Kacey came to understand just how important her donations were to those less fortunate than her.
“I might do a bit of shopping, but I don’t go there to shop. I go there to donate plasma,” she said.
“Normally, it’s after a night shift because after you’ve done a night shift, you’re a bit flat anyway. You’re done. And after my night shifts, I only like to sleep for a couple of hours; otherwise I won’t sleep that night,” Kacey said.
“So that’s when I normally head in to Shepp and donate — to do something without doing anything.”
Alongside her firefighting duties, Kacey recently stepped into the role of CFA Peer Support Officer. Whenever a fellow crew member needs an empathetic ear, Kacey is there for them.
Despite having a full calendar every other day of the week, Kacey still manages to spend time with her family and friends. And whenever she’s looking to relax, she visits a nearby friend’s house to milk their cows for them.
But like many who give their own time for others, Kacey doesn’t do what she does for the accolades.
“I just like helping, and being involved in the community,” she said.
“If I can’t give something 110 per cent, I can’t do it.”
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