Volunteers drive the formation of new Apostles Group

 

A new CFA group has been officially launched in District 6 – the Apostles Group.

 

Formed through the merger of Cobden and Timboon groups, this new team reflects a proactive, volunteer-led effort to build a more sustainable group for the area.

WHY THE CHANGE?
Like many rural areas, CFA groups in District 6 are dealing with fewer volunteers, leadership gaps and heavier workloads.

For Cobden Group in particular, maintaining viability was becoming harder.

“It really came down to people – just not having enough of them,” Group Officer Mark Roberts AFSM said. “Running a group with only six brigades just wasn’t going to cut it long term. We needed a group that was the right size for the years to come.”

A working party was established with representatives from each group in District 6. Its focus was to plan for the future and identify ways to strengthen the role of groups.

“With the trending change in the community’s values around volunteering, it was time for us to be proactive,” Deputy Group Officer and Captain of Port Campbell Fire Brigade Katy Millard said. 

“Exchanging ideas and considering other points of view as part of the working party was a positive way of being able to influence change,” Katy said.

The working party’s first recommendation was to bring Cobden and neighbouring Timboon groups together to create a single, stronger group with shared resources, experience and people power. The  new group includes Bostocks Creek, Brucknell-Ayrford, Carpendeit-South Purrumbete, Cobden, Cobrico, Ecklin & District, Jancourt, Kennedy’s Creek, Lower Heytesbury, Port Campbell, Princetown, Scotts Creek-Cowleys Creek, Simpson and Timboon.

VOLUNTEERS LEADING THE WAY
What set this process apart was that it was entirely volunteer led – from the initial conversations and planning to consultation and decision-making.

“The pragmatic approach from both groups’ delegates was great,” Deputy Group Officer and new CFA Board member Bryce Morden said. “Many had been through mergers before with local sports clubs and knew we couldn’t wait for a crisis to trigger a merger.”

Delegates also agreed on the group’s new name – Apostles Group – to reflect the iconic landscape and shared identity of the region .

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
As planning got underway, it became clear that merging two groups involved more than just deciding on a new name. There were different ways of operating, and alignment was key.

Templates and tools helped clarify expectations, but the real value came from collaboration.

“It’s been interesting to see the different approaches from each of the groups across operations, admin, training and communications,” Bryce said. “We will need to take the best from both and create a new Apostles Group way of doing things.”

Katy said working with a wider range of people made decision-making stronger.

“I didn’t anticipate the value of the combined group management teams, with a broader experience base,” she said. “Bringing different perspectives to the table actually made the nuts and bolts of setting up the new group pretty straightforward.”

Introducing pre-nomination process before elections also gave brigade delegates more confidence in the process.

“We received pre-nominations for the officer positions, which really helped,” Mark said. “It gave delegates time to consider their choices ahead of the meeting. Voting by secret ballot meant the decisions were made in a fair, confidential and democratic way for the group’s first term.” 

WHAT’S NEXT?
With elections complete, the focus is now on establishing group procedures, preparing for the fire season and continuing to learn from each other.

The Apostles Group was created by bringing two groups together, but the goal was bigger than just a merger. It was about building a stronger, more sustainable future for the brigades involved.

As Bryce summed up: “Change is inevitable. We can choose to have agency and influence in the change process or we can sit back and let change happen to us.”

To learn more about the group amalgamation process, a case study is available. For a copy or if you have any questions, please email the Volunteer Sustainability Team (South West Region) at vst-swr@cfa.vic.gov.au.

 

Submitted by	Kirsten Dudink