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The region’s chief bushfire control officer has received one of the country’s highest awards in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List. The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River’s David Holland was on Monday recognised for his years of service to the region with the prestigious Australian Fire Service Medal. The dedicated Witchcliffe firefighter has held the shire’s top job for a decade while he and his family were strongly involved in local volunteer bushfire brigades.

The honours list announcement noted Mr Holland played a vital role in managing bushfire risk across the Capes region and was a veteran in what was “one of the State’s most active fire districts”. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. Mr Holland has attended more than 250 incidents in his career, including the disastrous 2011 Margaret River and 2016 Waroona-Yarloop bushfires, as well as major fires elsewhere in WA.



After the 2011 disaster, Mr Holland served for 12 months with the shire’s recovery team helping affected residents rebuild their lives. Mr Holland’s wife Dianne was also a respected operations commander while both their sons were active in bushfire brigades. The award winner told the Times he was stunned at the high-level honour.

“When I started volunteering in my local bushfire brigade in 1998 and then the Fire and Rescue Service in 2012, I simply wanted to give back to the community,” he said. “I’ve always thought it’s a privile.

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