THE Cloncurry Fire Brigade had been keeping an eye on a grass fire for several hours but then the wind changed. It made the fire dangerous, unpredictable for the town.
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The Cloncurry hospital was evacuated. That incident in August 2012 was one of those rare occasions Captain Joe Bakhash asked the Mount Isa based area district manager for support.
It was never clear what caused the fire.
“The wind got it and it just went berko,” Captain Bakhash recalled. “It was full on then. It was one of the times we called for help. It was pretty intense. I didn’t fear for my life but I certainly feared for a lot of buildings.” This was one of the more severe infernos he witnessed in 46 years in the brigade.
The precise year when Captain Bakhash first began in the Cloncurry Fire Brigade isn’t clear but it’s conceded that it would have to have been 1970, he said. Since then he has fought countless fires, been in chemical explosions such as in the time the Shell Service Station blew up, and waded through water to help people after 40 houses were damaged from a busted dam. “The houses were full of mud. Inside the walls. The stench was unbearable,” he said.
Due to policy Captain Bakhash retires three days before Christmas, when he turns 65 years old. His work crew organised his retirement party in the Cloncurry Community Precinct last Saturday night.
There were so many good moments, and far more outweighing the bad, that Captain Bakhash would miss.
“It wasn’t all about fires, rescues, I never liked to mention anything like that. We were helping people, going into fetes, the show, and making sure we had someone over there in the truck taking lollies around. Every Christmas we would take ice blocks around. Go to schools and do fire education. I don’t know how many generations I’ve done that,” he said.
Also, for the last 36 years Captain Bakhash was a railway worker. But Aurizon’s recent job cuts has affected the diesel shed supervisor. He was made redundant three weeks ago. “There’s a hell of a lot of changes,” he said. “I need to take five for a little bit. I think my wife (Mary) has a lot of stuff for me to do here. Maybe we will do a bit of traveling, go away and see the grand kids.”
Captain Bakhash wanted to recognise the support of his fellow fighters, but also Mrs Bakhash and his children over the years. The late night phone calls directed to his house to attend emergencies didn’t just wake him up. “The family has been very good to me over the years, backed me up with what I’ve done.” His children are Anita, Nikki, Joseph, and through them Mr and Mrs Bakhash have eight grandchildren and a great grandson, Archie.
