After 50 years of answering the call, Fred Dykes has officially hung up his helmet, closing a remarkable chapter in the history of the Kawerau Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Mr Dykes, who turns 75 in April, marked his final night as a firefighter on February 18 – exactly 50 years to the day since he signed up.

A weekend of celebrations marking his 50-year milestone kicked off last Friday with a meet and greet at the Kawerau Fire Station, welcoming visiting firefighters and guests from across the country.

A formal awards evening was held at the Kawerau Bowling Club on Saturday, attended by around 120 people. Representatives from brigades in Ōhope, Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, Matatā, Tāneatua and Rotomā joined dignitaries from the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA), the Auckland Provincial Fire Brigades Gold Star Association and Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

During the evening, UFBA president Lesina Walden presented Mr Dykes with the 50-year Gold Star and 50-year Service Medal, recognising his extraordinary half-century of service. Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui also spoke, acknowledging the dedication and sacrifice behind five decades of volunteer firefighting.

Originally from England, Mr Dykes arrived in Kawerau in 1975 after meeting his future wife, Linda, who is originally from Kawerau, while she was on a working holiday in England.

In those early days, Mr Dykes was working for the council and would often stop by the fire station to pick Mrs Dykes up from her administrative role. The brigade’s then chief suggested he make himself useful and attend a meeting. He did – and never looked back.

Mr Dykes has witnessed many changes since the 1970s. When he joined, firefighters wore heavy black woollen bunker coats and traditional “peg head” leather helmets. The station at its busiest had around 40 volunteer members.

“Kawerau was in its heyday,” Mr Dykes said. “The town was busy, the pubs were full, the paper mill was booming.”

Over the decades, the brigade evolved into a composite brigade with both career and volunteer firefighters, training together and responding as one team. Mr Dykes said that unity was something special.

“It’s one of the best brigades in the country.”

Today, there are about 15 volunteers in the brigade.

Over his five decades, Mr Dykes worked his way through the ranks, eventually serving as Officer in Charge – a role he handed over to Ken Russell late last year.

He began attending national conferences in 1990 and has been to most since, building long-standing friendships with firefighters from across the country, some of whom attended Saturday’s ceremony.

The Dykes also represented Kawerau internationally at the World Firefighters Games, competing in Auckland, Las Vegas and Perth in the early 1990s. Though the pair entered darts socially, the events also featured intense competitions such as “Toughest Firefighter Alive.” The trips created lifelong connections, with Christmas cards still exchanged decades later.

Not all memories have been easy. Mr Dykes attended various serious and fatal incidents during his career.

“You’d come back to the station, have a few beers, and go home,” he said. “Nowadays there’s proper counselling and support, which is a good thing.”

Alongside his volunteer service, Mr Dykes spent 28 years working at the mill, then ran a pest control business for 17 years – all while serving as a firefighter. He is now retired.

Health challenges in recent years mean he had to step back from some of the more physically demanding tasks of firefighting, such as climbing ladders and working on roofs. But he remained committed, offering experience, mentorship and support to younger members.

Even in retirement, Mr Dykes isn’t walking away entirely. He is working on compiling the brigade’s history, including minute books dating back to the early 1950s, historic photographs, and decades of newspaper clippings.

The weekend ended with a Sunday brunch at the fire station before visitors made their way home.