“I was in Macedon fairly early on Ash Wednesday,” Mr Clarke said.
“I remember the communications weren’t great at that time, but the way they have gone now has certainly made fire management a lot easier.”
Over the years, he has been award the National Medal and National Emergency Medal and is a life member with the CFA and Hilldene Fire Brigade.
And this year, he was one of the Australia Day Honours recipients when he was bestowed the Australian Fire Services Medal, the top honour for firefighters nationally.
“It’s something that I never dreamed I would get and it’s a pinnacle of my career,” Mr Clarke said.
“I was over the moon when I heard about it because it’s not only a great a honour for me, but for all the people I’ve worked with.
“It’s a reward for all my fellow volunteers as well.”
Mr Clarke joined the CFA as a teen, when his neighbour called to ask if he and his brother could help fight a significant fire at Longwood in 1965.
“My neighbour there was a lieutenant in the Seymour Rural Fire Brigade and he called my mum and dad to ask if he could take their two young, fit sons to fight the fire,” he said.
“We went out there in a 1948 Chev truck that had two nozzles, so it was fairly basic.”
Since then, Mr Clarke was involved in the co-ordination of strike teams and air attack activities during Black Saturday, which saved lives and properties.
He was also responsible for organising CFA personnel to impacted areas in the following weeks and ensuring compassionate support was always available.
“I was also the field operations officer at Kilmore during Black Saturday and I had great support from my team down there,” he said.
During his long service, he has served as captain at Hilldene and Seymour Rural fire brigades, group officer of Seymour Group, and Hilldene Fire Brigade president.
At 75, Mr Clarke has stepped away from active duties, but is still a key serving member and support person at the Hilldene brigade.
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