“When Michael Gallacher, the NSW Police and Emergency Services Minister, wrote to me, it made me realise how prestigious this medal was,” Monteagle Rural Fire Brigade member Jennifer Gail Butt said yesterday.
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Gail, or “Mother Duck” as she was nicknamed, will be the first to tell you she doesn’t like to blow her own trumpet or that she doesn’t deserve a medal for her 40-plus years of volunteer work.
Because “volunteering is volunteering, it’s not for medals” she said.
In fact it took one very persuasive voice on the other end of the phone about an hour to talk her into accepting an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) when she was named on Australia’s Honours List during this year’s Australia Day celebrations.
That day came on Friday for Gail, who travelled to Government House in Canberra to officially receive her AFSM from Governor-General Peter Cosgrove.
“It’s a very different feeling, mind boggling to say the least,” she said.
“You never think you’re deserving of these things but you are.
“You do things because you want to… you don’t volunteer to get medals, I don’t believe in that.”
Gail joined the RFS in 1969 as a member of the Monteagle Brigade and has always been directly involved with the service, combating many local campaigns, communications support, logistics manager and has served as the brigade’s permit officer since 1996.
But the 67-year-old has become most famous for her cooking during any scale fire.
Her “Mother Duck” status was introduced by NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell in the 2012-13 fire season when she, and her ‘Monteagle Catering Trailer’ equipped to serve three course meals, made national headlines during the devastating Jugiong fire in January 2013.
Armed with cool drinks, slices of watermelon and a hug, Gail was feeding 345-350 people a day and sometimes cooking until 3.30am.
Gail said she was so honoured to receive her medal on Friday, saying “she wouldn’t be where I am today without the support from my peers [who felt] I was a good enough recipient”.
“I want to thank them… It’s very precious,” she said.
Gail was also particularly taken aback by her meeting with the Governor General, describing Mr Cosgrove as “awesome” and a moment she’ll “never forget”.
“He said to me ‘I bet they look for you on the fire ground’. I almost choked up because it was so funny, but they do!”
RFS South West Slopes Zone zone administration officer Frances Medianik said “there’s many a firefighter out there who know Gail, and without people like her out there, the guys wouldn’t be able to stay out there like they do”.
“We’re all very proud of her… She’s more to everyone than just a catering officer.”
