Like so many of us, Reece Turbin's world came to a shuddering halt when Covid hit Australia in early 2020.

The 35-year-old Stanwell Tops man was a pilot for a large Australian airline when suddenly all flights across Australia and the world were grounded. One day Reece was loving the high-flying life of a pilot, winging his way across Australia and the world, the next he was grounded.

"I was stood down pretty much immediately. I remained on the books but I wasn't being paid," Reece said.

Despite all my flying experience and having a couple of degrees, I quickly discovered if I wasn't piloting planes, I was underskilled for other work. I was unemployable."

Looking for a new range of skills

At that moment Reece realised he needed to find something that would give him a whole new range of skills. The Rural Fire Service (RFS) was something he thought might be the perfect avenue to spread his wings.

"At the end of the 2019-2020 fire season, the whole bushfire threat was very topical, and I spoke with a neighbour who was in the RFS," Reece said. "A month later I started training and the training was great. The guy who ran it was an ex-Qantas engineer who spoke my language."

Reece is now back flying again, but he's also a dedicated member of the Stanwell Park RFS brigade.

Lots of satisfaction

"I find it really fun. Every time I go down we have a bit of a laugh, and I come home most days having done something I wouldn't do in my normal life. It gives me a lot of satisfaction."

Reece is excited that the RFS is about to undergo one of its biggest recruitment drives ever in the northern Illawarra with open days at Austinmer, Stanwell Park, Otford, Helensburgh, Darkes Forest and Waterfall bushfire bases on Saturday, 30 August, between 10am and 12 noon.

He hopes the day will achieve the northern Illawarra target of recruiting 10 extra volunteers for each of the six stations.

"Everyone has a different reason for volunteering and every reason is a good one," Reece said.

Meet one of the newest recruits

Tania Askin, a member of the Otford RFS team, is one of the region's newest recruits, with less than 12 months' experience.

"I moved to Otford six and a half years ago and I saw the station up the road but never did anything about it," Tania said. "My neighbour was a member, and I always thought I'd like to join up one day."

Now in her 50s, it was about the time she decided to make a career change after two decades as a registered nurse that she joined up with Otford RFS.

'I was ready for it'

"Of course I was a little nervous at first, but I was ready for it. I've found it to be the most rewarding experience," Tania said. "The RFS aligns with all of my values, helping to protect the community and be a part of something that's bigger than myself."

Tania said she completed her training in about two months, attending regularly on Saturdays.

"The training was brilliant. There were about 10 of us in the group all learning together, and I've found there are so many role models within the RFS."

Tania is encouraging anyone who is community minded to at least attend the 30 August recruitment days to find out more about life in the RFS.

'You'll get so much out of it'

"It really doesn't matter what your background is, everyone brings to the group whole different skills and experience. Just take that step because you'll get much more out of it than you'd expect."

Craig Shaw, who is training officer at Austinmer RFS, says there are many different roles for volunteers.

"If you don't want to be fighting fires or on the front line, that's OK," Craig said. "We need people working in a whole range of other areas; in communications on the radio, also in catering which is the backbone, bringing out food and supplies to those on the fireground or at any other critical incidents."

This is the second in The Illawarra Flame's three-part series in support of the RFS's biggest ever recruitment drive to boost numbers in our northern suburbs and southern Sydney region. You can read part one here, where the Illawarra-Sutherland Group Officer Craig Robertson explained the importance of bringing new faces into the organisation as many of our dedicated old hands near retirement from the RFS.

Read more

Find the full story in the August 2025 digital edition. The Illawarra Flame is proud to support an organisation with such an important tradition of community service.