 But around 8pm on Wednesday 2nd December 1998, a tragic incident forever changed CFA. At a forest fire north of the small town of Linton near Ballarat, two tankers, one from Geelong City and one from Geelong West, were engulfed by fire after a change in wind direction. All five Geelong West firefighters died. Well, the incident was a total shock to us, of course. We were in Melbourne to get a phone call from my son to say that Jason went on a fire truck this afternoon and he's just had word from a colleague that the fire truck had been lost. So Geelong West fire truck had been lost. And I said, how could you lose a fire truck? But he didn't answer me any further. On subsequent phone calls to the CFA in Geelong, Lexter Mann answered my call and I said, no mucking around, give me the facts. And he said, Bill, I'm sorry, but Jason has passed with four other guys on the fire truck in the Linton forest and that just imploded and it was terrible. We were going to bed fairly late that night and around about 12pm I heard on the wireless on 774 that there was five people got killed up at Linton. And I didn't mention where the truck was from, it just said five died. And I thought, if that had had been Stuart, we would have known because it's on the news. I didn't tell my wife about it. I just went to bed and maybe an hour or so later I heard a few cars pull up outside and I looked out the window and of course you saw the CFA and the police cars there. And I went over and woke up Carol and I said, I think you're going to hear the worst news that you've ever heard. A 107 day coronial inquest followed. How the inquest rolled out, it was a little like Simon said, different people were in there for different things. Yeah, that was very emotional because every day we went there, we went over and over and it just kept bringing back the torment and it still does today. The families went up by bus and we all came home together on a bus and that was really good therapy coming home. If someone didn't understand what happened or so on, we sort of discussed it and if we needed to cry we did, we needed to laugh, laugh we did. But the therapy on the bus home was really, really good. There were 55 recommendations handed down as CFA introduced programs to improve planning, procedures and equipment. We all looked after extremely well from day one from the CFA, I've got to say. Their attention to our needs were superlative. There was not a want that was not acceded to within reason and to this day we have people like Jamie McKenzie who gives us a call, how are you doing, what are you up to and that sort of thing. So I can only speak very highly of the CFA from that point of view. I think it's been really, really good because since 1998 there's been no crime and lost in the same way. Now that they're doing this staff ride and the lessons learned out of this just absolutely brilliant. The coroner made 55 recommendations in his coroner's report. We're not sure how many of those have been adapted but I'd be very interested to know how many have been adapted but I'd suggest that a lot of them would have been a fair percentage which has been good which becomes training tools for you know CFA personnel and I'm sure through our DNRE the same thing would apply. In the military staff rides educate people on the actions taken during battle. Through the dedication and commitment of several local CFA members and with the support of the families of the five CFA firefighters killed a Linton staff ride was established. Yeah he took us to lunch out to the Warnpons Hotel. That's right I think the majority of families were there. They were. We invited the families. And he was suggesting that they wanted to do a training program using Linton and it was unanimous. No one questioned. No one complained. No one said no I don't want you to go there. This sounds really good. And then it just sort of evolved. And again he'd sort of ring us up and say I want to... This is what I want to do. Just to get our edifice on it which was quite and to see it come to fruition the way that has developed is exceptional. I still think that and I don't know whether he's got this but as part of his training package I believe you know if you want to be a firefighter this is what you've got to do. This incorporates all the information known as the day progressed. Activities where participants discussed decision making. A moment to reflect at the memorial. And at all Linton staff rides to date. A first-hand account from then strike team leader Simon Scarf. And I think Max would say the same. We now know the detail. And to have Simon play his part I believe every time there was 17 last year there's to be 18 this year and he will possibly do the 18 again. That's just phenomenal from his point of view. And I understand that some of his time is in his own volunteer time. It's not all paid by CFA which again is incredible to the person he is. As Max said a week after the death of the boys he came around to their home and sat and spoke and told probably that same story. And it would not have altered. And I can remember the times during the inquest and we'd break and come out into the foyer and we'd you know go and speak with him. He wasn't the ogre. He was a friend. Last month Bill and Max experienced the staff ride for the first time. The thing that I think has been wonderful has been this Linton staff ride. I don't know whose brainchild it was but I fear I know who it is. They have included us in it all of the time. Any alterations, changes they've come and had our blessing which we truly thank them for. But to see having been on this today my daughter came up here and my son last year they did the ride and my daughter said Dad you won't believe it. You won't believe it. It's just incredible. But to come now and sit here in this forest with that in front of us and just sit by time and think it's just serene. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And just another little side thing as well that sometimes you can be sitting here calm like this mixing a puff of bruise or that sort of thing. Yeah, that brings you back to the night. But it is a very calming, calming area. Whilst it wasn't good what happened here but it's lovely to come and sit here and reflect. It's a very special place. Absolutely special place. My daughter said it's just incredible and as she said Dad I now know how my brother passed.