 CFA has always been a family to me. Both my grandfather and father were members of the brigade in the town where I grew up. My first real fire brigade memory was when Dad disappeared for several days, fighting a fire in the neighbouring town. I was six and it was the first time I really felt his absence. One of the benefits of belonging to the CFA is the family atmosphere. Like all families, there are happy and somber times. And like most families, there is also the almost destructive, ongoing tensions, sometimes called sibling rivalries that spill out of or even into the family mix. And like most families, whenever a moment arrives that requires the entire family to pull together to get a job done, this is also achieved, despite the differences. The internal stresses are most often not obvious to those who are looking at the family from the outside, but nevertheless it exists. It is only when these two miles spill into the public view is there a recognised problem. On the whole, within all families, the good times are often the most memorable and certainly the most rewarding aspects of being a member. Throughout my membership within the CFA family, the most common thread is that it doesn't matter how big or small a brigade may be, they all have the same issues and challenges. And there are always moments where no matter how you try to protect your family members from the ugly side of life, they still become exposed to the reality of life, whether it be within the brigade or the community they live in. One night the siren continually rung, my father went to the fire. He didn't come home that night. Like most rural towns there weren't enough younger members to do the work required. In the end we are still members of a larger family surrounded by other families and with all the wonderful and distasteful moments they bring.