WODONGA’S new firefighter has swapped teaching in the great outdoors for another “adventure”.
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Shaun McManamny, 37, once a ski instructor and whitewater rafting guide, started his first day as a career firefighter yesterday.
“Having a job that wasn’t 9 to 5 appealed to me,” he said.
“I wanted adventure, something that would be different every day.”
Originally from Melbourne, Mr McManamny was also keen for a tree change.
He is renting a house in Beechworth where his wife, Tegwyn, will soon move to be with him.
“I am loving the country life,” he said.
“I would love to own a bit of land one day.”
Mr McManamny has come from the CFA college in Fiskville, west of Melbourne, and will now undertake 10 weeks of intensive training at the Wodonga station.
“At the moment I am looking forward to the job because Fiskville is not the real world,” he said.
Wodonga CFA station officer David Brown was pleased to welcome the newest recruit.
“It’s always good as it invigorates the station and gives us new blood,” he said.
The station now has 16 career firefighters.
CFA yesterday posted 21 new career firefighters at brigades throughout Victoria.
Wangaratta has two new recruits including former refrigeration mechanic Michael Cornish, 28, from East Bendigo, and Phillip Leach, 35, a photocopier and printer technician.
Mr Leach, also a CFA volunteer, has family in Wangaratta and plans to commute from Wodonga.
Most of his free time is spent keeping up with his two boys aged 9 and 5 and he is also into anything mechanical — he’s currently building a hot rod.
With family in the CFA, he grew up around the organisation.
