A lot has changed in the 61 years Bruce has been fighting fires

Bruce Smith joined Moruya RFS - then called the Bushfire Brigade - 61 years ago at the suggestion of a neighbour when he moved to the town.

As a fresh 17 year old, Mr Smith never anticipated he would still be serving with the organisation more than 60 years later.

When he started, there were no uniforms, minimal safety equipment and even less fire fighting gear. The group did some fundraising and eventually managed to purchase some white overalls for the volunteers, "so we could see each other in the smoke," Mr Smith said.

Before telephones, the fire alarm was raised by a volunteer driving to the houses of RFS members while blasting the horn on his truck.

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Mr Smith could hear him approaching from up road.

"You get the call and you just go," Mr Smith said.

"Up and at 'em."

After a job well done - what Mr Smith calls "the battle" - the volunteers would head back to work.

"We would have a round at the first drinking hole on the way home," Mr Smith said, "to wash the smoke away".

From the start, Mr Smith was hooked to fire fighting.

"It gets in your blood," he said. "There's an excitement.

"The smell of smoke, the heat of the fire.

"There's an adrenaline, and a loyalty to the volunteers and to the town."

Mr Smith estimates he has put out "thousands and thousands" of blazes in his 61 years.

He recalls one specific blaze almost 50 years ago. A fire was started at the Moruya Pharmacy opposite the pub. Within three minutes of the alarm being raised, someone was putting in the standpipe and spraying water onto the blaze.

For Mr Smith, that is what being in the RFS is all about.

"We have to protect the town," he said. "From house fires, bushfires - anything!"

In his 61 years, Mr Smith has served in various roles: Deputy Captain and Captain of Moruya brigade, and Group Captain of the region including seven brigades from Tuross Head to Broulee.

He has seen "a bloody lot" of changes in how fires are understood and fought in that time, but he is proud of his track record.

"In all the years I was there no one ever got hurt," he said.

Now he derives joy from teaching the younger volunteers, ensuring the valuable work of the RFS continues for generations to come.