About Fortuna Fire Brigades Group
The Fortuna Fire Brigades Group came into being on the 02/11/2005
when Chief Officer Russell Rees signed off an application from the Bendigo Operations
Area to become the Fortuna Group.
Since that time, the Group has taken on the challenges that it’s predecessor, Bendigo Operations Area,
has set for it, providing strong representation for it’s member brigades at regional and area level.
The Fortuna Group area takes in the brigades of the Greater City of Bendigo, Bendigo (intergrated brigade)
Eaglehawk, Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat, Maiden Gully, Huntly and Strathfieldsaye. Bendigo brigades have
a strong and successful tradition in urban running competitions. The State senior championships were held
in Bendigo in March, 2007 at the Lake Wendouree running track.
We are developing training and skills maintenance that is relevant to the risk profiles of its member brigades,
and have provided crews and IMT(Incident Management Team) personnel to all the major fires; Grampians fires
and the 2006-07 Victorian fires. In addition, we see community education as an important part of our role;
empowering community members with the knowledge required to make informed decisions during the fire season.
The City of Greater Bendigo is one of Victoria’s largest and most progressive regional municipalities with a
population of over 94,600 people.
Located in the exact geographic centre of Victoria, only 90 minutes from Melbourne, Bendigo is a modern,
thriving city with a bustling local economy featuring a mild climate. Bendigo comprises a large central business
district and a strong industrial sector and is surrounded by national and regional parks, and thus has a large
residential interface with large stands of box-ironbark forest to the extremes of the Whipstick forest, a
large area of mallee scrub to the north.
Current Group Officers
L to R: 1st DGO - Shayne Harris(Kangaroo Flat), Communication - Doreen Raven(Golden Square),
Treasurer - Andrew Howlett(Maiden Gully), GO - Peter Rogasch(Golden Square),
Secretary - Kathy Horton(Strathfieldsaye), 2nd DGO - Michael Rogers(Strathfieldsaye),
3rd DGO - Peter Polwarth(Bendigo)