Australia Day awards 2023: Ballarat CFA captain praised for leadership during historical abuse crisis

Mark Cartledge had just a handful of words to describe his 2023 Australian Fire Service Medal.

"I joined the brigade 31 years ago to help and give back to the community. It was not for the recognition," the Ballarat CFA captain said.

"I only found out about this in the last few days.

"When I started looking at who else had received these awards - and how much they have achieved - to be up there with them really means a lot to me."

Mr Cartledge already had friends at the Barkly Street station when he first volunteered for the CFA - and said tolerant family members and employers were the key to his longevity as a firefighter.

"I really want to thank my wife and kids. They've put up with me getting up at all hours of the day and night," he said.

"Having that support network within your family is huge.

"I also want to thank the brigade for being so great - and that includes past and present members.

"I try not to leave work too much but they have been really accommodating as well."

One major incident from over the years include the 1998 Linton tragedy - where five Geelong West firefighters perished, leading to massive changes in equipment and operations within the CFA and South Australian CFS.

"The way we trained, operations, the equipment and the trucks - that was the biggest change in my time as a firefighter," Mr Cartledge said.

"Another thing that I remember well is the Loud Fence movement.

"There was an incident at the brigade in the 1980s - and we had ribbons on the fence at the station to show solidarity with the victims.

"We did not want to hide it.

"We came up with a plaque and a place of reflection for these people.

"Ballarat was also one of the first brigades in the state to make Working With Children cards mandatory.

"That now applies to the entire CFA."

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The Governor-General's office said Mr Cartledge's work with abuse victims had defined his captaincy.

"He worked tirelessly with the survivors and victims of the abuse across multiple stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes," a spokesperson said.

"These outcomes wouldn't have occurred without his strong leadership.

"As a result, the CFA signed up to the Redress Scheme."

The office said Mr Cartledge was also committed to having the best-trained and equipped members possible, and his leadership of the rescue unit had been instrumental in increasing awareness of road trauma.

"In 2018, he received a CFA Chief Officers Letter of Commendation following his response to a serious collision involving a (Sebastopol) CFA vehicle (in Ross Creek), which left two firefighters trapped and seriously injured," a spokesperson said.

"He has shown great leadership skills at incidents and has a very level-headed approach to any circumstances that may arise in an operational leadership activity.

"Mr Cartledge is always willing to work alongside all emergency services personnel at incidents, to ensure that the best outcome is achieved."

Mr Cartledge will be presented his medal during a ceremony at Government House later this year.

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