Hudson and young Archie Thomas were among the family members present at the Rural Fire Service’s recent dedication ceremony remembering volunteer brigade member Neil Hudson who lost his life fighting fires in the Cobar area 50 years ago during the
devastating summer of 1974/1975. ▪ Photo contributed
The Cobar Rural Fire Control Centre’s Operations Room has been dedicated to honour a former Noona Brigade member Neil Hudson.
At 39, Ernest Neil Hudson paid the ultimate sacrifice when he lost his life on January 4, 1975 after he suffered severe burns fighting bush fires on December 19, 1974.
Neil’s family and Rural Fire Service (RFS) staff members along with members of the Noona and Cubba fire brigades were invited to attend his dedication ceremony on January 10 to mark the 50th anniversary of his passing.
Neil’s son, Craig Hudson, was almost 18 when his father died and said he is remembered as a hero.
Craig recounts his father and other members of the Noona brigade were conducting a burn back on December 19 when the wind changed direction and brought the fire back over the top of them.
Craig said despite sustaining severe burns to his upper body, Neil was heroic in leading the group through a gap in the fire which saved the lives of the five other men.
“Dad lasted 17 days with first, second and third degree burns,” Craig said.
An RAAF Hercules transported Neil to Sydney for specialist medical treatment and Craig said many of the top burns, heat and lung specialists who treated his father, were full of praise for the efforts of Dr Allan Brady and Dr Keating who had prepared Neil for transport.
“They said Dr Brady gave him the best chance he could have had.”
After being revived three times, Neil however eventually died of heart failure on January 4, 1975.
The 1974-1975 fire season was the most severe the far west of the state had experienced in 30 years with 3,755,000 hectares burnt out, 50,000 stock were lost and 10,170km of fencing was destroyed with one and a half million hectares burnt out in the Cobar Shire.
