Mt Magnet Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services make their return to historical sporting event on Easter weekend

Mt Magnet is returning from a 10-year hiatus to field a team to compete in the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) Association of WA Annual State Easter Championships this weekend.

Entering its 121st year, the unique competition uses real-world equipment including hydrants, hoses, ladders and fire trucks to claim points across team and individual categories.

The competition is being held on April 4 and 5 at Hay Park, Withers, in Bunbury.

Mt Magnet, known as the ‘47’ team, has a rich history competing in the event, which was revitalised in 2015 by Kristine and Neil Davis.

“This sport has been around for centuries, and my husband, as a teenager, participated, and then as town got small and people moved away, the skills also left, and the sport kind of dwindled away,” she said.

Ms Davis said 10 years ago, they “got that little bit of a spark” and “he got a team together, and they went down to the championships in 2015 and they did exceptionally well”.

Since then, participation in the sport has dropped in Mt Magnet, but Ms Davis said she wanted to “put it out there” and make the option available for juniors and seniors who wanted to compete.

She said a demo weekend in Harvey and a fundraising quiz night in Mt Magnet had driven community interest in the sport.

“People have gone, ‘hey, this is fun. This is something that I could do’,” she said.

Twelve teams are participating in the event, with Mt Magnet the only team flying the Mid West flag. Other teams include South Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, and Kwinana.

Harvey’s VFRS team are defending their title of 2025 Overall Champion Brigade.

WA’s VFRS consists of 93 brigades and more than 2300 volunteers across the State and are vital to emergency responses in incidents like road crashes and fires. Since 1 October 2025, VFRS members have attended more than 3300 incidents Statewide.

Ms Davis said a big misconception was that you had to be a volunteer firey to join. Their running team welcomes members of the community who are not active volunteers.

She said the community support and interest had been “amazing”, and that people interested in future training or events should follow Mount Magnet VFRS on social media.

“Watch this space for 2027 onwards, because we will grow. And the word is getting out there that this is a great sport for all abilities,” she said.