Yass River-Nanima Rural Fire Brigade

Vale Sally Kaufmann

It is with great sadness that we advise our community of the passing of our much-loved member, Sally Kaufmann.

Sally was a valued member of the Yass River – Nanima Rural Fire Brigade for more than 35 years and made an active and substantial contribution for over two decades. During that time, she held several important roles, including Catering Officer and Secretary and was most recently appointed as our Executive Administration Officer.

Sally was passionate about our brigade, its history and its members. She had a special talent for rallying people to support fundraising activities and community events.

One of Sally’s most significant contributions was her work supporting the Murrumbateman Field Days. She coordinated with 10 other brigades to bring together a roster of more than 200 volunteers, including organising over 40 volunteers from within our own brigade. This was an enormous undertaking and reflected Sally’s commitment, organisational ability and capacity to bring people together.

Sally was also a gifted writer. Through her online articles and many years of newsletters, she eloquently recorded and shared the story of our brigade and its community.

A Vale page has been created on the brigade website to honour Sally and recognise her contribution. If you would like to share some words, a memory or a reflection about Sally, please send them to for publication on the page.

Sally leaves a strong and lasting legacy within our brigade. Her absence will be deeply felt, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked alongside her.

We would also like to honour Sally by getting together at our fireshed for an Afternoon Tea on Saturday 10 October, 3pm.

Please RSVP to if you would like to attend and or contribute.

Our thoughts are with Sally’s family, friends and community members at this very sad time.

Vale Sally.

Bushfire Prevention

The winter months are an opportunity to prepare our properties for the next fire season. Our region is one of the highest fire-risk areas in NSW. Over the years, we’ve had some very big fires. A little bit of preparation during the winter months will help keep your family, property and livestock as safe as possible.

The captain reminds those setting pile burns to check the weather forecast – especially wind strength and direction – for the several hours it will burn. A four-day forecast is here on on our website home page.

Clear the ground around the burn, and have a hose or at least 200L of water on hand. If you’re relying on a pump and haven’t used it for a while, check it’s working. 
And finally, of course, don’t leave your burning pile unattended. 

You must notify the RFS and your neighbours (those you share a fence-line with) at least 24 hours before you light up. The captain requests that you advise him (02) 6100 6252 on the morning of your fire, to save our crews being mobilised to check out smoke sightings.

For a refresher on all you need to know about lighting fires in the open, whatever the time of year, see here.