Assistant Commissioner Leigh Pilkington - NSW RFS

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Assistant Commissioner Leigh Pilkington - NSW RFS

Husband, dad, RFS volunteer for 20+ years before this. Now Assistant Commissioner, NSW Rural Fire Service, leading Area Operations (Northern).

Out on the ground with districts and brigades as often as I can be. Posts here are my own.

18/07/2026

Last week I was on Githabul Country up at Muli Muli handing over a fire truck to the community.

This truck will support more than just local emergency preparedness. It can help with cultural burning and caring for Country in a landscape with real cultural significance for this community, where traditional knowledge and contemporary fire management work together.

Good to spend time with Uncle Macka and Uncle Rob, and with Muli Muli Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Susan Williams and the team from Aboriginal Affairs NSW. None of this happens without Jamie and our RFS Aboriginal Programs Team either, who do the work of building relationships long before anyone sees a truck arrive.

To the Elders and members of Muli Muli, thank you for the welcome.

Muli Muli Commumity Page
NSW Aboriginal Land Council

11/07/2026

My daughter and I are on our way to Cronulla for me to take part in the Polar Plunge in support of Special Olympics Australia. It’s going to be freezing, but knowing I’m helping create opportunities for people with intellectual disability and autism makes it worthwhile. Time to take the plunge - freezin’ for a reason! Please consider donating to help our Olympians out!

❄️💙

https://include.specialolympics.com.au/s/5868/7706/s

26/06/2026

Out on the Bective Travelling Stock Route near Tamworth yesterday for a cultural burn, alongside Wally and the team from Local Land Services NSW, the Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council and our own Valentine from RFS Aboriginal Programs and our mitigation crews.

Cultural burning runs at a different pace. Cold burning, control lines in early, and a lot of standing and reading the ground before anyone lights anything. Our mitigation crews put the lines in ahead of time and stayed on hand in case the fire moved, though with the techniques being used that was never likely.

The crews spent the morning with the Tamworth LALC Rangers, talking and learning long before anything was lit and then gently encouraging and keeping the fire ticking along slowly with the burn as much about community and sharing as it was about fire. Plenty to take away from this day.

22/06/2026

Was heading west from Macksville on Sunday and needed a driver-reviver and was lucky enough to run into Darren and his team from Tamworth City Rural Fire Brigade just finishing up a little grass fire. I showed up like a blister when the work was done but had a great chat and a tour of their new truck. Nice to meet you gents!

21/06/2026

What a way to wrap up the Hunter Area Championships at Macksville Showground.

Across two days we saw strong competition, plenty of skill, and a lot of laughter from crews right across the Area. More importantly, we saw members building friendships, learning from each other, and enjoying what was a really positive weekend for everyone involved.

A huge congratulations to NSW RFS - Vacy Brigade, who took out the overall win and an impressive five of the six individual events. That is a very strong result and a credit to the team.

Valla Rural Fire Brigade also deserve a special mention. Four of their five team members were from the same family, which may explain why they worked so well together. It was great to see that kind of connection and teamwork on display.

The NSW Rural Fire Service - Central Coast District team had a fantastic weekend as well. They came together as a composite team, with members who had not trained together and, by their own admission, did not really know what a field day was all about before arriving. They credited the district training they had received for helping them step up, and they finished with a first place, three second places and a third.

Central Coast and Clybucca Rural Fire Service battled it out for two days, but cheered each other along as they went head to head. It was great to see the genuine excitement from both.

Tuncurry Rural Fire Brigade battled it out across the two days, also putting in a very strong performance and finishing with two second places and three third places. Well done to NSW RFS - Diamond Beach, Temagog - NSW Rural Fire Service and North Macksville RFS Brigade - all putting in a good show.

These Championships only happen because of a lot of work behind the scenes. Thank you to the organising team, the 15 event marshals, the Great Lakes Catering Brigade who kept everyone well fed at every meal over the two days, the NSW RFSA for their sponsorship, and every member who took part, supported a team, helped run an event or came along to be part of the weekend.

Well done to everyone involved.

20/06/2026

A great weekend at Macksville Showground for the Hunter Area Championships.

Across two days, crews from the NSW Rural Fire Service - Central Coast District, NSW Rural Fire Service - Hunter Valley, NSW RFS Lower Hunter, NSW Rural Fire Service - Mid Coast District, and NSW RFS - Lower North Coast Team have come together to test their skills in a series of realistic firefighting scenarios. From hose and hydrant work through to pump relays and changeover operations, the focus is on building capability, teamwork and confidence in the field.

These Championships are about more than competition. They provide a safe environment for members to train, learn and sharpen the skills that matter during real incidents, while also giving the people who coordinate and support operations behind the scenes a chance to practice their skills as well.

It is great to see the strong participation across districts and the effort that went into hosting this event.

A big thank you to the whole team, the organisers, scenario staff, and everyone who are here enjoying the weekend. And well done to all teams who are taking part - there’s a lot of pride in the work you do and it shows.

Tune in tomorrow for the results!

01/06/2026

Out west to Cobar last week for the Western Area Command Leadership Team meeting. A good few hours hearing from managers and senior volunteers about the things that matter on the ground out there, looking after the mental health of our members, the activation of heavy plant, and biosecurity, where I got to put my old biosecurity emergency hat back on for a bit.

After the meeting wrapped, Chief Superintendent Danny Busch, Inspector Fiona Westcott, Inspector Justin Ryan and I drove out to the Fire Trails and Mitigation crews, who were winding up the last days of a long stint in the field.

This is part of a multi-year program on the Mallee fire trail network in Far West NSW, and by Saturday the crews were within about a kilometre of finishing a 36km network. It's been hard, remote, camp-based work, and there's been strong interest from landholders and the local bushfire management committee in getting it done as the condition of the fire trails deteriorated.

Out in country like this, where the nearest crew might be a long way off and the seasons are unforgiving, the relationship between the Service and the people who live and work on the land is everything. The crews told me that this work has started to rebuild connections out there, and earn back some trust with locals who'd watched those trails fall away.

The crew on Saturday came from right across the Western Area Command, finishing the last of the work, demobilising the camp, and taking a moment to mark a job done well. One of the landholders put on a BBQ, and standing around the fire with members and locals together, you could see what the work had really built.

Thanks to the members who spent weeks out there in the dust (and the mud) to get this done.

28/05/2026

Last night I was welcomed by the NSW Rural Fire Service Aboriginal Support Network for a night at Cattai, on Darug Country.

The ASN provides a culturally safe space for Aboriginal staff and volunteers across the RFS to connect, share experiences, and support each other. Together with the Aboriginal Programs team, they strengthen relationships between the RFS and Aboriginal communities across NSW and help embed cultural understanding and respect into everyday RFS operations and decision-making.

I sat around the fire with RFS members from all over the state: Snowy Monaro to Tamworth, up the coast and out west. They shared their experiences of working in the RFS, life in general, and what they'd taken from their cultural work on the Northern Beaches during the day.
We talked about connection to Country and we discussed how if you love Country, you have to learn about the plants, the animals, the people, the stories, and how it all comes together.

They shared what it means when people, Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, show respect through an Acknowledgement of Country. And they talked about Welcome to Country: how it's about sharing love of Country, welcoming people who are visiting, and inviting them to love and respect Country too.
They gave me advice about my approach to Acknowledgement of Country and the things I try to do and say. That meant a lot.

Ngalan cooked some cracking steaks, Jamie brewed a great cup of tea, Val couldn't keep the lolly snakes secret all night, and I proved I could still light a fire - so I wasn't too far away from my days on a truck. Best yet, we all yelled at the laptop during State of Origin and got louder in the last 90 seconds of the game.

But for all the laughs, it was a night where real stories were shared, people gave each other a hard time in the best way, and I came away having learned a lot.

One thing that's stayed with me. I've never been a big fan of being called "bro" but last night it landed differently. When someone in that group calls someone "bro" or "sister" it's not just a word. It's a connection. A way of saying I care about you, you belong here. That hit differently than I expected.

The Aboriginal Support Network does good work for our people and our service. I'm glad they let me be part of the night.

24/05/2026

Six weeks into my time as Director Area Operations Northern, it seems the team from the South have finally decided to forgive me for "abandoning" them.

It's been a rough road. Weeks of "you're dead to us" comments, dramatic looks across meeting rooms, and what felt suspiciously like a coordinated Southern campaign against me at the Managers Forum this week. Every opportunity for a cheap shot was taken and to be fair, some of them were pretty good.

After a few days together though, it appears the olive branch has finally been extended and we're all friends again. Although not quite back to the stage where they'll save me a seat at dinner, so I had to make do with the Field Ops leadership team instead.

That turned out to be no safe haven either. By the end of the night I don't think a single person escaped without becoming the punchline at least once, which is a pretty good sign of a healthy team. Good to spend real time with the Northern crew, the Southern crew, and the broader Field Ops leadership all in the one room.

17/05/2026

Today was a pretty special day for me in the NSW Rural Fire Service - Central Coast District. More than 70 of our members were recognised for their service. Collectively, more than 1,100 years of it.

This is my home patch, full of people who have shaped the District, and shaped me.

If it wasn't for the mentoring, support and encouragement of so many in the RFS over the years, I wouldn't be where I am today. A special shout out to Howie, who knows the Central Coast like the back of his hand and who guided a young fledgling at Avoca Beach 20 years ago. And to Baz, I really mean it when I say I never would have been a Group Officer without your support and teaching.

I also got to present a National Medal to my wife Lou. She shook my hand, giggled when she called me "Sir" and she was the only one I held hands with during the official photos. Neither of us would have been on that stage today without the other. Lou joined the RFS because I had, and I'm now in yet another awesome role in the RFS because of Lou's encouragement.

These medals presented today are a thank you from communities, from neighbours, from the people whose worst day was made a little better because a member showed up. To Baz, Howie, Lou, and every other recipient today, and to the families who wait at home, thank you.

Address

4 Murray Rose Avenue
Sydney Olympic Park, NSW
2127

Website

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/

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