White Pages Covers Program

Tamworth celebrates Courageous Australian Rodney Byrnes

February 4, 2010

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Each year, locals are featured on the covers of the Yellow Pages® and White Pages® directories in recognition of the contributions they make to their communities. Under the theme Courageous Australians, this year directories producer, Sensis, is recognising courageous people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to overcome adversity and help others in their time of need.

 After receiving nominations from community members for the annual honour, Gunnedah resident, Rodney Byrnes has been selected, to appear on the cover of this year’s Tamworth directory which is distributed to Armidale, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri and Tamworth.

 In 2003, Captain of Gunnedah’s Retained Fire Brigade, Rodney Byrnes, fearlessly led his unit to tackle the site of a large explosion at the local Bestcare Pet Food Factory. Rodney and his team were the first units to arrive at the scene, promptly establishing a danger zone, assessing for casualties, leading the fire attack and coordinating the evacuation of residents from the area.

 The explosion was one of the biggest catastrophes the Gunnedah community has seen. Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged but thankfully due to the speedy response of the emergency services, no lives were lost. Rodney has also aided the 2009 Black Saturday tragedy in Victoria, assisted in the response to the Newcastle floods and fought large fires at Mt Kaputar and Coonabarabran.

 “As Captain of the Gunnedah Fire Brigade, and like many other firefighters across the country, I feel I have a commitment to my community. You put your own life at risk without a second thought to ensure the safety of others. It is also important to educate the community on safety practices, which is why I also help out by conducting fire prevention and awareness talks with local schools, groups and businesses,” said Rodney.

 Jane Blackley, White Pages® Group Manager, says we felt the Courageous Australians theme was particularly relevant with many parts of Australia having experienced testing times over the past couple of years.

 “Australians are known for their compassion and willingness to put their hand up to help when it’s needed most. Whether helping to build better community relationships, showing strong leadership, inspiring others, or acting in a major crisis to protect the lives of others, we really wanted to demonstrate the diversity of what it means to be courageous.

 “From the nominations received, we were amazed at the many people from all walks of life who have shown tremendous courage, either by risking their own life to save another, overcoming major challenges to inspire others or helping to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the community. 

 “We felt Rodney was a great example of what it means to be a courageous Australian and we are delighted to feature him on the cover of the Tamworth directory,” said Ms Blackley.

 Distribution of Tamworth Yellow Pages® and White Pages® is planned to start on 6 February 2010 and it will take approximately six weeks for the directories to be delivered to all households.

 Sensis encourages residents and businesses to recycle their old directories. In most areas, Yellow Pages® and White Pages® can be recycled as part of normal kerbside recycling services. Visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au  to find out about recycling services in your area.

  Did you know? The past three local people who appeared on the Tamworth Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover were:

 2009/10: Wallabadah resident Tania Hartigan featured on the 2009/10 Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover under the theme ‘Creative Australians: Inspiring our Communities’. Tania was selected for her work as president of the Wallabadah Arts Council where she coordinates several festivals and also dedicates her time at local schools, helping children with disabilities to learn arts, literacy and numeracy.

 2008/09: Tamworth resident Ben Davies was the cover hero for the 2008/09 ‘Celebrating Australian Flavour’ theme, where he was recognised for raising the profile of local Tamworth food producers.

 2007/08: Gunnedah resident Nancy Small graced the Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover under the ‘Champions of our Community’ theme for her contribution to the Waterways Wildlife Park, caring for sick and injured animals.