Volunteer firefighters have carried out major clearing work around the iconic St John the Theologian Greek Orthodox church at Prevelly, Western Australia on Friday, June 16, to reduce fire risk.
According to a Facebook post by the Wallcliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade, the church “doesn’t have any permanent occupant” and so volunteer firefighters visited the building to remove fire hazards in the form of peppermint trees which had been growing around the area.
Father John Sullivan from the Greek Orthodox Church in Bunbury also assisted the volunteers on the day and fired up the BBQ at the station afterwards as a thank you to the troops.
“Your efforts are outstanding and a great example to all of us in relation to community spirit,” Father John later wrote under the fire brigade’s Facebook post.
St John the Theologian was built in the late 1970s by the late Corporal Geoff Edwards to commemorate the people and monks of the Holy Monastery of Preveli in Crete, who helped him and other servicemen survive the Battle of Crete in WWII. Mr Edwards also named the nearby seaside community ‘Prevelly’ in their honour.
The church was saved by firefighters in the devastating 2011 Roleystone bushfire, which saw 71 homes destroyed and an estimated 39 homes damaged.
READ MORE: Bill Evangel on why WA needs a designated war memorial for the Battle of Crete.
