The information below comes from a small booklet produced by the Museum of Fire and distributed at the ceremony. The Museum has been contacted for permission to make the booklet downloadable from here.

Peter Ryan bas been a member of Oberon Fire Brigade for over six decades. For the Ryan family, it was almost as if firefighting was in their blood. Peter's father, Joseph, was one of the first inaugural members of the Oberon Fire Brigade and served as Engine Keeper to the brigade for over 18 years. Peter joined in 1964 and whilst he was a little young, being only 16 years of age, Peter was still able to join at the bequest of the Captain. For Peter, signing up was a no-brainer for it allowed him to be able to serve his community. Peter took over from his father as Engine Keeper in 1979 as his father left the service that same year. Since this was a family enterprise, Peter's brother's Michael and Anthony would also end up joining the brigade too, in 1976 and 1979 respectively.

In conjunction with being a firefighter at Oberon, Peter's other jobs were working in the post office and in the timber industry. Firstly beginning in the post office as a teenager, Peter then began work in the timber industry at a particle board factory in 1965 and would end up working there for a number of decades. When Peter first joined there were many members of the brigade that worked in the same timber factory which made it easier for the crew to be able to respond to fires. Peter resigned from the factory in 2006 and returned to the post office as a postman for several years before officially retiring.

Across Peter's career there were numerous fires, incidents and a multitude of changes to the organisation that have taken place. For Peter, "The biggest changes I saw were in the 80s when they changed from brass to Storz couplings, introduced breathing apparatus, and changed the firefighting uniform to something a lot safer. Also, the introduction of radios and the invention of mobile phones".

Port Macquarie State Firefighter Championships- October 1976.
L-R Peter Ralls, Wayne Sargent, Bob Rowlandson, Michael Ryan, Peter Ryan.
[Courtesy of Oberon Fire Brigade]

Peter has won a considerable number of awards during his time including the National Medal in 1983. The ceremony took place at the Oberon RSL and saw Fire Commissioner R. Down present Peter with his medal of outstanding service. Peter was then recognised again by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) in his 60th year, receiving a second gold clasp to the NSW Fire Brigades Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and a certificate for an Acknowledgment of Service, presented in May of 2024 by Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell AFSM.

Peter's dedication to service is undeniable and his loyalty to protecting his community is extraordinary. Peter will go down in history as one of the longest serving firefighters in FRNSW history.