Fire and Emergency New Zealand Board Chair Rebecca Keoghan has congratulated four Fire and Emergency personnel from Oxford, Fox Glacier, Matatā and Taihape who have been recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List released today.

"These awards recognise the outstanding contributions that our people have made to Fire and Emergency, Search and Rescue and their local communities over many years," Rebecca Keoghan says.

The recipients are:

• Ronald (Ron) Ealam (Oxford) - Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Search and Rescue
• Marius Bron (Fox Glacier) - King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Search and Rescue and the community
• Gavin Dennis (Matatā) - King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
• Alan (Curly) Troon (Taihape) - King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

'We are all incredibly proud of this fantastic achievement," Rebecca Keoghan says. 

"On behalf of Fire and Emergency, thank you for your ongoing dedication to our organisation and your communities."

Additional information:

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)

Ronald Bruce (Ron) Ealam

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Search and Rescue

Mr Ron Ealam has been contributing to Land Search and Rescue for more than 50 years.

Mr Ealam has been a member of the Oxford Fire Brigade since 1996. He has contributed 25 years of service to the New Zealand Land Search and Rescue Dogs, helping train dogs. He has been a qualified national trainer and assessor for Search Dogs for more than ten years, specialising in border collies, attending several annual dog training camps each year. He helped develop the official New Zealand Land Search and Rescue Search Dogs Training Pathway and Assessments in 2009, which forms the basis of the Search Dogs pathways today. He has been a member of the Oxford Land Search and Rescue, contributing to local search and rescue meetings and training nights, and training dogs, which takes at least two years before they become operational. During the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, he was part of the initial response in the first three days in the Redcliff area and helped with welfare and house checks. He has been the elected Group Chair for Oxford Land Search and Rescue for more than 10 years. Mr Ealam received the New Zealand Search and Rescue Excellence award in 2023 for his contributions.

King's Service Medal (KSM)

Marius Jean Bron

King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Search and Rescue and the community

Mr Marius Bron has served the Fox Glacier community in various volunteer emergency service roles since 1999.

On a voluntary basis Mr Bron leads the local branches of South Westland Land Search and Rescue Group, the Civil Defence service and the Community Committee. He also volunteers for the Department of Conservation, assisting in the management of alpine huts in the area. He works to ensure these huts are fit for use by both domestic and international visitors. He is also a local volunteer firefighter for Fire and Emergency New Zealand and a St John Ambulance first responder. The skills he has gained from these various roles make him a central figure in the Fox Glacier community. He and his team have received national recognition for their search and rescue efforts, including the successful rescue of two climbers on Mt Rolleston and the successful overnight rescue of an injured person on a glacier. He was involved in the creation of important facilities for the Fox Glacier community, including the Emergency Services Centre and the Community Centre. His efforts included driving the concept stage, fundraising and project managing. In addition to his volunteer work, Mr Bron is Operations Manager at Fox Glacier Guiding, which brings tourist business to the community.

Gavin Lloyd Dennis, JP

King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community

Mr Gavin Dennis has served the Matatā community for close to 40 years.

Mr Dennis is currently Chief Fire Officer of the Matatā Volunteer Fire Brigade, having held various ranks since joining in 1987. While Deputy Chief Fire Officer, he played a key role in the response to major flood events in 2005, with the town cut off for several days. He instigated the Matatā Volunteer Fire Brigade’s Cadet Programme in 2014, for young people aged 15 to 16 to join the brigade to gain experience and life skills. The programme has been successful in recruiting these young people as volunteer recruit firefighters when eligible, forming a large part of the brigade’s membership over the past 10 years. He was a member of the Rangitaiki Community Board from 2007 to 2019, serving four years as Deputy Chairperson, and helped oversee the town’s recovery efforts following the 2017 Edgecumbe flood event. He has served on the Boards of Trustees of Matatā Public School and Trident High School, including holding several offices across the period 1993 to 2010. He has chaired the Matatā Residents Association and the Matatā Community Resource Centre. Mr Dennis was elected to the Whakatāne District Council in 2019.

Alan Rex (Curly) Troon

King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Mr Alan "Curly" Troon is a Life Member of the Taihape Volunteer Fire Brigade and has helped to promote Taihape through gumboot throwing.

Mr Troon joined the Taihape Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1991 and has been Chief Fire Officer since 2009, being awarded Life Membership in 2022. He oversaw the rebuild of the new Taihape Fire Station which opened in 2022. He has worked for Rangitikei County Council and has held many volunteer roles within the community, including past President of the Taihape Tennis Association and Taihape Kindergarten Committee and is the current President of the New Zealand Boot Throwing Association (NZBTA). In the mid-1980s, he became a champion thrower in Taihape’s annual Gumboot Day and has since promoted the sport with his wife. They have taken Taihape to world competitions. In 2021 he won the Toyota Lifetime Legacy Award from NZBTA as part of the Norwood Rural Sports Award. He is a past member of the Taihape St John Area Committee and has driven the Taihape ambulance when the team is short staffed. Mr Troon has been coaching young people at the Taihape Badminton Club since 2023.

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