Firefighters form motorcade to bid farewell

Many residents witnessed the motorcade. Photos: Sam Gardner

Firefighters from throughout the Western Bay of Plenty have bid farewell to one of their own, forming a motorcade of fire engines as part of a funeral procession for an ex-firefighter.

The occasion caught the attention of Tauranga residents on Friday afternoon, with many stopping to witness the motorcade for Malcolm Walter Langdon, who died on October 14.

Five fire engines and their men from Tauranga and Greerton stations, along with a vintage fire engine from Omokoroa carrying Malcolm, travelled along Cameron Road from 16th Ave to Pyes Pa road.

Mount Maunganui fire station officer Kevin Cowper says for a lifelong member such as Malcolm, the motorcade is standard practice.

'He continued to give back to us even after his retirement and we thought supporting him and his family in this way was only appropriate,” says Kevin.

Malcolm had been an active member of the New Zealand Fire Service for 47 years, beginning in Hutt Valley before moving to Tauranga for a brief period of time, then to Whangarei, and returning once more to Tauranga where he finally retired.

'He was a life-honouring member of our brigade and kept his involvement going even after he had retired including taking on the role of the regional representative in our Firefighter Welfare Society.

'He did this right up until last year when he finally stopped, due to his health.”

Alongside this, Malcolm was well-known within rugby circles, says Kevin.

'He was a keen referee for more than four decades and was well-known to the Tauranga rugby community.”

And to add to a long list of community endeavours, Malcolm was also scout leader for a number of years.

A charity page has been created by Malcolm's family in his honour, asking that people donate to Scouts New Zealand in lieu of flowers.

All funds will be donated to Scouts NZ to enable young people to experience the adventure of scouting. To donate visit the Good Registry website.

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