'Gem citizen' Daniel Howard, remembered
Published Date: 19 Aug 2014
Summary
Rural Fire Service (RFS) Far West team manager Chris Favelle has described Daniel Howard as "an absolute gem of a citizen" who was always willing to provide help when anyone needed it.
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"He was one of my competitors in the It Takes Two singing fundraiser, he was a real character who gave 100 per cent to everything he did and we really enjoyed that," Superintendent Favelle said.
Floral tribute to firefighter Daniel Howard
Cobar's Robyn and Chris Favelle were among Rural Fire Service personnel who paid tribute to firefighter Daniel Howard, who died battling a blaze in the town on Sunday.
While the RFS and Fire and Rescue NSW (of which Mr Howard was a member) were separate organisations, Superintendent Favelle said, in country towns such as Cobar they very much worked hand in hand.
"The two organisations have different specialties, we help them and they help us and we would not work as well as we do without the other".
Superintendent Favelle said local firefighters had been deeply affected by the tragedy, and there was a particularly sombre mood in the town on Sunday night.
"It was wet and smoky and eerie and just a really sad environment," he said.
"Firefighters go out on jobs every day and you don't necessarily think about it at the time but something like this really brings home how dangerous it is."
Friend Allan Fazulla said Mr Howard, a local electrical contractor, had been generous in his support of local sport, including his beloved Cobar Camels rugby club.
"He liked to have a good time, you couldn't get a better bloke," he said.
Cobar Shire Councillor Tracey Kings said Mr Howard was "a citizen every town would want".
"You don't like to go on with a bunch of cliches but he was just a good bloke," she said.
"It's often older people that tend to be biggest volunteers but in Cobar we have younger ones who are so community minded and he was one of them".
Cr Kings said the town was 'shell-shocked' at the news.
Many people could not believe their ears when they heard the iconic pub was alight, she said, and went to see for themselves. The sense of loss deepened when people learnt Mr Howard had died.
"Everybody's sad, just in our real estate agency we have had several calls from landlords who don't even live in Cobar just saying they had heard the news and how terrible it was," she said.
Cr Kings said she was confident the resilient Cobar community would rally to support those left behind.
"We're a few doors up from the fire station and they're frequently called out to all sorts of emergencies, our town would be lost without them."
Another resident told the Daily Liberal there was a "shroud of sadness" over Cobar and it felt like "a whole-town funeral".
