Meeniyan teens' BBC documentary comes home to the fire station

A BBC documentary starring two Meeniyan teenagers will get a hometown screening at the local fire station later this month.

Meeniyan-Stony Creek CFA will show My Life: We Fight Fires at its Welsford Street station from 11am on Saturday August 29.

Morning tea will be provided and bookings are needed for catering.

The film follows brigade members Tallarah and Nico as they train to become operational firefighters, and was released in the United Kingdom this month on BBC iPlayer as part of the children’s documentary strand My Life.

Tallarah, 16, is in Year 11 at Leongatha Secondary College and Nico, 15, is in Year 10.

Junior and senior members of the brigade feature alongside Girls on Fire, a not-for-profit running hands-on fire and emergency services programs for young women aged 14 to 19.

Filmmakers were given rare access to the CFA across a full fire season as the pair worked towards becoming operational firefighters.

The film follows Tallarah as she attempts to become the youngest operational firefighter in her brigade, building towards her final assessment and her first operational deployment alongside experienced firefighters.

Nico was inspired by family members who fought the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 and is determined to follow them into the service.

Between drills and callouts the pair are shown balancing training with school, hobbies and friendships, laughing together at the station and supporting each other through setbacks.

Tallarah also volunteers at a wildlife sanctuary caring for kangaroos, koalas and echidnas injured in fires.

Executive producer Caroline Menzies said the film was made to go beyond the headlines as wildfires hit communities around the world.

“Tallarah and Nico aren’t professional firefighters, they’re ordinary but dedicated teenagers who have chosen to volunteer to protect the people, wildlife and places they love,” Ms Menzies said.

“Spending time with them was a reminder that, despite the scale of the challenges facing the next generation, there is also enormous hope, resilience and community spirit.”

“We hope the documentary will give young people hope and leave them feeling empowered, at a time when it’s easy to feel worried and helpless.”

The documentary also looks at how a changing climate is reshaping life for young people growing up in bushfire country, with both teenagers driven by a determination to protect the landscapes they have grown up in.

It was produced by Bristol-based Galore Productions with an Australian crew, with Olivia Peniston-Bird as shooting director and Nigel Karikari as shooting producer.

The UK editorial team worked with the filmmakers remotely throughout production, cutting out international travel while keeping close editorial control.

Leongatha Secondary College congratulated Tallarah and Nico on the achievement.

Bookings for the screening can be made through the brigade.