THE STORY AT THE TIME IN 2017: During her 14 years in the Albury office of the NSW Rural Fire Service, Marg Wehner moved her way up from a self-described “general dogsbody” to a role which would change the way fires are managed for years to come.

The focus on community safety and tailored bushfire plans for each town might be the norm for people in the Hume region these days, but they are a direct result of her work over many years.

Ms Wehner has now hung up her inspector’s hat as second-in-charge of the Southern Border team and resigned from the RFS, but said she will “absolutely” stay on as a volunteer firefighter with Jindera.

Walking into the station, situated around the corner from her farm property, it is clear she is comfortable in the brigade where she has been a member for more than 40 years.

She has keys to the building and the trucks, but chooses her favourite – Jindera 2 – for a photo because it is a little bit shorter than the rest.

Her helmet is even labelled with the nickname “Inspector Gadget”, given to her because she is always getting into everything.