Timely Break for Lucky Winners

Exhausted from battling the recent fires: Seniors Lifestyle Competition winners Deb and Max Baigent from King Creek are delighted with their prize of a trip for two to Sydney

AFTER months of battling intense bush fires, one local volunteer will get a little respite he so well and truly deserves.

Captain of the King Creek Rural Fire Service Max Baigent and his wife Deb have been the lucky winners of the Senior Lifestyle Metro Sydney Escape competition.

The timing, the thankful and humble couple said, could not have been better.

Mr Baigent arrived home from the Harrington fires the day his wife heard the news.

"It's been a raging battle down there," he said. "We had a week of battling intense fires and I got back around midnight."

Utterly exhausted, the 57-year-old had mentioned earlier that he needed a holiday.

At first, his wife's words simply didn't register when she said they would be spending two nights in Sydney at the Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour.

"We're just so thankful to Senior Lifestyle for running this competition," he said. "All firies have just had a run of it the past five months, but all the crews have been doing such a fantastic job."

Her work with the Bundaleer Care Service also keeps Mrs Baigent on her feet. "You get so busy that you just don't take the time to rest," she said. "It makes it a bit different when you win something."

The 55-year-old said it would be nice to see her husband taking a break.

"It's an exhausting task they do, they get tired and weary but they all do it because they love it," she said. "It's their way of giving back to the community."

From the sleepy hollow of King Creek, to the hustle and bustle of the big smoke - the views over Darling Harbour will be a big change for the King Creek couple. "It's going to be very different, but it's going to be fantastic to have a bit of time to relax," Mr Baigent said.

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