Beaconsfield survivor remembered for firefighting legacy
Todd Russell will be remembered around Australia as a survivor and a beacon of courage, but within the walls of the Beaconsfield Fire Brigade in Tasmania he will always be known as one of their own.
Russell died this week aged 54, days after leaving hospital to be with family, and 20 years since becoming internationally famous as a survivor of the Beaconsfield mine disaster.
He and fellow miner Brant Webb were trapped underground for two weeks in 2006 when the gold mine collapsed, killing their colleague Larry Knight.
At the time, Russell was already a long-serving Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) volunteer at the Beaconsfield brigade, which his grandfather had founded more than half a century beforehand.
He retired as the brigade's chief in February this year.
Todd Russell responded to more than 2000 call outs in his time with the Fire Service. (Facebook: Todd Russell)
Emergency services role crucial to mine survival
Outside the Beaconsfield brigade on Tuesday, TFS District Officer Anthony Goss honoured Russell's life and legacy.
He said Russell volunteered for the brigade for 31 years, and was one of Beaconsfield's longest serving brigade chiefs.
A board at the Beaconsfield fire station listing the Russell family's involvement spanning years. (ABC News: Hayden Smith)
"Todd and his family have been a massive part of the Beaconsfield community for a long time,"
Mr Goss said.
"The brigade was first founded back in 1953 by his grandfather, so I guess you could say the legacy of the Russell family started back then."
Pictures of Todd Russell during his service are on display at the Beaconsfield Fire Brigade. (ABC News: Hayden Smith)
In an interview with ABC North West Queensland last year, Russell said his experience as a leader in the TFS helped during the mine collapse, and was a useful counter to Mr Webb's character.
"Brant being a joking sort of guy, he kept the spirits up, whereas I was more of a serious guy," he said.
"If you had to endure that by yourself, it would have been a whole lot tougher than what it was."
Mr Goss said Russell's leadership would leave a "long-lasting effect" on the community and the members of the brigade.
"Todd had over 2,000 calls that he responded to, so you can imagine how much time out of his life, and his family time," he said.
Todd Russell once said that his work with the Fire Service helped during his rescue ordeal. (ABC News: Hayden Smith )
'Uncanny' rescue 15 years after his own
A few of those calls in recent years have themselves been noteworthy.
In 2021, he helped rescue a German shepherd named Bear that had fallen down a mine shaft 15 years to the day after Russell was rescued from the gold mine.
"It's just one of those things. It just happened to be on the same day that I walked to freedom 15 years ago," Russell said at the time.
"It was a little bit uncanny."
At the time, he said after 26 years it was the first time he was called to help rescue a dog from a mine shaft.
Todd Russell led the crew that reunited Bear with his owners (pictured). (Supplied)
As tributes poured in for Russell on Tuesday, his volunteering to help fellow New South Wales firefighters during the 2019/20 black summer bushfires was also remembered.
Mr Goss said Russell received the National Emergency medal for his efforts during those bushfires, and that he had received the Tasmanian Volunteer Fire Service medal.
The flag was flying at half mast at Beaconsfield Fire Brigade on Tuesday. (ABC News: Hayden Smith)
Bill Shorten, the former federal Labor leader who was national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union when the mine collapsed, also noted Russell's firefighting as a testament to his legacy.
He said Russell sent him a photo from the New South Wales deployment.
"This was a courageous bloke who used the next 20 years of his life that was given to him by this rescue and his own strength," Mr Shorten said.
"It was worth every second, and that's why this rescue was so amazing."
Legacy to 'give more than you take'
Mr Shorten said Russell left the Beaconsfield gold mine in 2006 with confidence that he imparted as a mentor not only within the TFS, but the wider Tasmanian community.
"He then used that experience to educate, mentor and coach people about what being kind is like," he said.
"How to be a member of the community and a good member of the community, how to actually give more than you take.
"That is full credit to the man that Todd is, and was.
"The impact that he has left certainly will be carried forward for generations."
The Australian flag was flying at half mast at the Beaconsfield Fire Brigade on Tuesday, and Mr Goss said a guard of honour would be offered for Russell's funeral.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, sharing a photo of Russell in TFS garb, said his 31-year contribution to community service was "exemplary".
Deputy Premier Guy Barnett said the state government would consider "all options" available to pay respect to Russell.
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