Funeral Haka performed in tribute to Australian firefighter killed battling blazes

Members of the Horsley Park Fire Brigade performed a ‘haka’ at the funeral of Australian firefigher Andrew O’Dwyer, who was killed battling blazes in south-west Sydney in December 2019.

Andrew and fellow firefighter Geoff Keaton were killed on December 19 when their fire truck rolled after being hit by a falling tree while they were fighting the Green Wattle Creek fire near Buxton.

Both men have been posthumously awarded the NSW Rural Fire Service’s Commissioner highest accolade, the Commendation for Extraordinary Service and Bravery.

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The haka is a New Zealand Maori ceremonial dance, made famous by the nation’s rugby union team.

The NSW Rural Fire Service set up bank accounts to collect donations for the families of the firefighters who died in the line of duty.

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