‘It’s bullying behaviour’: Capel Shire president addresses backlash over volunteer firefighter status

A South West shire president has spoken out against the “relentless bullying” he has faced from fired-up residents over whether he served as a volunteer firefighter. Capel Shire president Michael Southwell said he was “disappointed” to have to make a statement at last week’s ordinary council meeting, but felt it necessary to address the “small gang of people” who he said had been harassing him after he told reporters he was a volunteer firefighter earlier this year. “It’s bullying behaviour and it has become relentless,” he said. “I can handle it, but as I’ve touched on previously here it has an obvious impact on those close to me and has therefore become untenable. “It seems no matter what I do I’m forced to deal with continuing vexatious allegations and complaints on an almost weekly basis.” The drama stems from a period of contention among the council after a volunteer firefighter was injured at a blaze in North Boyanup in October, which boiled over when more than 100 firefighters protested a motion that would have removed the local deputy chief fire control office. After January’s council meeting, Cr Southwell told reporters he had served as a volunteer firefighter and cited consistent online abuse among the reasons for him not re-contesting at the upcoming council election. “Those statements were true to the best of my belief. I am not a liar,” he said on Wednesday. Cr Southwell said he had been asked to join the Maranup brigade to volunteer alongside his father-in-law and “helped to fight several fires in the Bridgetown district”. He also said he applied to join the Gelorup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade last year and was under the impression he had been accepted when speaking to reporters, before his application was rejected days later.