The volunteer firefighter joined his local brigade in 1977.

In June, he will celebrate 40 years as a member of the team, making him one of the longest serving volunteers at the George Town station.

Attending thousands of fires throughout his career, the 68-year-old said the role had become too physically demanding and he was forced to pull the pin.

Retiring from his operational duties in December 2015, his journey as a volunteer was not yet over.

Continuing to work as part of the team, Graham spends most days at the station, collecting the mail each morning and making sure his “second home” is kept spick-and-span.

“I was very upset I had to pull out of [the brigade],” he said.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made … I had a few [physical] hiccups, it was just too much.”

Reflecting on the role, Graham said the hardest part was seeing people in his community face tragic situations.

“Seeing families who have lost everything, that’s really upsetting, you learn to cope after years of seeing it but you never really forget it.”

Beyond fighting fires and attending crashes, Graham was always keen to put his hand up for community events and never missed the Christmas lolly run.

A life member of the station, he said he was unsure when he would “completely leave”.

“It’s been my life for so many years. I still see them training and I feel like going and joining them.”

Of all the things he loved about the role, he said he would miss “the comradery amongst the men” most of all.

Working alongside Graham for 33 years was the brigade’s current chief, Andrew Taylor.

He said Graham’s commitment to the station was “second-to-none”.

“His call attendance rate was over 90 per cent, there is nobody that has ever had that sort of attendance … the community and the brigade is so lucky to have had such a level of commitment, ” Mr Taylor said.

“He’s still part of the team, maybe not in an operational sense, but Graham’s personality brings a very special attribute to the station.

“He’s got a key [to the station] as long as he wants to keep a key.”