Campaign to rename road after fallen firefighter has brigade's backing

Captain Leo Fransen, of the Diamond Beach NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade on the mid-north coast, died when he was struck by a falling tree while his crew was battling the 22,000-hectare fire in the Walgett local government area.

A petition to rename Grawin Road in Walgett to Capt Leo Fransen Way has gained almost 1,000 signatures, almost 800 from an online petition and around 200 in writing.

The campaign has the support of the Diamond Beach brigade, said Deputy Captain Jim Sullivan.

"I can certainly say we would absolutely support it. In fact, [the brigade] is already talking, assuming it's going to happen, and having a little pilgrimage to the area in may ... to look at the road," Deputy Captain Sullivan told the Daily Liberal.

Grawin Road is the unofficial name of the bitumen section of the road leading into Grawin off Wilby Road, and is owned by Crown Land. The rest of the road is owned by a nearby mining company.

Victoria Lugovoy, acting reserve manager for Lightning Ridge Area Opal Reserve (LRAOR) - which manages the road - said there was a submission being prepared to transfer the portion of Crown Land-managed road to Walgett Shire Council.

Ms Logovoy said, in the process of having the road gazetted to become a council road, her team would like to rename the road in memory of Captain Fransen, to pay tribute to him.

"[If the application is successful] it will become an official public road and it will become an official name and we can put a plaque there and have a commemoration there," Ms Logovoy told the Daily Liberal.

She hoped to gain 1000 signatures online before taking the matter before council.

Ms Logovoy said the idea came from inside her department, because the land on which Captain Fransen died was Crown reserve. She said the application would be submitted to council after Christmas.

Walgett mayor, Councillor Jasen Ramien, said his council was "supportive of whatever the community decides they want to do out there".

He confirmed the council has no jurisdiction over the road at this point in time.

"We'll take into consideration anything they put to council and we'll discuss that with the general manager and councillors in due course when it comes over our desk," Clr Ramien told the Daily Liberal.

Clr Ramien called Captain Fransen's death a "tragic event" and said the council recently held a minute's silence in remembrance of Caption Fransen "to show respect to him and his family and the Diamond Beach fire brigade".

"Our thoughts continuously go out to them. Considering they were on our turf, helping and saving property and life, it wasn't a very nice thing that happened," Clr Ramien said.

Captain Fransen was a life member of the Diamond Beach brigade since 2010. A service funeral, with members forming a guard of honour, was held for the captain in Forster on Friday, December 8.

Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, paid respect to Captain Fransen, during an address to open the NSW RFS aviation centre of excellence in Dubbo on Monday, December 11.