Granty
06-03-2008, 12:07 AM
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/origin-stars-firey-introduction-to-new-life/2008/03/05/1204402539860.html
Origin star's fiery introduction to new life
Shannon Molloy | March 5, 2008 - 4:58PM
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/ffximage/2008/03/05/470_norton,0.jpg
Travis Norton at firefighter training.
Photo: Shannon Molloy
He's already regarded a hero by many for his deeds on the football field - but now former State of Origin star Travis Norton has the opportunity off the field to really live up to the label as a Queensland firefighter.
Norton retired from rugby league at the end of the 2006 season after a stellar career which saw him play five Origins for Queensland and 139 first grade matches for the South Queensland Crushers, Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys.
This morning, he was part of a different team - the 160 firefighter recruits who battled two-metre high flames as part of their first live training session.
A former North Queensland captain, Norton - predictably nicknamed Cowboy - took on the same role today as his fellow recruits successfully battled the mock blaze.
While the surroundings were quite different, 31-year-old Norton said there were definitely similarities between fighting fires and playing football, with both requiring communication and team work.
The idea of becoming a firefighter first entered Norton's mind about five years before the end of his football career.
"I had a mate down in New South Wales who was a fireman ... I used to go between sessions to see him quite a bit," Norton told brisbanetimes.com.au.
However, a shoulder complaint in a football career marred by several injuries meant he was not able to meet the physical requirements to join.
A couple of years later, he tried again and passed with flying colours. He hopes to take up a post at a fire station in his home town of Mackay when he finishes his training in April.
"It (the training) is all I expected it was going to be - and probably a bit more," he said.
Despite coming within a metre of a raging inferno this morning, Mr Norton said he didn't waste time thinking about the dangers of his job.
"You don't worry about the outcome, you just think about the processes as you're doing them," he said.
Mr Norton is humble about his status as a football legend, and said his future colleagues in Mackay were too. It was unlikely there would be any star treatment, he said.
"I've been to the station a couple of times and met a few of them, and one of my mate works there. They're not too fussed and I'm not either - I try not to lead my life around what I've done in the past."
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service intake this year has set a new record, seeing more recruits graduate than ever before.
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:thumbsup:
Origin star's fiery introduction to new life
Shannon Molloy | March 5, 2008 - 4:58PM
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/ffximage/2008/03/05/470_norton,0.jpg
Travis Norton at firefighter training.
Photo: Shannon Molloy
He's already regarded a hero by many for his deeds on the football field - but now former State of Origin star Travis Norton has the opportunity off the field to really live up to the label as a Queensland firefighter.
Norton retired from rugby league at the end of the 2006 season after a stellar career which saw him play five Origins for Queensland and 139 first grade matches for the South Queensland Crushers, Canterbury Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys.
This morning, he was part of a different team - the 160 firefighter recruits who battled two-metre high flames as part of their first live training session.
A former North Queensland captain, Norton - predictably nicknamed Cowboy - took on the same role today as his fellow recruits successfully battled the mock blaze.
While the surroundings were quite different, 31-year-old Norton said there were definitely similarities between fighting fires and playing football, with both requiring communication and team work.
The idea of becoming a firefighter first entered Norton's mind about five years before the end of his football career.
"I had a mate down in New South Wales who was a fireman ... I used to go between sessions to see him quite a bit," Norton told brisbanetimes.com.au.
However, a shoulder complaint in a football career marred by several injuries meant he was not able to meet the physical requirements to join.
A couple of years later, he tried again and passed with flying colours. He hopes to take up a post at a fire station in his home town of Mackay when he finishes his training in April.
"It (the training) is all I expected it was going to be - and probably a bit more," he said.
Despite coming within a metre of a raging inferno this morning, Mr Norton said he didn't waste time thinking about the dangers of his job.
"You don't worry about the outcome, you just think about the processes as you're doing them," he said.
Mr Norton is humble about his status as a football legend, and said his future colleagues in Mackay were too. It was unlikely there would be any star treatment, he said.
"I've been to the station a couple of times and met a few of them, and one of my mate works there. They're not too fussed and I'm not either - I try not to lead my life around what I've done in the past."
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service intake this year has set a new record, seeing more recruits graduate than ever before.
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:thumbsup: