'Last hurrah': Deloraine volunteer firefighter retires after 35 years

Mr Saltmarsh marched with the brigade for the last time on Anzac Day, calling it his "last hurrah".

He moved to Deloraine with his parents in his late teens, but it was still a few years before he joined the fire brigade.

Mr Saltmarsh said he began volunteering around his mid-30s after he was approached by a member of the Deloraine Fire Brigade.

"I ummed and ahhed because I had young kids and everything, [but] I came down to training one night and went from there," he said.

"I just lived up the road back then, and I actually used to run down to the fire station."

Mr Saltmarsh has seen many people come and go in his time, and said the best part was the "fellowship with the other members".

"But I think you know when your time's up," he said.

"It's a young man's game."

He said it was good to see young recruits joining and volunteering for the fire brigade, but they are always looking for more.

"The young ones coming through don't have the experience the older guys have got," he said.

"But they'll get it as long as they stick with it."

Mr Saltmarsh said most of the volunteers who were there when he joined have retired now, save for Tasmanian Fire Service Western Tiers group officer Errol Gleeson.

Reflecting on Mr Saltmarsh's 35 years of volunteering, Mr Gleeson said he was "one of those guys that only comes around so often".

"Greg's been a gentleman, a mate, a mentor and everything else," he said.

"Many brigade chiefs were fortunate to have a firefighter of the calibre of Salty."

According to Mr Gleeson, Mr Saltmarsh used his skills and calm demeanour to mentor new recruits, and hopes "that Salty drops in and says hello now and again".

"He served the brigade with distinction and was a friend and mate to all."