Our People
22 May, 2026
An accidental leader; Rob Armstrong’s story airs on Australian Story
ARARAT Rural City Councillor Rob Armstrong was thrust into the public spotlight again this week as the feature interview on the ABC’s Australian Story. Cr Armstrong last year became the face of the protest movement against the Victorian Government’s Emergency Services and Volunteers levy.
He shot to fame with multiple television, radio and newspaper interviews denouncing the levy as an unfair impost on farmers.
“When the Victorian Government announced the emergency service levy, it just lit a fuse,” he said.
“You’re putting out a fire to save someone else’s assets, and you expect us to pay for it? What right about that?”
In a moving story aired on the ABC on Monday night, Rob Armstrong was introduced by presenter Leigh Sales as “an accidental leader”.
He spoke of his passion for farming and said that volunteering with the CFA was second nature to him, especially after a little known traumatic experience as a child.
As fires swept through farmland at Yalla-Y-Poora in 1969, his mother decided to take Rob and his three siblings to a neighbour’s home for safety, while she returned to try and protect the family home.
“On a howling, hot northerly day, dad went off to fight the fire. You could see the fire approaching behind the hill but the thing that was most horrifying was the speed in which the fire approached.
“In those days, mum decided it would be a good idea to take the kids away to a safe place which was Mrs Tucker’s down the road and then mum was going to go back and try and save the house.
“Unfortunately, the wind changed direction and the fire was headed for Mrs Tucker’s house.
“She wrapped us in wet towels and put us in the FJ ute,” he said.
However, burning trees blocked their escape, with all four Armstrong children getting severely burnt.
“That’s when we all got burnt, running through the flames to get to the road,” he said.
“The flames were 30 foot high, it was just a ball of fire.
“We had these plastic sandles on and they melted.
“I do remember sitting on the road with Mrs Tucker and she helped cover us up,” he said.
“I was four years old at the time. A bit of a tough day.
All four children were hospitalised and have life long scars as a result of the fire.
Australian Story can be streamed on the ABC IVIEW app.
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