Geraldton windsurfer Jaeger Stone giving firefighting career a red hot crack

A champion Geraldton windsurfer has swapped a life competing on the world tour circuit for a career saving lives as a firefighter. Success seems to follow 31-year-old Jaeger Stone. In 2019 he won The Geraldton Guardian-Mid West Sports Federation senior sports star of the year award, and just recently he was awarded dux of his class at the WA Fire and Emergency Services Academy. The John McMahon Dux Award for Excellence is presented to the graduate with the highest overall marks in theoretical and practical assessment, and general firefighting skills. Somewhat embarrassed by the recognition, Mr Stone said he had been keeping the award win under wraps. “It was a little bit of a surprise — there’s a lot of smart and talented people in the school,” he said. “I definitely wasn’t trying to achieve that. I’ve been keeping that quiet. “I’m quite proud to get that. To win an award like that is an honour.” Mr Stone said the 21 weeks of intense training was a gruelling experience. “It was really tough mentally and physically,” he said. “Recruitment prior to getting into the school was hard as well. “It’s a really fast-paced school. It was very challenging.” Once one of the top windsurfers in the world, Mr Stone has travelled the globe competing on the world tour stage. But when the international windsurfing circuit came to an abrupt halt because of COVID-19, the 31-year-old decided it was time to give firefighting a go. “The firefighting thing was something I had been very interested in even when I was going through university studying physiotherapy,” he said. “I wanted to have a job that I thought would have a good work-life balance and where I would learn lots of practical skills, but still be challenged with my career.” Mr Stone has spent the last month learning the ropes with the team at the Geraldton Fire Station, and hopes to eventually work in his hometown on a permanent basis. He said anyone considering becoming a firefighter had to be prepared to put in the hard work. “Once you’ve decided that’s what you want to do, committing to it is really important,” he said. Meanwhile, windsurfing is still a life passion. “I’ll keep windsurfing in my time off,” he said. “Having a career that isn’t just focused on yourself and windsurfing is nice.”