Firefighters will gather tonight in Melbourne to remember fellow fireman Matthew Leonard, who was among nine Australians killed in a plane crash in Papua New Guinea on August 11 last year.
Malvern fire station officer Steven Davey says Mr Leonard was a popular and well-regarded fireman and amateur actor who was part of the group planning to walk the Kokoda Track.
"He was a very competent person, very confident, selfless and very giving," Mr Davey said.
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He said firefighters from the South Melbourne and Malvern stations where Mr Leonard worked will gather for dinner to remember him.
"He was a bit of a thespian coming from a theatrical background," Mr Davey said.
"He appeared in amateur plays but for the two years he was with us he concentrated on his fire duties."
Mr Davey said the young firefighter also belonged to the volunteer group AFIRE - the Australian Fire International Relief and Education group - which teaches Cambodian firefighters basic skills.
Phyllis Cranwell, the wife and mother of two of the victims, did not want to talk on Tuesday.
Her husband Max, 67, and daughter Leanne, 38, died when the Airlines PNG Twin Otter slammed into the side of a hill.
"I'm not up to speaking today," Mrs Cranwell said.
"It's just too close to the anniversary."
Mrs Cranwell's daughter Melissa is on the Kokoda Track this week in a pilgrimage to her father and sister.
The crash killed 13 people: seven Victorians, two Queenslanders, two PNG pilots, a PNG passenger and a Japenese tourist.
