Along with team member Irwin Burbage, Garry found himself at Berry Mountain this morning to rescue six-month-old Tinker from a tree.

The rescue kitten had only been in her new home for two weeks and found herself caught by her new elastic collar at a height of nine metres.

While he wasn't on duty, cat lover Garry was the one for the job.

Mr Burbage said Garry's determination to return Tinker to her rightful place on the ground was admirable.

"The cat was beyond the reach of our ladders so Garry put the full vertical gear on and spent a full hour-and-a-half getting her down," he said.

"He even used a piece of medical equipment, disposable, I must add, to hook her by the collar because she was still just out of reach."

Miss Tinker wasn't too happy to be put into a bag to be carried down and Garry found himself coming up with a creative way to lower her.

"He carefully dropped her into a tarp that he'd anchored and with the wind billowing in it, he made a balloon-like crash mat for her. It was amazing," Mr Burbage said.

Of course, Tinker strutted off like nothing had happened. However, her grateful owners were very happy to be reunited with the tiny adventurer and thanked the resuce paramedics for their efforts.

Mr Burbage said despite his constant ribbing, he was very impressed with his colleague's feline finesse.

"He's a hero among felines," he said.