A Blast from the Past: Looking Back 50 years to 1975

Fifty years ago, 1975, was an incredibly busy year for the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB; today Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) with technological changes in firefighting equipment and one of the largest ever building programs underway in the history of the NSWFB.

In June 1975 the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (the governing body of the NSWFB) five-year term of service (1970-1975), as outlined by the Fire Brigades Act, was terminated and a new board was constituted, meeting for the first time in July 1975. Shortly after this, in August, Chief Officer Lowther retired after 41 years of service to the NSWFB, eight of these as Chief Officer. He was replaced by Chief Officer Davies, who had been a firefighter with the NSWFB for 34 years.

Chief Officer Lowther

Chief Officer Davies

The Newcastle radio network was extended to include the stations at Abermain, Kurri Kurri, Weston and Morpeth. This was an extension to the network that had been installed two years earlier in 1973 encompassing the Newcastle area as well as Maitland, East Maitland, Telarah and Cessnock.

The NSWFB building program of 1975 was reported as one of the most extensive in the history of the brigade. Throughout 1975 six new stations were completed and became operational while a further seven remained under construction as the year came to a close. This came on the back of the major development of the new Training College at Alexandria which was opened the previous year in 1974. Three other stations had become operational in 1974 however these were not officially opened until 1975.

The nine stations to be officially opened or become operational in 1975 were:

• Cooma (active ops 22 Jan & officially opened 23 May)

• Thirroul (officially opened 1 Feb)

• Beecroft (active ops 14 March)

• Mudgee (officially opened 12 April)

• Weston (officially opened 19 April)

• Alexandria (active ops 17 June) (Former Waterloo Brigade transferred to new station located on same site as the college)

• Helensburgh (active ops 15 August)

• Bankstown (active ops 15 August)

• Smithfield (active ops 7 November)

Of the six new stations erected in 1975, two were also accompanied with the establishment of new brigades. These were at Helensburgh and Smithfield.

Cooma Fire Station

Thirroul Fire Station

Beecroft Fire Station

Mudgee Fire Station

Weston Fire Station

Alexandria Fire Station

Helensburg Fire Station

Bankstown Fire Station

Smithfield Fire Station

On 27 March 1975 the NSWFB’s firefighters and appliances formed a guard of honour to welcome special guests, including the NSW Governor General, Sir Roden Cutler to the Sydney release of the blockbuster film “The Towering Inferno”. NSWFB firefighter’s speaking of the film after the premiere, noted the graphic nature of what was shown and reflected that this was the first film to show an incident in such horror, with previous films being more stylised or less-graphic. Fifty years on, it is interesting to reflect on this response to the film in light of more modern representations in disaster films.

Premiere of "Towering Inferno" at the Plaza Theatre, 27 March 1975 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Notable Incidents of 1975:

People watch on at the fire in the old Angus and Robertson Building on Castlereagh Street, Sydney, 14 January 1975 [Museum of Fire Collection; courtesy of Bauer Media]

Major Sydney CBD Fire, 14 January 1975

On 14 January 1975, in the heart of Sydney CBD, the former Angus and Robertson building on Castlereagh Street, opposite David Jones, was gutted by fire. Firefighters described it as the most difficult and hazardous commercial property fire they had fought in many years. The four-storey historic building had been occupied by various commercial businesses since Angus and Robertson vacated the premises in 1972. It contained a labyrinth of basement cellars and was crammed with soft merchandise. Luckily, the adjacent modern buildings, which included Centre Point, had been constructed of fire-resistant materials, which proved helpful in stopping the spread of fire.

To read more about this incident, click here.

Historic Tweed River Hotel Fire, 5 February 1975

Just before midnight on 5 February 1975 Kingscliff Fire Brigade was called to a fire at one of the oldest hotels in the northern Tweed River District the Chinderah Hotel, just two kilometres from Kingscliff. The hotel was already well alight when crews turned up at 11:23pm with Captain Gilmont immediately requesting the assistance of the Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads brigades as it was unknown how many people may have been trapped in the hotel. Rapid investigation, however, determined that all occupants had escaped. Firefighters from Kingscliff used two collector and two delivery lines to advance against the blazing upper floor frontage.

They were unable to use the collapsed internal staircase, so firefighters had to use extension ladders to gain access to the partly involved upper northern end of the hotel. The Kingscliff Rescue Squad provided assistance with a supply of portable lighting facilities. By 3:00am on 6 February the fire had been extinguished and the supporting brigades were able to return to their stations, while Kingscliff continued mopping up efforts by putting water onto smouldering debris until 4am.

Brigades confront the blazing storey of the Chinderah Hotel, 5 February 2025 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Serious Fire on Parramatta Road, 7 April 1975

At 2:19am on 7 April 1975, a triple zero call alerted firefighters to a blaze in a two-storey building and basement on Parramatta Road, Camperdown, which became one of the city’s most serious fires in recent years. Firefighters from Glebe and Newtown were the first to respond and quickly got to work, gaining entry into the building, however, the intense heat and smoke forced them back. This prompted them to call for further assistance from the Snorkel appliance, Leichhardt, Stanmore, Redfern and Pyrmont. The brigades set up lines of hose on each side of the building with the Snorkel pouring water from above. The radiant heat, however, was placing nearby properties in danger, so even more brigades were called in to assist which included, Headquarters (now City of Sydney), Waterloo, Marrickville, and Drummoyne. As the fire spread, the walls and roof began to collapse, causing further hazards for firefighters. This also tragically meant the building could not be saved. Just over two hours later at 4:46am, firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control and even though the building was lost, the adjoining properties only received minimal smoke and water damage.

Franklin’s Supermarket Fire at Hurstville, 21 May 1975

At 5:58pm on 21 May 1975, firefighters were called to a fire at Franklin’s Supermarket in Hurstville after a triple zero call reported smoke issuing from the property. Firefighters from Hurstville and Kogarah immediately responded and only three minutes later called for additional support. The third floor of the building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, causing great danger to the higher levels. Mortdale, Rockdale, Lakemba, and Riverwood soon arrived, followed by Newtown, the Snorkel from Pyrmont and Headquarters (now City of Sydney) about 10 minutes later. Firefighters soon gained entry to the upper floors and were able to prevent the fire from spreading. Just over an hour later at 7:07pm the stop message was called after firefighters had successfully brought the fire under control.

This would in fact be the second time the building had caught fire in two years, with firefighters previously attending and saving the building in January 1973.

El Rancho Hotel Fire North Ryde, 9 October 1975

At 4:40am on 9 October 1975, Headquarters Control received a 000 call to a fire at the El Rancho Hotel in North Ryde. The first Brigades on the scene were Ryde, followed by Eastwood and Beecroft. When Station Officer J. Pollard (Ryde) arrived, he found the ground floor bar section well alight. The most pressing job was to find the closest hydrant to get water onto the fire, but the closest hydrant was 125 metres away and had inadequate water pressure, despite this they were still able to get water onto the fire within two minutes of arriving. Station Officer Pollard and Station Officer P. Piper (Eastwood) focused on searching the premises for any residents staying in the motel, and evacuating occupants. Further Brigades from Gordon, Stanmore, and Lane Cove, along with District Officer R. Shapter, Inspector T. Whitney, and Deputy Chief Officer J. Moss arrived to assist. The single floor bar and snack kitchen were engulfed by the flames of the collapsed roofing materials and fittings. Entry was made into a yet unaffected section which was where the fire was fought and held. At 5:44am the Deputy Chief Officer sent the stop message.

-Story by the Museum of Fire Heritage Team