Every new year begins with wishes for the future and hope for a prosperous year. This year, 2025, is no different. At the Museum we have a packed 12 months of activities for the whole family as well as a very full program of heritage works to keep our small team very busy!
The year gets off to a jump start with our Summer Family Morning on Saturday 11 January. We will once again host our annual art competition awards ceremony later in January when we will announce all of the award recipients from the 2024 art competition. The shortlisted entrant’s works are currently on show and this exhibition will remain open to the public until 9 February 2025.
Throughout the month of January, we also have extra fire engine ride dates so be sure to check our website for all of those details here.
To keep up to date with everything else we have planned for 2025 subscribe to our blog and follow us on social media.
150 Years Ago - 1875
Every year when I sit down to write the Museum’s first blog of the year, I always find myself reflecting on the past (this is an occupational hazard when you spend your time working in the history realm after all!)
As we were finalising all of our FRNSW station centenaries I fell down an interesting rabbit hole that took me to the 19th century – specifically 1875.
It was back in this year, 1875, that there were at least nine new fire brigades created (that we are aware of), across NSW. Of these nine brigades though, not all are celebrating 150 years of continuous service in 2025.
The nine brigades established in 1875 were:
Sydney Metropolitan Area
Mort’s Dry Dock Brigade (today, No. 12 Balmain Fire Brigade)
Formed by workers within Mort’s Dock & Engineering Works after the company provided firefighting equipment. Shortly after the brigade was formed the name was changed to Balmain as the brigade represented the larger local community and provided fire protection to the nearby homes of workers as well as other local businesses. In 1884 when the Fire Brigades Act was implemented by the NSW Government the volunteer brigade registered with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and were able to maintain their affiliation with the MFB (see previous blog for more on this click here). In 1894 Balmain Fire brigade would go on to receive a new fire station built by the MFB. This station remains in use today and the brigade has remained in continuous operation for 150 years, a great feat!
Glebe Volunteer Company (today, No. 18 Glebe Fire Brigade)
Located in Mitchell Street the brigade did fall into a recess until 1877 when it was re-formed, this does mean technically the brigade hasn’t had a continuous 150 years of service but across NSW many brigades are in a similar situation with brigades drifting in and out of operation depending on the workload. Like Balmain’s volunteer brigade, Glebe Volunteer Brigade was registered with the MFB in 1884 and in 1906 a new station was built by the MFB. This station remains in use today.
Woollahra Volunteer Company No. 1
Established in Moncur Street, Woollahra in 1875, this brigade is noted as not registering with the MFB until 1887 (which seems to be the year that the MFB began really enforcing the act, i.e. several brigades that didn’t meet the established standards and were thus forced to disband while others were required to officially register with the MFB, as is the case here). In 1898 the volunteer brigade was dispersed, and permanent firefighters were assigned to the station by the MFB. A new station was erected in 1905, however, in 1945 the station, now numbered No. 9, was closed. During the late 1940s the closed station was used as a training school for probationary firefighters. This ceased in 1951 when No. 11 Paddington Fire Brigade were transferred from their station, which was closed and used for training purposes. Today, No. 11 Woollahra Fire Brigade continue to operate out of the 1905 built station.
No. 3 Volunteer Company
Formed in the Barley Mow Hotel (later known as the Windsor Tavern) at the corner of Park and Castlereagh Streets, Sydney. This brigade was established by ex-members of No. 2 Company. In 1884, with the introduction of the Fire Brigades Act the brigade was disbanded.
No. 4 Volunteer Company (South Sydney)
Established in Market Square, near the junction of Pitt, Castlereagh and Campbell Streets in Sydney. The brigade would later move to Hancock’s Tower in the George Street West area where it successfully registered with the MFB in 1884 after the Fire Brigades Act came into effect. In 1887 the brigade was disbanded however many members established the new Darlington Volunteer Company which remained in operation until 1892.
No. 5 Volunteer Company (East Sydney)
Established in Campbell Street, Surry Hills (not to be confused with Surry Hills Volunteer Brigade that was established in 1880). No. 5 VFC registered with the MFB in 1884 however like No. 4 company they also disbanded in 1887. There is some evidence to suggest that the brigade didn’t actually disband but rather amalgamated with the Paddington Brewery Volunteer Company (PBVC) however this was not a harmonious union, so it ceased, and No. 5 officially disbanded. Other sources suggest that this wasn’t the case and when No. 5 VFC disbanded in 1887, some members independently formed the PBVC. Either way, No. 5 Company ceased to exist in any independent form after 1887.
Newcastle Region
Lambton Fire Brigade (Today 357 Lambton Fire Brigade)
The first ‘Station’ was located in a shed at the back of the Gold Miner’s Hotel. A new Station was opened at 67 De Vitre Road in 1902 however the Station was destroyed in a cyclone in 1913 and was re-built in 1914 by the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (the governing body of the NSWFB, whom Lambton Fire Brigade had come under the auspice of in 1910). It wasn’t until 2016 that this new station was closed, and the Brigade moved into a new one on Young Street where they were amalgamated with New Lambton and Hamilton Fire Brigade’s.
Regional NSW
Grenfell Fire Brigade
In 1875, Grenfell was a rich gold mining town, home to thousands, hence why a fire brigade was established. By the mid-1870s however the decline of the town had begun and by the 1880s the Grenfell Brigade had ceased to exist. It wasn’t until 1899 that a new brigade was re-instituted at Grenfell and in 1903 a new Fire Station was built in Camp Street. In 1910 the Fire Brigades Act was extended to Grenfell and the Board of Fire Commissioners built a new Station on the same site in 1929. Today the Brigade still occupy the 1929 station.
Gulgong Fire Brigade
The site of another mining town, in 1875 a brigade was established to serve the community, however by the 1880s this brigade ceased to exist as the town also entered decline. It wasn’t until 1934 that the Fire Brigades Act was extended to Gulgong, and a new brigade was once again formed.
The reason so many brigades were established in 1875 is as a result in part of the devastating 1874 Great Fire of Windsor which destroyed 30 acres of land, 53 buildings and 36 homes. Windsor was the catalyst for many towns across NSW to ensure that they had their own active fire brigades as it was understood that if it wasn’t for the local Windsor brigade the damage, and possibly death toll would have been much higher. This incident saw many across the state rush to establish fire brigades within their own communities. To read about the Great Windsor Fire of 1874 click here.
Congratulations to the Balmain and Lambton Brigades who this year celebrate 150 years of continuous service to the community!
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