Station Focus: 269 Corrimal Fire Brigade 1925-2025

The Beginning of a Brigade in Corrimal

Movement for the creation of a fire brigade at Corrimal began in 1924 with Divisional Inspector G. Grimmond visiting the area to discuss the region’s fire protection with the mayor. It was determined that a volunteer brigade would be established in the area, which at that time was known as North Illawarra, and was managed by North Illawarra Council. The Brigade was therefore to be known as the North Illawarra Brigade and would consist of two branches with the head station at Corrimal and a sub-station placed at Balgownie. The North Illawarra area was officially brought under the Fire Brigades Act on 17 October 1924.

Captain Tom Sunderland, the first Captain of the Corrimal Fire Brigade [Museum of Fire Collection]

Whilst the region was gazetted as a Fire District in October 1924, it would not be until 1 January 1925 that the North Illawarra Fire Brigade would be officially instituted. When this brigade first began, it consisted of a Captain and ten partially paid firefighters; six at Corrimal and four at Balgownie. With the establishment of a brigade, came the need for a fire station to house the equipment. Initial correspondence between the North Illawarra Council and the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC), the governing body of the NSW Fire Brigade at the time, suggest that the Council was eager to erect a permanent station in either Corrimal or Balgownie. This was considered inadvisable by the BoFC as the building was of simple construction and would not meet the requirements for an operational fire station. It would instead be recommended that an appropriate pre-existing building be rented until the BoFC could erect a suitable station building that aligned with their requirements. Thus, a shed situated on Main Road, Corrimal at the back of a shop and residence belonging to Mr W.R. Benham was secured to serve as a temporary station. The property featured a large paddock which could be used by the brigade for drill purposes twice a month.

Land for the construction of a permanent station was acquired by resumption from the Church of England in 1925. Plans for the erection of new stations at both Corrimal and Balgownie were passed by the North Illawarra Council, which began the process of separating the two brigades into independent units.

Corrimal’s Fire Station officially opened on 23 November 1929. Not long after, on the 1 December 1929, Corrimal and Balgownie Fire Brigades officially separated into their own independent brigades. Corrimal station has remained mostly intact since 1929 with major renovations that saw the footprint of the station double in 2006-2007. These major renovations resulted in the additions of a new kitchen, training room, new amenities, an office, a storage room, a duty room and a separate turn-out facility with new locker room.

Corrimal Fire Station c. 2000s [Museum of Fire Collection]

Corrimal Fire Brigade attended a total of 305 incidents over the 2023 – 2024 financial year period: including a total of 60 fires, and 245 other calls for help. The brigade also conducted 211 visits for community safety, preparedness and engagement activities.

No. 269 Corrimal Captains List

Captains Name	Start Date	End Date
T. Sunderland	1/1/1925	14/5/1959
J. Shepherd	14/5/1959	30/4/1970
R. J. Neale	1/5/1970	15/5/1979
K. Finegan	15/5/1979	17/1/1990
R. Hutton	17/1/1990	9/5/1998
P. Long	8/9/1998	30/11/2004
S. Beckett	16/2/2005	30/4/2016
P. Dorin	14/6/2016	Present

No. 269 Corrimal Historic Fleet List

Year	Make/Model	Fleet Number	Type
1925	-	082	Hose Reel
1929	Dennis 250	187	Pumper
1940	Dennis 250	166	Pumper
1940	-	047	Hose Reel
1946	Dennis Ace	243	Pumper
1964	Bedford J1	065	Pumper
1973	Ford D400	162	Pumper
1980	Dennis D600 Mk2	433	Pumper
1983	International C1600	469	Pumper
1986	International 1710B	567	Pumper
1994	International 1810C	137	Pumper
2003	Isuzu FTR 800 4x2	524	Pumper
2023	Iveco Class 2 CAFS	447	Pumper

-Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team