On Thursday 16 January 2025, we hosted the awards ceremony for our 2024 Art Competition. At the Museum of Fire, we feel it is essential to pay tribute to our firefighters each and every day. Without their heroic efforts, there would be no stories to share, nor any history to preserve. As the official heritage partner to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations understand the great depth of history within the organisation.
The year 2024 marked 140 years since the creation of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), later known as the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB); and today is known as Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). Prior to this, there were fire brigades in Sydney, however, they were operated independently by various businesses or local communities.
The establishment of the 1884 Fire Brigades Act created one firefighting body for Sydney. All brigades had to now register with the newly formed governing body of the MFB and had to meet certain requirements to remain active.
To celebrate this important milestone the Museum chose the history of FRNSW as our 2024 Art Competition theme. While we didn’t hesitate when we selected this theme, we were aware that it may be considered a difficult theme for our young artists.
With that in mind, we have been very impressed by the level of research that has clearly gone into so many of the artworks. The variation in design and composition is outstanding, and I truly believe we have some of the best artworks we’ve ever seen entered into the competition. This did make selecting the shortlist difficult, but our Heritage Team worked overtime to select just 33 works for this year’s exhibition.
The commitment and hard work of the young artists are evident in every entry and this is a testament to how important our firefighters are to the wider community.
In 2024, we also introduced the Art Competition Invitational. This separate event is entered by invitation only, with all past winners who are now in high school invited to submit an artwork addressing the yearly theme. This was created to provide inspiration for the main 2024 Art Competition and allowed past entrants to continue to participate since they had expressed disappointment they could no longer enter now that they were in high school. It is intended that the Invitational is held ahead of the main competition, with the artworks exhibited at several sites to promote the competition each year. We also trialed digital only submissions for the Invitational and due to the success of this, it will be implemented for future competitions.
Overall, it has been another successful year for the Museum hosting the Art Competition and I look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2025 event when we celebrate 40 years since women were permitted to join FRNSW as firefighters.
The First Place Grand Prize Winner was presented at the conclusion of the ceremony by Councillor Todd Carney, Mayor of Penrith with the winner receiving a $200 Museum voucher, an Officeworks art prize, perpetual trophy, and having their artwork become part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
The winner was Niamh Davison (Year 5) with her work “Fiery Helmets Through Time”. In her own words “Helmets have changed so much through the years. I chose four different helmets to paint. My great
grandfather had the oldest helmet and I like all the decoration on it. I think the modern helmet looks the
safest.” This was Niamh’s first time entering into our Art Competition, so we are thrilled to be able to display her artwork in our main exhibition space and add it to our permanent collection.
FRNSW were also represented at the event by Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell. Jeremy Fewtrell presented the FRNSW Commissioner’s Choice Award to the winner Grace Young (Year 6) for her work “Standing Guard” where she received a FRNSW giftpack from the Museum. Grace's artwork will be displayed in the emergency services academy at Orchard Hills and will also be added to the Museum’s permanent collection. She describes her artwork: “Looking back through time, this image of a firefighter from the past reminds me how important and special firefighters really are, and how brave they are when they stand up to a fire to protect our buildings.”
Karen McKeown, Member for Penrith, also presented the People's Choice Award to winner Vera Alieva (Year 2) for her work "Trees in Bushfire", which was voted by the public both in the Museum and online. In her own words "My dad took me to the mountains to show me the impact that bushfire has on the environment and trees. I imagined me and dad standing there as though we were two trees, looking out into the valley in the middle of a wild bushfire, desperately waiting for the firefighters to arrive."
In addition, we had Federal Member for Macquarie and Special Envoy to the Arts Susan Templeman assist in the presentation, handing out certificates to all shortlisted artists who were present.
Winner's List:
First Place
Name: Niamh Davison (Year 5)
Work: Fiery Helmets Through History
Helmets have changed so much through the years. I chose four different helmets to paint. My great
grandfather had the oldest helmet and I like all the decoration on it. I think the modern helmet looks the
safest.
Second Place
Name: Christina Huang (Year 2)
Work: Old Firefighter Koala
Firefighter koala inspects the trees.
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner's Choice Award
Name: Grace Young (Year 6)
Work: Standing Guard
Looking back through time, this image of a firefighter from the past reminds me how important and special firefighters really are, and how brave they are when they stand up to a fire to protect our buildings.
People's Choice Award
Name: Vera Alieva (Year 2)
Work: Trees in Bushfire
My dad took me to the mountains to show me the impact that bushfire has on the environment and trees. I imagined me and dad standing there as though we were two trees, looking out into the valley in the middle of a wild bushfire, desperately waiting for the firefighters to arrive.
CEO Award
Name: Noah Zlotkowski (Year 2)
Work: Flames of Valour
On December 27th 2001, the firefighting helicopter nicknamed “Elvis” was immediately deployed to Bankstown, NSW, to help with firefighting efforts in the Sydney region and was lauded for its role in helping to save almost 300 homes. It was also credited with helping save the lives of 14 firefighters in the Burragorang Valley in NSW.
Curator Award
Name: Anneli Holmdahl (Year 6)
Work: Hope in Time
My entry is inspired by the pink flannel flower. After many bushfires over time, these beautiful pink flowers bloom as hope. They may only be seen once or twice in a lifetime as a result of a pattern of bushfires followed by rainfall. They signify hope, renewal, strength, and resilience.
Age Group Highly Commended
Year 6
Name: Kevin Yang
Work: NSWFB Brass Helmet
The NSWFB brass helmet holds significant historical value as a symbol of early firefighting in NSW. This helmet not only served as a protective piece of equipment, but also as an emblem of civic duty and bravery, worn by firefighters who risked their lives to safeguard communities. Its design, rich in detail, highlights the blend of functionality and ceremonial pride in the fire service.
Year 5
Name: Cindy Chan
Work: Belief
It is about the coming together of older firefighters and younger ones, and how it doesn’t matter how much knowledge you have and to always welcome newer people.
Year 4
Name: Arianna Black
Work: The Fire Horse
My painting shows what firefighters may have looked like in 2013 when they were fighting the devastating bushfire that destroyed 196 homes in the Blue Mountains. The horse represents the speed of the fire. The firefighters are small compared to the terrifying strength of the fire horse. I hope my painting shows the bravery and courage that firefighters possess.
Year 3
Name: Cordelia Su
Work: Capturing Courage Through the Lens
I’ve painted a camera and firefighters as symbols of bravery and sacrifice. The artwork shows how firefighting has changed over time, starting with modern firefighters in advanced gear and moving back to earlier times when their uniforms were simpler. Each scene, captured through the camera, tells a story of courage and dedication throughout history.
Year 2
Name: Noah Zlotkowski
Work: Flames of Valor
On December 27th 2001, the firefighting helicopter nicknamed “Elvis” was immediately deployed to Bankstown, NSW, to help with firefighting efforts in the Sydney region and was lauded for its role in helping to save almost 300 homes. It was also credited with helping save the lives of 14 firefighters in the Burragorang Valley in NSW.
Year K-1 Name: Elena Ward
Work: Brave Firefighter
I drew this picture because I live near the bush and there might be bushfires. I think firefighters are brave when they put the fires out.
Thank you for joining us and I hope to see you back for the 2025 exhibition! We look forward to seeing the artworks the children will produce for the art competition next year, so get your creative juices flowing and start preparing!
To get a closer look at the winning artworks and the rest of the shortlisted entries from 2024 click here.
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