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Shepparton Fire Brigade History
Shepparton Volunteer Fire Brigade began in February 1888 when Shepparton had a population of perhaps 2000 people.
In rural Victoria, Shepparton was
regarded as a town of substance and had developed rather quickly in the period following
the unlocking of the land from the stranglehold of the squatters. The Shire was
a mere 10 years old and more recently had been severed from its former Numurkah
component.
At a preliminary meeting held in
the Shire Hall and chaired by Cr.E.J. Daly on Monday, February 20th,
1888, the historic motion of Cr. G. McCracken and jas. McLean was carried – “that
it is desirable to form a Fire Brigade in Shepparton, and that necessary steps be
taken to form such Brigade”.
At that meeting 22 men gave their
names as members. The first meeting of the newly formed brigade then took place,
again at the Shire Hall, on Friday February 24th. At this meeting a further
27 men sought membership and the first election of office-bearers was held.
During its formative years the brigade
had many technical and physical problems to overcome.
It’s first priority was an apparatus
shed. Negotiations with the Shire Council resulted in its first Fire Station being
erected between the “water tower and Quiggin’s timber yard”, and completed before
the end of 1888. The name “Shepparton Fire Station” was painted on this building
by Messrs. Crowe and Miller on December 30th, 1888.
The first fire bell of the brigade
was purchased from John Danks for £15.5.7 on April 25th, 1890. Placement
and erection of a bell tower proved a problem which was not resolved until the beginning
of 1891.
To further improve the system of
communications street alarms were installed in 1911.
From the beginning of the new century
there were strong moves to obtain land in Maude Street at the rear of the Post Office
for the purpose of building a new station. This became a reality in 1902 when in
October of that year the brick building designed by J.A. Clarke was constructed
at a cost of £420. It was largely financed by donations and built with the assistance
of volunteer labour.
As early as 1908 Apparatus Officer
Grant volunteered to sleep at the Fire Station for £8 per annum. He thus became
the first resident officer.
The disastrous fire of the 1919
at the Shepparton Freezing Works had highlighted deficiencies in equipment necessary
to cope with such a blaze. Approval in 1922 to purchase a motor reel was naturally
great news for the brigade which in 1920 had opened fund for just that purpose.
The need for such a motor reel was
apparent to local industry and as a consequence donations were received from Shepparton
Preserving Company, Shepparton Butter Factory, Goulburn Valley Industries and other
sources as well. By the beginning of 1922, £210 had been paid to the C.F.B.B. for
the new motor reel and Fireman W.Crozier had been appointed to proceed to Ballarat
for the new “Maxwell Hose Carrier”.
By 1945 however, with the end of
the war, agitation was voiced for improvements including a new running track for
training. This did not become a reality for more than a decade. When eventually
permission was granted in 1960, the brigade with aid of the City Council, their
own funds, and working bees completed the area on the east side of Victoria Lake
between Welsford Street, and Hayes Street, now known as Trevaskis Parade.
The replacement of the C.F.B.B.
by the C.F.A became official for Shepparton and other brigades on April 2nd,
1945.
At a special meeting held at the
Shepparton Fire Station on October 18th, 1961, Captain W. Wilson, and
Lieutenant R. L. Trevaskis were replaced by Station Officer A. Pitfield and Sub-Station
Office E. Stephens. This was an historic meeting as these latter two became the
first permanent offices appointed by the C.F.A. to Shepparton. The new structure
was being introduced throughout Victoria.\
At the time of writing, Shepparton
Fire Brigade has five permanent officers and 19 permanent fire fighters.
The urbanisation of Shepparton and
the development in the district has created a need for expanded fire fighting services.
On a statistical basis the Shepparton Fire Brigade can now expect to be called to
at least 680 - 700 fires in any year. By comparison, between 1888 and 1922 it was called
to less than 10 fires each year, and between 1923 and 1961 there were only 13 years
when it was called to more than 10 fires.
The jurisdiction of the Regional
Officer, defined as Region 22, covers an area extending from Echuca to Cobram on
the Murray River as foar south as Euroa Group and the Strathbogie Ranges and includes
10 groups, containing in total, 17 urban brigades and 73 rural brigades. The Regional
Officer and his staff have their headquarters on Goulburn Valley Highway (Numurkah
Road).
In 1968 the Shepparton Fire Brigade
moved to its present location on land which had been purchased in Maude Street in
1961.
This building was commenced in October,
1967 and officially opened by State Secretary, Sir Arthur Rylah on October 18th,
1968
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