The Te Awamutu Fire Brigade

TE AWAMUTU FIRE BRIGADE

ROLL OF HONOUR

WORLD WAR ONE

William BAXTER (13/773)

Joseph William EADES (12/731) †

William John BICKERSTAFF (26375) †

THORPE

Albert James McPEAK (23417) †

Francis Hubert ANDREW (33801)

Arthur Rawson THOMAS (31105)

Robert GARDINER

Alfred Wilbrum SKINNER (75104)

Leslie John Harris WALSH (75106)

WORLD WAR TWO

J.B CLIFFORD †

J. HORAN

Francis William John CHUNN, DFC (NZ40733)

E.F QUINLAN

P. QUINLAN

L.B OLSEN

H. MacLEAN

N. SHIRLEY

C. VINCE

A. IRWIN

G. IVORY

L. KIDD

R. MARTIN

C. HUMPHREY

† KILLED IN ACTION

MALAYAN CONFLICTPEACE KEEPING

Donald L. HALLETT

Alex P. SOEPNAL (Afghanistan)

F.M HALLETT

CHIEF FIRE OFFICERS 1913-1987

1913

WJ BICKERSTAFF

1916

A BAXTER

1916

T STITT

1921

A PAUL

1922

FJ HARRIS

1924

HT HASELDEN

1927

TW NARBEY

1930

BF MORRIS

1939

HJ IRWIN

1966

JE DALTON

1978

DL HALLETT

BRIGADE SECRETARIES 1913-1987

1913

A.C EDWARDS

1914

J. REEKIE

1914

A. UNDERWOOD

1916

A.W SKINNER

1918

A.J WESTBURY

1920

BRIGADE DISBANDED

1921

H.A HEIGHWAY

1922

H.T HASELDEN

1925

B.F MORRIS

1928

G.S SWAIN

1929

R. WILCOX

1931

G.S SWAIN

1932

C.A MORRIS

1934

A. COOMBES

1935

C.A MORRIS

1936

L.W SPENCE

1944

C. BOWDEN

1946

L.W SPENCE

1947

F. BATTSON

1954

E.F QUINLAN

1964

J.G ANDREWS

1966

B.I PATERSON

1982

D.C TOWNLEY

BRIGADE GOLD STAR HOLDERS

(25 YEARS SERVICE)

Superintendant H.J IRWIN, (6 May 1951)

CFO M.S GANE (18 September 2005)

CFO I.S CAMPBELL (18 June 2007)

DCFO J.E DALTON (12 October 1955)

DCFO D.L HALLETT (14 August 1977)

DCFO R.A MORRISS (27 January 1980)

DCFO M.D GILLARD (20 January 1995)

SSOFS R. PETERS (26 March 2007)

SOFS L.W JURY (18 July 2003)

SSO A.P SOEPNEL (6 August 2005)

3rd Officer H.M MACLEAN (14 August 1957)

3rd Officer H.G McLIESH (15 November 1981)

Station Officer B.S KIMBER (11 April 1982)

Station Officer B.I PATERSON (1 December 1982)

Station Officer G.L IRWIN (20 January 1995)

Station Officer M.S KIMBER (3 October 2009)

Fire Police L.J McFARLANE (5 November 1986)

Fire Police J. COOPER (6 May 1975)

SFF RJ BAILEY (20 April 1999)

SFF M.W KIELY (10 July 1999)

SFF N. OMUNDSEN (11 April 2004)

FS D.S BROCKBANK (21 September 2007)

Fireman S.L ROWE (9 February 1975)

Fireman P. QUINLAN (27 September 1963)

Fireman E.F QUINLAN (11 July 1964)

Fireman C.E HUMPHREY (15 October 1965)

Fireman H.T SPENCE (29 October 1965)

Fireman G.J MAUGHAN (8 April 1966)

Fireman D.A MURTAGH (18 March 1974)

Firefighter D. SINCLAIR (4 March 1988)

Firefighter M. MARTIN (4 September 1988)

Firefighter B.M TRINDER (15 June 1992)

Firefighter D.C TOWNLEY (13 May 1996)

Firefighter J.D ANDERSON (13 Marach 2000)

NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL

HONOURS

AWARDED THE QUEEN'S FIRE SERVICE MEDAL:

1973 EF QUINLAN

1976 JE DALTON

1980 DL HALLETT

UNITED FIRE BRIGADES' ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS:

1974 JE DALTON

1979 DL HALLETT

1986 RA MORRISS

ACCIDENT ASSURANCE SOCIETY PRESIDENTS:

1963 HJ IRWIN (Died in 1966, 5 weeks before he was due to be installed as the UFBA President)

1971 JE DALTON

1976 DL HALLETT

1983 RA MORRISS

AUCKLAND PROVINCIAL FIRE BRIGADES' ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS:

1955 HJ IRWIN

1961 JE DALTON

1973 DL HALLETT

1980 RA MORRISS

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LIFE HONORARY MEMBERS

EX CAPTAIN W RYAN (8 June 1927)

AG FREEMAN (5 February 1976)

FIREMAN S WOODS (4 June 1959)

AL PATTERSON (5 February 1976)

CFO HJ IRWIN (7 October 1961)

RC DOUGLAS (5 February 1976)

DCFO JE DALTON (29 May 1965)

EX FIREMAN FM HALLETT (6 July 1978)

SECRETARY EF QUINLAN (29 May 1965)

FIREMAN DA MURTAGH (4 October 1979)

DCFO HM McLEAN (14 October 1967)

STN OFF BI PATERSON (26 May 1983)

FIREMAN CE HUMPHREY (12 December 1969)

MR RO VAILE (18 June 1986)

FIREMAN HT SPENCE (12 December 1969)

CFO DL HALLETT (30 May 1987)

FIREMAN GJ MAUGHAN (30 April 1970)

DCFO RA MORRISS (30 May 1987)

FIREMAN P QUINLAN (29 September 1970)

3RD OFF HG McLIESH (30 May 1987)

FIREMAN RM FINDLATER (12 December 1970)

STN OFF BS KIMBER (30 May 1987)

FIREMAN SL ROWE (5 February 1976)

FIRE POLICE LJ McFARLANE (3 May 1987)

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THE FIRST YEARS…

Although there would appear to have been a bucket brigade in the village before 1913, careful searching of brigade records and back issues of the Waipa Post show that the first volunteer fire brigade was formed at a meeting convened by Mr WJ Bickerstaff, on Friday, January 10, 1913. A call for members saw the following put their names forward as the inaugural volunteer fire brigade in Te Awamutu: WJ Bickerstaff (cap), D Bockett, RJ Ross, M C Lawson, EJ Warner, B Andrew, T Stewart, S Bonnar, HT Hazelden, J Ls Sufur, CF Batson, E Moeller, W Baxter, AC Edwards. GP Amor.

The first call for assistance was made on these men on Wednesday January 15, 1913.

An editorial in the Waipa Post dated May 11, 1911, in part states: “Te Awamutu fire brigade, where is it? At present we must admit that it is amongst those nebulous things of the future that we read about, but do not see. At the same time, we are perfectly certain that unless something is done, and done soon, we shall wake up one morning when it is too late, bemoaning our apathy and indifference.”

Almost from the time that Te Awamutu was settled until the formation of the brigade the town had some disastrous fires and at the same time some phenomenal luck from disastrous fires. One in March 1885 saw nine business premises and ancillary buildings destroyed. The fire was described as the most disastrous to have occurred in the Waikato up to that time. Estimated insurance damage was in the region of 6000 pounds.

It must have been an awesome sight. The blaze attracted a large crowd from Kihikihi where a ball was in progress, and from accounts in the Waikato Times of that date it states that Kihikihi was brightly illuminated and a large number of gigs and traps were driven from the ball to see the blaze. The time of the fire was between 1.00 and 2.00am. Drunk in charge of a gig?

At the general meeting held in February 4, 1913, permission was given by the Rev Woollass to make use of the Presbyterian Church bell in case of an alarm of fire. “Two bucket stands are to be erected, and a 12 foot ladder is to be supplied at each stand.” A letter from the secretary of the UFBA was received, pointing out the advantages of membership, which included free railway passes to the annual conference and accident insurance for members.

It was decided to join immediately.

July, 1914 saw the brigade with their first piece of fire fighting equipment, a hand hose reel bought for them by the Town Board from the borough of Grey Lynn. In the same year the Town Board endeavored to secure a second reel, so as to give one at each end of the town, but this idea never came to fruition. It would appear that Grey Lynn had a surplus of materials and uniforms at the time, also in this year uniforms were purchased from the same source, the price being nine at 30 shillings and one at 50 shillings.

At this time the town was divided into five wards so as to give the members some idea of which area the fire was in. At the end of July 1914, the brigade held their first practice, which was a “dry” run, with helmets, axes and other gear being issued to the members. It was decided that the following week would be a “wet” practice. The first reel was housed in a shed at the sale-yards and the brigade used to meet in the band room on the same site.

Late 1914 was the date that the water supply came to Te Awamutu and from that time on the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade flourished into the unit that today protects upwards of 32,000 persons, and their property, whether it be residential or commercial.

It was in May 1915 that a bell was purchased from the Auckland City Council by the Town Board and put in position in Walton Street on July 6, 1915. It weighed half a ton and could be heard over a radius of three miles. The cost of the bell was 20 pounds.

In July, 1915 two members of the brigade went on active service with the 16th Waikato Company. They were William Baxter and Joseph Eades. Fireman Eades was posted missing and later reported killed in action. Also killed in action in World War One was the first chief fire officer of the brigade, William John Bickerstaff. The death of this man wwho was the builder and father of the first volunteer fire service in Te Awamutu, was a sad loss to the brigade and the town. Another fireman to lose his life in this conflict was JA McPeak.

Nineteen-eighteen saw the brigade re-organised twice in four years. In 1914 and again in 1918, because of a little dissention in the ranks over the payment for fires and salvage calls, the brigade resigned en masse, and the Town Board took over the liabilities, before reforming the brigade and rejoining the IFBA on February 19, 1919. The records of the period are rather hazy, but it would appear that this may have happened again in 1920 and 1921.

Between 1915 and 1923 the brigade answered many large fires one of which was discussed at a special meeting of the brigade in November, 1921. The following has been taken from the Minute Book:

“Auction Mart Fire, 8.11.21, at 11.40pm. Owners Lawson and Swain, occupiers Boyce and Fawcett. The reel was taken by amateurs and about 300 feet of hose run out and somewhat tangled which caused a delay of about five minutes in straightening out by the brigades men prior to their being able to put on the water.

“The first man was on the scene in four minutes. An amateur is supposed to have broken windows in front and back which turned the place into a flue. The brigade thanks those volunteers who responded to the definite requests for particular assistance, but strongly protests against the general interference of certain excitable member of the public, and requests the Borough Council to ask the police to, in future, check severely such interference. By 1.30am the fire was well subdued. The captain withdrew the brigade except for two guards on watch, and then relieving firemen on salvage duty until 8am on Thursday before arrival of insurance assessors.”

Te Awamutu is located in the Waikato region of New Zealand. It is an area of great historical interest, with ancient pa sites, old churches, redoubt sites and battlegrounds nearby. The name Te Awamutu translates as "The End of the River," that river being the Manga-o-hoi stream. In ancient times waka (canoes) could navigate the Manga-o-hoi stream up to and as far as Te Awamutu and from then travel had to be overland.

The Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade was first established on 10 January 1913, with the first call being taken by the Brigade on 15 January 1913. The Brigade started with 15 members. Today the Brigade has a membership of 32 and responds to over 300 incidents per year in Te Awamutu and the surrounding districts.

TE AWAMUTU FIRE BRIGADE

HISTORIC TIMELINE

(The Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade marks 100 years of service to the

Te Awamutu and Waipa community in 2013)

1913 - 2013

by Mike Subritzky

DCFO IAN CAMPBELL

DCFO MURRAY GILLARD

SECRETARY

Brian RICKET