The Te Awamutu Fire Brigade

TE AWAMUTU FIRE BRIGADE

ROLL OF HONOUR

WORLD WAR ONE WORLD WAR TWO

W BAXTER

JB CLIFFORD †

J EADES †

J HORAN

WJ BICKERSTAFF †

F CHUNN, DFC

THORPE

EF QUINLAN

JA McPEAK †

P QUINLAN

FH ANDREW

LB OLSEN

AR THOMAS

H MacLEAN

R GARDINER

N SHIRLEY

AW SKINNER

C VINCE

L WALSH

A IRWIN

G IVORY

H KIDD

† KILLED IN ACTION

R MARTIN

C HUMPHREY

MALAYAN CONFLICTPEACE KEEPING

DL HALLETT

l SOEPNAL (AFGHANANSTEIN)

FM 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

AC EDWARDS

1914

J REEKIE

1914

A UNDERWOOD

1916

AW SKINNER

1918

AJ WESTBURY

1920

BRIGADE DISBANDED

1921

HA HEIGHWAY

1922

HT HASELDEN

1925

BF MORRIS

1928

GS SWAIN

1929

R WILCOX

1931

GS SWAIN

1932

CA MORRIS

1934

A COOMBES

1935

CA MORRIS

1936

LW SPENCE

1944

C BOWDEN

1946

LW SPENCE

1947

F BATTSON

1954

EF QUINLAN

1964

JG ANDREWS

1966

BI PATERSON

1982

DC TOWNLEY

BRIGADE GOLD STAR HOLDERS

(25 YEARS SERVICE)

SUPT. HJ IRWIN, 6 May 1951

DCFO JE DALTON 12 October 1955

DCFO DL HALLETT 14 August 1977

DCFO RA MORRISS 27 January 1980

3RD OFF. HM MACLEAN 14 August 1957

3RD OFF. HG McLIESH 15 November 1981

OFF. BS KI,BER 11 April 1982

STN OFF. BI PATERSON 01 December 1982

FIRE POLICE LJ McFARLANE 05 November 1986

FIRE POLICE J COOPER 06 May 1975

FIREMAN SL ROWE 09 February 1975

FIREMAN P QUINLAN 27 September 1963

FIREMAN EF QUINLAN 11 July 1964

FIREMAN CE HUMPHREY 15 October 1965

FIREMAN HT SPENCE 29 October 1965

FIREMAN GJ MAUGHAN 08 April 1966

FIREMAN DA MURTAGH 18 March 1974

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

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)

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

CFO IAN CAMPBELL

DCFO MURRAY GILLARD

BLUE CREW

SSO SPENCE BROCKBANK

SO MIKE KIMBER

SFF MURRAY GANE

ASFF JASON KARAUTI

QFF KEVIN TROTTER

QFF GLENN ANDERSON

QFF CHRIS BESTWICK

QFF DEBBIE NEILSON

SSOFP ROB PETERS

FS DAVE BROCKBANK

RED CREW

SSO GRANT MITCHELL

SO DAVE SHAW

SFF LAURENCE POTTER

SFF KYLIE KARAUTI

QFF GEOFF BAKER

QFF CHRIS BRETT

QFF SHAUN HIGGINSON

FF JOHN PARKER

SOFS BARRY KIMBER

SOFS LYN JURY

GREEN CREW

SSO LEX SOEPNAL

SO KARL TUTTY

SFF JOHN ANDERSON

QFF COREY NEILSON

QFF LYLE NICHOLLS

QFF DEAN MARK

FF DANNY SMITH

FF COLIN MUNRO

RFF MARK SEATON

RFF CLIFF GIBSON

FS KEN SHEARER

MIKE SUBRITZKY

SECRETARY

BRIAN RICKET

TE AWAMUTU BRIGADE NOVEMBER 1915

Back Row: Fireman TH Stitt, G Reynolds, G Ahier, CT Pellow

Front Row: W Baxter, Foreman A Underwood, Capt WJ Bickerstaft, I Owsley, FH Andrews, AW Skinner, Mascot 1 Owsley Jnr.

Today the Brigade has a membership of 32 and responds to over 300 incidents per year in Te Awamutu and the surrounding districts.