I placed great value on my 25 years of service with Shoreham Fire Brigade and, sadly, a lot of the names mentioned here have long since departed.
I was born and grew up in Daylesford, where a lot of my time was spent in my late teens helping fight the bushfires that seemed to occur every summer, somewhere in the forests around Daylesford. I came to live in Shoreham in 1963, and back then, Peter Paterson, the manager of Corryule Farm, was the Captain of the Shoreham Rural Fire Brigade, which at that time had no official CFA fire-fighting appliance. Some of the members at that time were Jim West, Farmer, (who was to become the next Brigade Captain), Sid Hitchock, Shoreham Post Master, Bill Wainwright, Shoreham Store Owner, Clyde McKenzie, School Bus Owner, Neale Wright, Sawmiller, (who was later to become my Father in Law, and later still Captain of the Brigade), Ron McKillop, Farmer and father of Roderick, Jack Wright, Builder, Geoff Raws, Farmer, Glen Cornish, Dairy Farmer and Brigade Secretary, Dave Wall, Insurance Agent, and today living in Flinders, aged 99 years, and more whose names I cannot remember.
Around 1965, with Jim West now the Captain, the CFA presented Shoreham Brigade with a 500 gallon pumper trailer, which resembled a smaller version of the rear end of a fire tanker, and this was garaged at Glen Cornish’s farm and later at Neale Wright’s, from where a call could answered quickly by the crew who worked at the sawmill.
Whenever a fire call was received, usually by Sid Hitchcock who was the communications officer during this period, the first available towing vehicle was dispatched to pick up the trailer, all available bodies jumped on the back, and away we went. Just don’t try to stop in a hurry, 500 gallons of water, the trailer, and three or four men weigh quite a bit, sometimes making emergency stops very hazardous!
Meetings were then held in the Shoreham Hall, and by 1966, the brigade had a new administration, with Neale Wright as Captain, a position he was to hold until retirement in 1976, Ron McKillop 1st Lieutenant, Jack Wright 2nd Lieutenant, Hilton Wright 3rd, myself 4th Lt. Doug Ellis who owned the Shoreham General Store, was Communications Officer, a position previously held for a short while by Len Allen who lived on the Point Leo Views Estate, and Glen Cornish was Secretary.
A decision was reached for the brigade to acquire a fire tanker and, believing that the more members registered the more sympathetic the CFA would be to supplying us with one, Glen Cornish set about recruiting all the members of the Pt Leo Surf Life Saving Club to become members of the brigade. Alas, this huge membership cut no ice with the CFA and we had to raise the money ourselves. Ron McKillop was commissioned to pen a letter requesting a specific amount from each household in Shoreham to provide the funds to purchase a tanker.
The letter was duly mailed out and, several weeks later all available members went from property door to door collecting. Just over $3,000 was raised. This was the exact amount the CFA required us to outlay for an Austin cab and chassis, with them funding the balance to fit the vehicle with a tank and pump.
The finished truck was duly collected from Dandenong Fire Station by myself and Neale Wright one Sunday evening after CFA training seminar held at the then Frankston Teachers College. We arrived home after dark and no one in Shoreham knew of the truck’s arrival until the next day. After everyone had checked it out and ridden on it, it was decided to garage it at the sawmill , where it stayed until the new station was built in 1970 at the present location.
New truck – new equipment
Meanwhile the truck needed to be outfitted with a spotlight and various other equipment not provided by the CFA, including a two way radio. The two way VHF radio alone cost us a further $630 above the $3,000 for the truck. Now as part of Westernport Fire Brigade Group, we were up and running with a call sign of VL3 OF 36, which was proudly displayed along the side of the truck and later on the roof.
Late in 1960, the CFA advised us they would pay for a basic fire station to be erected and the amount to be made available meant that all the work would be done on a voluntary basis. We applied to the Flinders Shire Council to grant a piece of land to the CFA and this was done with a minimum of fuss in 1970. I drafted the plan for the front section of the building, which was duly agreed to by Council and the CFA.
Working bees were organised to fell the pine on the site and Clarrie Jennings donated the use of a bulldozer and operator to remove the stumps. The footings were excavated and boxing erected for a concrete floor and Peninsula Concrete were approached to provide us with their best price. Much to our delight, they agreed to donate all the concrete and the pour was organised for a that Saturday morning. It was raining that morning and conditions were muddy from all the previous rain.
The first load of concrete arrived, but because of the mud, the truck was unable to back in to unload. We used one of the trucks from the sawmill to winch all the concrete trucks through the mud to the pour site. The rain eased off during the day, allowing the concrete to be finished and the floor has stood the test of time.
Auxiliary comes to the rescue
Work now began in earnest at weekends with Hilton Wright and myself elected as bricklayers, ably assisted by a huge team made of willing workers. Jack Wright made the windows and Charlie Wright welded the roof trusses. The Ladies Auxiliary had been recently formed and the members kept everyone fed with tea and sandwiches with barbecues at lunchtime.
The brigade who were part of the team during the construction of the Fire Station were Neale Wright, Hilton Wright Charlie Wright, Jack Wright, Jack Booth, Richard Lamb, Peter Hitchcock, Glen Cornish, Clive McKenzie, Ray Smith Ron McKillop, Bob Molloy, Bill Kleiss, Rob Hitchener, Phil Register, Peter Mannaert and myself. If time has dulled my memory so that I have overlooked anyone who assisted, I apologise to them.
Station doorless
Work progressed throughout 1970 and, with the building almost finished, a station door was all that was required to complete it. The Progress Association had an used bank balance 0f $680 and at the next meeting I put a motion that the funds be donated to pay for a new door. The meeting felt that the funds shouldn’t be used for that purpose and that a notice of motion be put to allow a decision to be made at the following meeting.
Word soon went around the village about the proposal and, the next meeting saw Shoreham Hall bursting at the seams with people. Bill Sheehan took on the job of raising the numbers for a yes vote, the result being very much in favour of the money being given to the brigade for the front door. Flinders Shire Council asphalted the area at the front of the station free of charge.
The first meeting in the fire station was held later in the year with the popping of a couple of champagne corks.
A GRAND OCCASION
The station was officially opened on December 6th, 1970 by the CFA Chief Officer, with the members of the brigade standing proudly to attention at the front and six members decked out in newly purchased, blue overalls standing at the ready near the tanker, which was also officially handed over to on the occasion.
As we moved into the seventies, the office bearers had changed and Neale Wright was still the Captain, Ron McKillop President and, the four lieutenants were Hilton Wright, myself, Bob Molloy and Bill Kleiss.
After the station was built, a tower was needed to mount the siren on. Hastings had one that was redundant and they offered it free of charge. Max Tolson from Crib Point provided one of his cranes to lower the tower. It was then dismantled and trucked to Shoreham. The tower was then reassembled at its present site with the siren fitted on to the top.
At this time, the CFA had provided for an interceptor telephone system to be fitted. One of four private telephones intercepted any calls to the fire station. The details were taken and the siren would then be activated. The call taker would hold on until the first fireman arrived at the station and the details would then be passed on.
Whoopee at the YMCA
In 1974, it was decided to extend the station with a meeting room/kitchen and toilets and, to raise some more money, a dinner dance was held at the YMCA, later to be called Camp Buxton. Jack Booth came up with a name for the occasion “WHOOPEE AT THE YM” was an outstanding success. Now that we had a healthy bank account, thanks to money from a charitable trust, it was decided to engage a bricklayer to construct the walls, whilst the remaining work was carried out by a faithful band of helpers.
The downside to that was the bricklayer and his son were, shall we say known to police, and one night came back to relieve the brigade of some possessions. After the police came and asked had we ever seen or heard of the man or his son, we told the police not only did we know them, but they had laid bricks for the back room!
I was working for BP at the Westernport Refinery at this time and I had access to their 16mm projector and a selection of the finest 16mm films, they were borrowed on a couple of occasions during summer and Easter and free movie shows were provided for campers from the foreshore camping ground. Euchre nights were held for many years in the fire station – not to mention the famous Christmas party, with George Jago as the original Santa. This party has been held since the opening of the fire station and I have even dressed as Santa on a couple of occasions. After the death of Glen Cornish in 1974, I took on the duties of Secretary as well as being 1st Lieutenant and, in 1976 when Neale Wright resigned his position, I was elected Captain, a position I held until I resigned 7 or 8 years later.
The other office bearers were Ron McKillop President, Bob Molloy, Bill Kleiss and David Wright, with Richie Turner becoming Secretary a position he held for a couple of years until, with no willing starters for the job, my wife Susanne was persuaded to step in as Secretary, in addition to being president of the Ladies Auxiliary, a position she held since the foundation of the auxiliary in 1969 until our departure from the area in 1986. Rob Williams became the next secretary.
The Shoreham Fire Brigade has a proud history and has assisted at fires all over the Peninsula and around Victoria on many occasions over the years.
Neale Wright and Ron McKillop were proud recipients of the Queens’ Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, which was presented in a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall in 1977.
An extract from Shoreham Rural Fire Brigade, 50th Anniversary Booklet (1999)