50th Anniversary of the Rowville Fire Brigade

The memories of the horrific 1939 fires were still strongly in everyone's mind and the prospect of such a holocaust combined with an enemy invasion was almost too frightening to contemplate. So, the message went out from the authorities to local communities calling for people not serving in the armed forces to form local fire brigades.

The Fire Brigade is Born

Cr Violet Lambert, a descendant of a pioneering Lysterfield family and the representative of the South Riding of the Shire of Ferntree Gully since 1931, answered the call by organising a meeting at the Lysterfield Hall (situated north of Wellington Road near the intersection with Kelletts Road - until it burnt down in the mid 1970s).

One of the original brigade members, Alf Taylor, recalled that the meeting was well attended and that Cr Lambert chaired proceedings as well as recorded the proposals accepted by those present. Alf sat next to Bill Taylor of Lysterfield (not a relative) whose brother Jack was there too. Alf remembered that some others present were George and Olive Hyden, Harry Bailey, Jack Gearon, Lou and Ann McIntyre, Gordon Dobson, George Gillies, Harold Gibb and Bill Bickerton.

CFA records show that the 'Rowville - Lysterfield Rural Fire Brigade was registered on 5th October 1942 with twenty members. No record of these members has been located but the first Captain was John (Jack) Gearon and the Lieutenants were Bill Bickerton, George Gillies, Bill Taylor, Ray Dobson and Harold Gibb. Cr Violet Lambert was the first Secretary.

The fledgling brigade was supplied with no equipment at all by the CFA. It was just as well that the feared incendiary attacks never eventuated!

With the turn of the tide in favour of the Allies from late 1942 the sense of urgency that had established the brigade diminished and there are no records of its activities for the next three years. However, the 1946 CFA records show that John (Jack) Finn had been elected Captain, the Lieutenants were Martin Alberni, Lemual Bennett and Harry Raymond (snr). Vic Miles was the Foreman, M.J. Foy the Apparatus Officer and the Secretary was Harry Raymond (jnr).

Bernard Seebeck who became the President in 1946, remembered a letter he had from the CFA in response to a request for equipment. It said that he could go to Dandenong Fire Station and collect three beaters, two knapsacks, two shovels and three rakes.

In 1948 the Brigade obtained a trailer and water tank from the CFA and purchased a pump and motor with their own funds. The trailer was towed by members' own vehicles, usually Ted Gearon's tractor.

Throughout the 1950s the rural nature of Rowville-Lysterfield remained unchanged and there were few fire calls. An indication of how sparsely populated the area was during those years is shown in the CFA records for 1957. The phone numbers of Jack Finn (Captain) and Harry Raymond (2nd Lieutenant) were recorded as Dandenong 403 and Scoresby 25 respectively.

One notable fire in that decade occurred when a light plane crashed on Harry Raymond's property about where Norris Road is now. A young John Raymond (in later years to become Rowville Fire Brigade Captain) raised the alarm and cut the fences to allow access for the trailer to the crash site.

Development Comes to Rowville

The early 1960s saw the commencement of changes to this rural atmosphere with residential subdivisions being commenced on the Seebeck, Stamford and Twin Views Estates. Whereas in 1959, 38 of the 43 members that the Rowville-Lysterfield Brigade registered with the CFA gave their occupations as farmers, the majority of new members throughout the 1960s were tradesmen, drivers, quarry workers and members of the professional/managerial/clerical group of occupations. By the end of the decade the Brigade had the names of 73 people on its membership list.

However, 1963 had seen the brigade presented with its biggest crisis when considerable pressure was brought to bear for amalgamation with the Scoresby Brigade. While some locals favoured this proposal, most members were stirred out of their apathy to strongly resist and in the process to lay the plans for a more active, better equipped and better trained Brigade.

The CFA itself, too, was becoming a more professionally structured organisation and in 1956 the Knox Fire Brigade's Group was formed with Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Rowville, Scoresby and The Basin as members. Rowville members were now actively fundraising towards realising their dreams of obtaining a fire truck and a station.

The Fire Station Begins

In 1967 a block of land (160 feet x 60 feet) was leased from the City of Knox in Le John Street and work on the construction of the fire station commenced. This work was carried out voluntarily by members at working bees and in their own time to such good effect that the station was completed to the stage where the first meeting could be held there in January 1968.

Negotiations continued with the CFA for the supply of a truck and were concluded when the Brigade Captain paid the CFA $1,000. So the brigade's first motorised fire-fighting vehicle, an Austin 400 gallon tanker, was delivered on 31st October. It was put to good effect the following summer when the Brigade was involved in mopping up operations at a 250 acre fire in The Basin.

The new station and equipment were great for morale and the level of enthusiasm was evident in the success of major fundraising activities. The younger members for example, raised $240 by holding a barbecue.

In 1969 the old trailer with the original tank and pump was sold to Swan Hill Brigade for $30.

Ladies' Auxiliary

The Ladies' Auxiliary was formed in May 1969 with Mrs Elaine Gearon becoming the foundation President. In the main, the women were wives of active brigade members and one of their important roles was in providing refreshments and meals for fire fighters as well as providing basic first aid assistance such as bathing the eyes of men returning from fires.

They were kept busy in the early 1970s driving the junior brigade members to training and to competitions.

The Ladies' Auxiliary, of course, has always been strongly involved in the organisation of social events and in fundraising activities, and that tradition continues to the present day. Recently (1992), for example, the Auxiliary bought two electrical generators as part of the equipment for the new lighting and salvage truck and a fourth breathing apparatus set.

Support for The Royal Children's Hospital

In 1970 a Social Committee was established and the brigade became involved for the first time in collecting for the Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. Rowville's involvement has always been as part of the Knox Brigade's Group and in that year the total raised was $945. This year (1992) the total raised was an amazing $29,000. Over the 23 years that the Rowville Brigade members have shaken the cans at the busy intersection of Stud and Wellington Roads on Good Friday, their share of the group collection would have to amount to many tens of thousands of dollars and is another example of the fine voluntary commitment they have to the community.

Several members over the years have been awarded Life Governorships of the R.C.H. as a consequence of their involvement in the appeal.

In 1972 the CFA took over the lease on the Rowville station site and the brigade participated in its first demonstration (that is, its first Inter-brigade competition). During that year there were eleven fire calls.

The 1973 Fire

1973 was a very eventful year for the Rowville Brigade. The year commenced with near disaster for Rowville-Lysterfield in a huge fire that burnt out over 5,000 acres. At 11 o'clock on the morning of Friday 19th January, with the temperature already near 40 degrees and a strong north wind blowing, a succession of fires were deliberately lit along Kelletts Road east of the corner with Napoleon Road. The fires joined in a single front and swept across Wellington Road and up into the hills around the quarries. Other brigades were called in and were guided by the directions of CFA observers in two aircraft flying over the fire. By mid afternoon the fire had roared through the Lysterfield Lake Park and broken out into farmland near Heatherton Road but good work by many units stopped it there.

Towards dusk there was a shift in the wind and the fire moved west through Churchill National Park with flames stretching spectacularly tens of metres into the sky. By this time the police had blocked off all major roads to Rowville and only residents evacuating the area were permitted to move. Falling embers started a number of spot fires, the most potentially dangerous one on what is now the Turramurra Drive area. By nightfall hundreds of firemen had arrived in dozens of units from all over Victoria and their combined efforts brought the fire to a halt.

It was a lively evening at the Stamford Hotel that night as hot and thirsty firefighters, relieved of their duty by back-up crews, were able to relax with a well earned beer or two. After that dramatic event, which gave all Rowville-Lysterfield residents a new appreciation of the vital importance of their local brigade, the year proceeded productively.

The Austin was replaced by an International 600 gallon tanker and extensions (radio room, kitchen and toilets) were added to the station. Fundraising efforts, notably a doorknock and Ranch Night, raised more than $2,000.

After 12 years of fine and generous leadership as Captain, Ted Gearon handed over to John Raymond. Ted's wife Elaine, who had held the position of Communications Officer since 1969, became the first Rowville woman to be registered with the CFA as a brigade member.

In 1974 the Ranch Night held at Ted Gearon's property was another great success, raising $2,000. The entertainment at these nights was always first class, with the Hawking Brothers probably the best remembered performers.

The brigade held its first Fireman's Dinner and made its first Fireman of the Year Award, the trophy being presented to Third Lieutenant Ivan Percival. Communications were improved significantly with a multi-phone system known as FRS (Fire Reporting System) as well as with the installation of sub-base radio equipment.

During the year the word 'Lysterfield' was dropped from the Brigade's name leaving it as the 'Rowville Rural Fire Brigade'.

In 1975 the brigade used its own funds to buy a Ford Transit van to be used as a salvage van and the next year the brigade won a Fire Prevention competition with a prize of $500. The annual doorknock added almost $1,000 to that figure.

In 1977 the Brigade was involved in a large fire near Logan Park Road in the Lysterfield Lake area.

During 1978, communications were further improved when pager encoding equipment was set up at the station and pagers were distributed to individual firefighters.

By the end of the 1970s the Brigade had established a fine reputation for itself within both the local community and among its peers. It was prepared to work hard to raise money for new equipment and to set about training its members in a thorough manner.

In 1982 the Ford van was replaced with a Mazda twin cab unit.

16th February 1983 - Ash Wednesday

In 1983, members of the Brigade experienced their most harrowing fire. Although the 1973 fire had been terrifying, no lives or homes had been lost but in the dreadful heat of Ash Wednesday 1983 all hell broke loose to the east of Rowville. Rowville units were deployed to the Belgrave-Hallam Road area and saved several homes near the intersection with Wellington Road. However, they had to experience the sadness and frustration of not being able to save other homes when ordered to secure the fire perimeter to the east as a forecast wind change was expected to turn the fire back towards Lysterfield. It was this very wind change that trapped and killed 12 firefighters of the Panton Hill and Narre Warren Brigades on that horrible night.

In 1984 the brigade gained urban status because of the gazetting of the extension of Melbourne's urban boundaries. The CFA replaced the International 600 gallon tanker with a Hino 3,000 litre tanker in 1986 and the Brigade changed over its Daihatsu to a Toyota twin cab 4WD utility.

The largest building fire ever attended by the Brigade occurred in 1988 when the almost completed recreation hall at Peppertree Hill Retirement Village burnt to the ground.

A Mitsubishi twin cab 'lighting' van was purchased and equipped entirely by the Brigade in 1991 to provide powerful illuminations for night calls such as road accidents.

During 1992 the Junior Fire Brigade was reactivated. It is significant that this move should occur in the Brigade's 50th Anniversary year as it shows that the officers and members see that serving the future needs of Rowville will require even greater commitment and better training of its up-and-coming young fire fighters.

The CFA was granted permission by Knox Council to relocate the Rowville station to a site in Taylors Lane. However, following objections made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the CFA decided not to proceed with the relocation to that site.

The Rowville Fire Brigade proudly celebrated its first fifty years of voluntary service to the community at a dinner at the Rowville Community Centre on 17 October 1992.

Fire Calls for 1991-92

In the twelve month period between 1st July 1991 and 30th June 1992, the Rowville Brigade responded to 80 calls classified as Public 1, Residential 22, Manufacturing 2, Shop 1, Storage 1, Vehicle 21, Grass 14, Other 8, False Alarms 10.

This history was researched by Roy D'Andrea and written by Bryan Power

In the above history of the brigade, the serious side of fire suppression has been emphasised. However, the stories below, gleaned from both old and present members of the Rowville Fire Brigade, show that there is a lighter side to fighting fires.

Alf Taylor - Once, just before Christmas, we were cleaning up a fire in the hills behind Heany Park and ran out of water. The others went off with the trailer back to the Park to fill up the tank and ran into a work's party celebrating their Christmas break-up. Well, they were offered a beer and another one and then another one, so by the time they got back to me with the water a couple of hours later I'd completely cleaned up the fire.

At one stage the water tank used to be left empty on a stand at Heany Park and the idea was that you'd back the trailer up to it and a few of you would lift it onto the trailer, fill it up at the Lake and then head off to the fire. Well, this day there was a fire and we went to put the tank on the trailer but it was already full of water and, of course, it was so heavy we couldn't move it. So we had to empty it first before we could get it onto the trailer.

Roy D'Andrea - Once I was with another member who was directing a hose on to a burning SEC pole. He turned to me and asked, "Is it safe to be doing this Roy?" and I replied, "It must be OK, otherwise we'd be dead by now".

Colin Tidball - A call went out on our pagers that there was a fire at McMillans factory in Wellington Road. We all raced there separately in our cars but to our embarrassment found that not one of us had thought it was his job to get the fire truck!

Colin Golding - The big fire at Wannop Chemical Works near the corner of Stud and Kelletts Roads in 1980 was the first time that two new firefighters turned out for the Brigade. With 44 gallon drums exploding and flying through the air the adrenalin was running fast with the result that the hoses when laid out finished up in what is known in CFA language as "spaghetti", that is, a terrible tangle.

When the Brigade bought the Ford Transit van it was a very basic unit and the only seat in it was the driver's. The front passenger seat was a chair borrowed from the station, but what about seating for firemen in the back? John Raymond had the solution. He got hold of an old church pew that had been used at services at the Lysterfield Hall. It was found to be too long but John soon fixed that - with a chainsaw!

John Raymond - Because the Brigade's members were spread out all over Rowville, long distances from the station, it was decided to acquire a powerful siren. The 3-Phase, ex war-time air raid siren was duly installed and more than proved its worth. It was loud enough not only to be heard all over Rowville but at times right throughout Knox, sending members of other brigades to our north, scurrying off to their stations. The glassware in the cabinet of George Sharp's home next door to the station used to rattle when the siren blasted into life. To relieve the nerves of George and other Rowville residents, Knox Council assisted the Brigade to change over to a pager system.

Trevor Ives - Once the Brigade turned out to a fire in a tree that had been struck by lightning and even though the tree was isolated in a paddock and surrounded by grass soaked during the storm they decided to extinguish it. After lengthy hosing had had little effect one fireman said, "Look, I'll show you how to put out a tree fire," and with that he took a ladder and placed it against the Y-shaped gum tree, climbed up and started to pour water into the hollow of the trunk where the two big limbs of the Y-shape met. Suddenly there was a loud crack and both of the limbs broke away and crashed to the ground leaving one shaken firefighter standing very still at the top of the ladder. He slowly climbed down and said, "Let's go home".

When the Brigade arrived at a house recently in response to a call they saw no sign of fire so the members went to check with the householder. However, one of the crew saw what he thought was smoke coming from the garage beside the house and immediately ran out the hoses. When the others returned to find all this preparation to fight a non-existent fire they were offered the explanation that "It must have been some dirty marks on my glasses".

Apart from the Wannop Chemical blaze, the one that was approached with most trepidation was the fire in the shed behind the McMillan factory that was used by the late well-known Melbourne businessman, David Wang for the storage of his imported fireworks.

Interviewed by Bryan Power

In 2002 the brigade celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of its formation.

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