On Saturday, June 24, a crowd of more than 80 gathered at Thirroul Fire Station to celebrate the centenary of Thirroul Fire Brigade, the first station in the region to reach the milestone.
Several dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery, Member for Heathcote Maryanne Stuart, Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Commissioner Megan Stiffler, Museum of Fire CEO Belinda McMartin, NSW SES Northern Illawarra's Terrie-Ann Hurt and Aboriginal Elder Uncle Peter Button.
In true emergency services fashion, the ceremony was preceded by a false alarm at Austinmer. Then the brigade was called out to assist at a house fire in Coledale during pack-up, cutting celebrations short. All in all, the day was a demonstration of the dedication of Thirroul’s 21 on-call firefighters.
“[The ceremony], in one word, was fabulous,” Thirroul Fire Station deputy captain Steve Buchan said.
“Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery spoke very passionately about not only Thirroul Fire Station, but the area out here… also station officer Rodd Bland [shared] his memories of his firefighting days. He started here at Thirroul as a retained firefighter and is now a permanent station officer at Shellharbour Hazmat [Response Unit].
"And for me, the other big highlight was catching up with [retired] captain Bob Bland again, and his wife [Leone].
“Everyone in the team there at the station had designated jobs, and we had members' families help out, whether it be on the sausage sizzle or ushering and serving guests, dignitaries.”
The event opened with a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country delivered by Uncle Peter Button. Then came speeches by current and former Thirroul firefighters and dignitaries, and an award presented to 46-year firefighting veteran and current serving captain Hedley Privett, who received a Clasp 3 National Medal in recognition of his long service.
For Steve Buchan – who has been a retained firefighter at Thirroul Fire Station for 16 years and deputy captain for four of those – the centenary celebration was his “grand final day”.
It was two years in the making.
“Standing in the engine bay one day, and I took a photo of the marble plaque that is in the station, and it's dated 1924… so I sent an email that day through to Jodie Ross in our zone office, and I said, ‘How do I go about organising [something]?’,” Steve said.
“The Museum of Fire were aware that the actual historic date of Thirroul [Fire Station] opening is actually 1923 when it opened in shed-like garage with a hose reel and maybe one ladder. It wasn't until 1924 that the actual physical bricks and mortar station as it stands now was opened.”
Though the station was rebuilt in 1975 and technological advances mean firefighting looks considerably different today, the team's camaraderie remains. It’s something that deputy captain Buchan is excited to now share with his son, Riley.
“I’ve made a lot of close friends who have since retired… but now we have a new crew coming through and we’ll pass the bat; and similar to the Australian cricket team, a lot of people leave the team for whatever reason, but we try to leave it… in a better way than how [we] found it, and to leave it right for the next people,” Steve said.
“One of the career highlights for me is having my son join the brigade, who I never knew had any intention whatsoever of joining.
“He said he used to follow me around… to championships and events that we appeared in with the brigade, and I'm very proud to have him alongside me, but also basically to be able to help the community out when we can.
“The camaraderie is a massive thing for me. And I feel there's your family – your blood family – and there's a fire brigade family, and you look out for each other, whether it's on the job or outside.”
