51 YEARS OF SERVICE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 94, 7 May 1937, Page 45 (Supplement)

51 YEARS OF SERVICE

Past History of Hastings Fire Brigade AN EFFICIENT BODY OF MEN f The Hastings Fire Brigade Is- some six months older than the Hastings borough; the meeting which it wai formed was held on January 4, 1886. Its early history is one of arduous duty and at times insuperable odds. iii these days there seems something heroic about the efforts of a brigade that, iirst with a manual and then with a steam engine, fought fires whieh on more than one oceasion involved whole blocks of timber buildings' It is more a reflection iipon equipment and conditions then than npon . the efforts of the brigade that so many of the early fires proved disastrous. Nowadays, with up-to-date' equipment and improved conditions, the brigade bears comparison with any in the Dominion.

The brigade was formed at a meeting at the Hastings Hotel. The first members were: Messrs. S. T. Tong, A.' J. Faulknor, J. Smith, H. Start, W. Beek, W. Keith, G. Land, H. Foreman, J. Cole, A. A. George, T. Stewart, A. Stanley, P. L. Scott, R. Wellwood, and G. Goldsborough. In its early days the brigade was purely a voluntary body. The funds for the brigade 's earliest equipment, too, vere raised by public subscription. However, grants from the Borough Council and the combined insurance companies soon placed the purehase and upkeep of plant and equipment ori a less precarious footing. Many past members of the brigade have a very fine record of service. Among these, ex-Superintendent W. Keith heads the list with 40 years' service; he was on his retirement elected a life honorary member of the brigade, and presented by the citizens of the borough with a cheque as a mark of their appreciation of his services to the town. There are no fewer than eleven other past members of the brigade whose length of service has extended from 25 to 33 years, and all of these have been elected life members. But the present members of the brigade can show a record of loyalty at least equal to those of the stalwarts of the past; one third of the present members have terms of service ranging from 20 to 31 years. Superintendent R. Henderson and Deputy-Superintendent H. J. Price have both been 31 years in the . brigade. At the formation of the brigade Mr. S. T. Tong was elected superintendent and Mr A. J. Faulknor his deputy. Mr. J. Sm'ith became No. -1 foreman and Mr H. Start, No. 2 foreman, Mr. W. Beck secretary and Mr. *R. Wellwood treasurer. The equipment consisted of a manual engine and about 400 feet of hose and a bell that was lent to the brigadefor three months by Mr. W. McLeod. The first plaee used as a fire station was a loose-box known as Beecroft's Stables, situated near where the Grand Hotel now stands. The firemen had no accoutrements at this time, and helmets, belts and axes had to be ordered from England. This order was executed in May of 1886, five months after the brigade was formed. In July of the following year the bri_. gade drew the attention of the Borough Council to the fact that the term of oceupaney of the premises used as a . station had ' expired and also pointed out that the hose in hand was inadequate to deal with fires. After some delay a site was secured from the Library Committee at a rental of sixpenee a month, and a shed was ereeted with voluntaiy "labonr. * In February of 1888 a reel was procured from Wanganui, and the brigade thought itself to be well eqnipped. There were stormy times in 1891, and as a result of a dispute between the council and the brigade as to who should control the fire-fighting equipment, Mr. S. T. Tong resigned. He was succeeded first by Mr. W. Beck and later by Mr. C. Brausch. In June, 1898, the brigade negotiated for the lease of Doney 's pre-

mises for the ereetlon of a fire statioa, ,and after some delay the agreement was signed. The brigade held the p«n perty for -a number of years. 1 At thl« time there. was some change in the per* sonnel of the brigade 's officers. Mr. A^ . A. George tendered his xesignation Ml secretary. ' ' For a time after the disastrous fint of 1907 the brigade passed through ft quiet period. In 1908, after a poll of the. ratepayers, the borough was consti* tuted a fire district and the control of the brigade was placed under the first Fire Board. It is from this time that the modern history of the brigade date3. In 1911 the board decided npon the purehase of a section at the eorner of Lyndon road and Market street and the erection of a fire station. The station served for a considerable numi ber of yeifrs afterwards. The board, on ' taking control of the brigade, ajw pointed the officers acting at the timei Mr. C. Brausch, superintendent; Miw W. Keith, deputy; and Mr. R. Hender-* son, foreman. In 1912 the town was supplied with a high-pressnre water supply and the old, inadequate methodL of .fire-fighting began to pass. The old Shand-Mason fire-engine was disposed of to the Tomoana freezing works after having served through many stirling events. Superintendent Brausch resigned from his position on July 6, 1915, after 29 years' sevice with the brigade, and was elected a life member. Mr. Keith succeeded him and Mr. Henderson be--came deputy. • From this time onwaxds the brigade was well represented dn the Great War, and one member, Fireman A. Fuszardj r»aid the supreme saerifice. In step with the times, the brigade' in 1915 purchased a motor, built a body on lo it and fitted it with a 40-galloa chemieal extinguisher. This macMne, by the way, is still in service. Eighfc years later the board purchased its Dennis macMne, and that, too, has been ia continuous use ever since. Superintendent Keith resigned frons the position of superintendent in June, .1930, after having served on the brigade for 40 years. Mr Henderson then became superintendent, a position he. has occupied ever since. Mr H. Price became deputy and Mr. W. O'Neill foreman. The earthquake completely wrecked the old fire station. The period follow* ing the earthquake again found the brigade giving heroic service under £ tremendous handicap, service which must be counted in terms of the number of shops and offices saved from destruction. The firemen were on duty fo? six days, some of tliem having littlt sleep during that period. Shortly after the earthquake the FirS Board negotiated for a larger site, and eventually the present site, was decided upon and a magnificent new station built, with two firemen 's cottages and a superintendent 's dwelling adjoining it, Tho building, centrally situated, has proved to be a valuable asset, ensurdng a quick turn-out with a full complement; of men for night alarms. And that is the history of the Hast* ings Fire Brigade.