FIRE BRIGADES

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1932, Page 6

FIRE BRIGADES

A AVESTPOBT APPRECIATION OLD NAMES RECALLED.

In moving a vote of thanks to tire members of Hokitika Fire Brigade, and the citizens of Hokitika for their hos-pit-i]ity and kindness during the stay; of the- AVostport firemen when at Ok recent fire brigades AA 7 est Coast conference and demonstration, Fireman D. Aloloney said from the time we led Westport till we returned our stay was made a bed of rrises. AVe were first o, all treated to a grand hall in the returned soldiers’ h r ll which was ' or) tastefully -decorated for the o-ccasion The demonstration IMS rjlrttfl' with great satisfaction,'t afli? weather. The Hokitika Brigade, ■3O in number, are a happy family. I found one -man, Jack Wallace,' had served fifty-one years and Fireman Davidsor had served forty years in the Hokitikr i vigAde. On the Saturday' evening the 80-6 'mouth organ band assisted bv tn 0 Westport fil-3 and drum bandparaded the streets of Revel] and other streets. Later in. the evening the via tors were entertained at a banquet in Soldiers’ Hall where the trophies etc. were presented to the winners of the various events and a pleasant o\tning spent in toasts, songs and other, items. A r olonev went on to state that the Westport fire brigade owed a jnw.pt. cleht '-f gratitude to the Hokitika brigade. Many of - the ex-members 'of. it ° came into t-h® Westpcrt brigade and reached the highest office in the ranks. First of a’l there was- the late Fred 'Ham-sen who re-organised tin's briga'o in AVostport in 1891 and was neptain for ,several occasions and ( al-so Imcamc the president of the N.Z.F.B. There was .Toln'nr 'Collin-?, another Hokitika hoy who bo-ame captain in F. Hansen’.;, place. Then followed' thlata (Mr Jack O’Neil! who was captain and New Zealand delegate. Aicsf of the old boys of the southern part of the const will well remember Jack he ran a boxing school in Ross and in Hokitika,, and in 1885 he met Dice .AT.r,+th°w,' i” the rinc in' the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre before a packed audience, but R'cl< was too. good aiid Jack wa,= knocked out after several rounds. The next, captain of thl4 brigade was Mr Abe Singer, anotfef Hokitika, native. AVe ario had th P late Mr G°orge Wh'te, a baker of Hokitika, a-.-, cantnin. and it was Giplain White who first went into the fine points 'n work in this h’-igade;, Thirty years -ago vc also had the late Bill Jones, a Hokitika boy wh 0 for years took on' active service, and today his two £or« are members. Jack, Brown and Jo e Allen were aHo southern Coast 'boys. I might mention also, that- secretary Georgs Lakin of the Hokitika brigade, was one of the men wh"o-mvga«’,sed:'^'fhe^'finvY-yBt i ipd'e J ' , 'ni-t Derniston in 1899 The trip to Hokitika will remain long green in the memories of the Westport Fire Brigad g. men. . .;v' ':. V! 1 '."FAT.