From Fighting Fires to Firefighting History

This 1956 Ford V8 ‘Engine 11’ was the first to arrive at the Ballantynes fire in 1947.

Robin Regan and Peter Dench firing up the steam engine.

Retired North Canterbury firemen, Dave Dacombe, Robin Regan, Ray Hart, Peter Dench, Tony Whyte, Don Purvis and Jeldrick Oorthuys with the 1873 Shand Mason steam engine.

This 1926 Leyland fire engine served in Rangiora.

The Society’s founder, Mike Hayes (left) enjoying a cuppa with Ian McDougall.

A 1916 Buick, the museum’s oldest motorised fire engine.

Don Purvis in Engine 11, which he helped to significantly restore.

Peter Dench

Robin Regan

A group of retired volunteer firemen fuel up for an afternoon’s work with the Fire Services Historical Society.

It’s lunchtime, and a massive workshop at Ferrymead Heritage Park is alive with chatter as a group of men in their 70s and 80s, gather around a table laden with sausages, onions, eggs and bread.

words: Jo Bailey images: essence & supplied

The food will fuel their afternoon session as weekly volunteers for the Fire Services Historical Society, which for over 63 years, has gathered, restored, and looked after what is now the Southern Hemisphere’s largest collection of firefighting appliances, firefighting equipment, historic artefacts, and more.

Volunteering is nothing new for this group, as most are retired volunteer firefighters. They’ve gone from fighting fires to sharing their wide-ranging practical skills to preserve and maintain the Society’s collection and buildings. Several of the men are retired members of North Canterbury fire brigades.

The Society’s ‘Hall of Flame Museum’ at Ferrymead pays tribute to firefighters and firefighting throughout the ages, and houses over 50 appliances, with the oldest dating back to 1860.

One of its gems is an 1873 Shand Mason steam engine, which was used by the Kaiapoi Volunteer Fire Brigade until 1939. The day Essence visited, we got the feeling that Peter Dench, a former fitter and turner, who served 35 years with the Rangiora Volunteer Fire Brigade, and Robin Regan, a maintenance fitter with a boiler ticket, who served 38 years with the Kaiapoi Volunteer Fire Brigade, were pretty happy to have the opportunity to crank it up for us.

It was an impressive sight to see the machine clicking and chuffing, as its coal-fired boiler provided steam for the pumping engine to force water through the hoses. Peter says it is one of the oldest boilers still functioning with a ticket in New Zealand. “We are very proud of the combined effort to restore it and keep it running.”

This steam engine was the original catalyst for the formation of the Fire Services Historical Society, when it was discovered on 15 January 1968 by the Society’s eventual founder, Mike Hayes and John Shanks (one of the founders of the Tramway Historical Society) in a dilapidated garage in Waltham. They convinced the owner to donate it for restoration and were joined by an enthusiastic group to do the initial work on the engine. Mike Hayes is the Society’s only surviving foundation member and is still active in the group.

Mike was in the New Zealand Army Fire Service, and coincidentally, as a young boy of 10, witnessed the Ballantynes Fire. He could never have imagined back in 1968 where the discovery of the steam engine would lead.

“One of my colleagues said to me a few months ago, ‘Mike you’re going to leave a bit of a legacy behind you.’ I’m quite proud of that.”

Another to work on the steam engine over the years is Tony Whyte, who served nearly 40 years on the Waipara Volunteer Fire Brigade and was also a foundation member of the Weka Pass Railway. “I restore a lot of vintage machinery and came on board with the Society when there was a hiccup with the Shand Mason. It’s great to be working alongside others who have given a lot of years to the Fire Service.”

The restoration of the Society’s 1945 Ford V8 ‘Engine 11’, the first appliance to the Ballantynes Department Store fire in 1947, is another special project singled out by the men. Don Purvis, a retired builder, who served 25 years with the Rangiora brigade, jumps on board the sparkling engine in the Hall of Flame Museum for a quick photo. He rebuilt much of the body of this engine by hand, and also patched up the old wheels and body on the steam engine. “They are precious pieces of history, and it’s so important we preserve them.”

All agree that camaraderie is a big reason they turn up week after week. “We talk a lot of rubbish and give each other a bit of banter. It all starts on the car ride in,” says Ray Hart who served 36 years with the Rangiora brigade and was still working as a truck mechanic in 2005, when he got the call up to help the Society. “I decided to take a day off work each week and give the boys a hand, working on the trucks or doing whatever else needed doing. There is nothing better than starting up an old engine that hasn’t been going for 20 or 30 years.”

Dave Dacombe, who in his early 70s, is one of the youngest in the volunteer crew. He served with the Rangiora brigade for 35 years and is happy to do whatever jobs need doing. “At the moment I’m helping Don do up the kitchen in the workshop to provide a better environment for the two cooks in our catering corps.” He enjoys seeing lots of new faces and meeting new people. “The camaraderie is unreal.”

Don Hassall, who served 42 years with the Rangiora brigade and was its former Chief Fire Officer, wasn’t there the day Essence visited, but has also put in countless hours for the Society and was instrumental in putting together the impressive display of historical firefighting artefacts and books in cabinets along the upstairs mezzanine floor in the museum.

Money is a pressing issue for the Fire Services Historical Society, which has at least another 30 engines housed all over Canterbury and would love to construct a new building adjacent to the museum to house them.

“All the plans for the new building were done several years ago but there was not enough money to build it. What we really need is a sugar daddy,” laughs Don Purvis.

“Given the Society’s lead mechanic is aged 84, and his ‘apprentice’ is 88, some new blood is also desperately needed to ensure the work of these dedicated volunteers, who are preserving important New Zealand history, continues on”, says Ray Hart. “We need some younger people to follow on from us. They don’t need to have a trade. If we can get them here now, they can learn from us older blokes how to work on all the old stuff and ensure it continues to be looked after for future generations.”