ÒNurungiÓRemembered OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CONCORD HERITAGE SOCIETY email: [email protected] www.concordheritage.asn.au

EDITOR No.121 June 2006 LOIS MICHEL 9744-8528 PRESIDENT Metropolitan Fire Brigade JANN OGDEN 9809-5772 The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), the to easily confirm if the premises were in- precursor to the NSW Fire Brigade, was es- sured and by which company. PUBLIC RELATIONS tablished on 14th February, 1884. TRISH SKEHAN The Companies employed small boys as 4369-4172 MFB headquarters began operating from the runners to notify their brigades of any fires. old Insurance Brigade Headquarters in Upon arrival at the fire the men would in- SECRETARY/TREASURER Bathurst Street but with demand for a new spect the building for the “firemark” to see LOIS MICHEL central fire station the government purchased if the premises were insured by them. If 3 Flavelle Street a site on the western side of Castlereagh not, then they would take no action but (P.O. Box 152) Street and in 1888 the new station was com- probably wouldn’t leave the scene in case Concord 2137 pleted. the fire spread to adjoining buildings which Phone: 9744-8528 might be insured by them. Fax: 9744-7591 From dusk to dawn junior fire fighters spent ------three hours on a twenty metre high tower In 1854 Andrew Torning inaugurated the first MEETINGS (called the pigeon box) undertaking fire spot- Volunteer Fire Brigade in Sydney and also General Meetings ting duty. assisted in the formation of others. 2nd Wednesday of month A watchroom was located on the northern In the days of the Volunteer Fire Brigades, at 7:30 pm in the side of the ground floor and telephone ex- payment was made to the brigade which Concord Citizens’ Centre 9 Wellbank Street, Concord change board, fire alarms and electrical ap- discharged the first stream of water on the Phone: 8765-9155 paratus were operated from there. The fire. This manner of monetary reward was electrical contact in the room, when pulled, responsible for intense rivalry and on oc- Executive Meetings rang the bells throughout the entire building, casions the extraordinary situation of fire- 4th Wednesday of turned up the gas lamps in the engine bay, men belonging to one brigade cutting the August, October, January, released the stable doors (which immediately hose of another and indulging in other mal- March, May and July flew open by means of springs) and released practices to prevent, or at least delay the at 7:30 pm in the a weight situated in the single men’s quarters members getting the first water on the fire Concord Citizens’ Centre on the first floor which opened two flaps to and thus qualifying for payment. Walker Estates Committee enable fire-fighters to slide down a pole. The largest, most spectacular and destruc- 4th Wednesday of The original switchboard has been restored tive fire in the history of Sydney occurred September, November, and is on display in a replica of the in the premises of Gibbs, Shallard and February, April and June watchroom at the Museum of Fire, Penrith. Company, Hosking Place. Large ware- at 7:30 pm in the house in Castlereagh, Moore (now Martin Concord Citizens’ Centre Some extracts from a talk given by Station Officer S. Heart from Fire Brigade Place) and Pitt Streets were involved. Fire- Derek Williams, 9746-9649 Headquarters, to the Concord Historical men were hampered by narrow lanes and Society in September 1971. insufficient water supply. Falling walls frac- Other Committees tured water mains beneath the footpath, As arranged The first fire in Sydney, of historic interest, causing considerable loss of water. Watch the newsletter caused the destruction of the first church in the colony. This building, of wattle and daub, To learn more, come along to our June Museum meeting. Lorraine Holmes, 9743-2682 was built in 1793 and completely destroyed by fire on 1st October, 1798. The site is now Archives/Local History marked by a monument in Richard Johnson (Vacant) Place, near the intersection of Hunter, Heritage Castlereagh & Bligh Streets. It would appear Bob Jones, 8765-9347 to be the first case of arson in the colony as Wed. 14th June - Stephen Woods a £100 reward was posted by Governor from the NSW Fire Brigades Oral/Family History Phillip for information as to who started it. Lola Sharp, 8753-0659 Wed. 12th July - Mayor Angelo * In 1837 Assurance Companies began to or- Tsirekas speaking on his experi- ganise their own fire brigades. They were ences walking the Kokoda Track CONCORD formed principally to minimise their losses HERITAGE MUSEUM and protect their insured buildings. Each Wed. 9th August - Annual General 5 Wellbank Street Company fixed a distinctive “firemark” Meeting and Election of Officers and Committee Open 2:00 - 4:00 pm (plaques of light metal or lead, many quite on 1st and 3rd colourful) to insured buildings to help firemen Wednesdays & Saturdays The Introduction of Brass Mortlake Volunteer matic harnessing would be operated, Helmets in Australia – the having him in readiness for the prac- Fire Brigade (1901 – 1929) tice – travelling north down to the river, Concord Connection turning left and back via Hilly Street to In October 1901 a Volunteer Fire Bri- the Station. This seemed to have When the Metropolitan Fire Brigade gade of 12 volunteer firemen was es- suited Sloper’s sense of responsibil- was formed in Sydney in 1884 the tablished by the Metropolitan Fire ity to such a degree that, on the oc- London Fire Brigade uniform, includ- Brigade Board. A manual engine with casion of a genuine alarm, it was ing the brass helmet, was adopted. 12 feet of suction hose and 600 feet almost beyond human effort to con- Originally the helmets were imported of delivery hose was allotted to it. vince Sloper that he had to travel from England but following the out- During the same year the Board of the south. From then on it was decided break of the Second World War and day purchased a site in Burwood to vary the direction of all future trial the formation of a new Fire Brigade Road, Mortlake for the sum of £160 for runs. system in the UK, brass helmets be- the purpose of building a Fire Station The name “Sloper” was derived from came unavailable. there. In 1903 the Board of the day a comic paper character of a London In 1940 the New South Wales Fire Bri- erected a wood and iron Fire Station publication; a goodie, tall character gades sought expressions of interest on that site, at the cost of £300, and a in striped trousers, checked coat and from local Sydney firms to produce horse was allocated to the brigade to straw boater, who captured the inter- Brass Helmets. Eventually the draw the manual fire engine. est of young and old of that period. Rhodes firm of Ryder & Bell was con- According to Fire Brigade Headquar- In 1905 two horses had been allocated tracted to produce them. No assist- ters there is no official record from to the Brigade and in 1912 a perma- ance was received from the UK what point the Brigade operate be- nent Officer, a Mr. Jamieson, was at- manufacturers and Mr. Ryder, starting tween October 1901 and the erection tached to the Fire Station. A red brick from scratch, produced new moulds of the Fire Station in 1903, or whether cottage was built on the adjoining al- and tools. the engine was drawn by manual ef- lotment by the Board as a residence Production commenced in 1947 for fort or by a borrowed horse. for Mr. Jamieson’s use. The Brigade NSWFB. Ryder & Bell went on to None of the earlier residents can re- and all the equipment then came un- produce other uniform and rank insig- call whether the manual fire engine der the control of the Board of Fire nia for the fire brigades. was ever used for the purpose of ex- Commissioners of NSW by virtue of From May 1964 the brass helmets in tinguishing a fire or by which method the Fire Brigade Act 1909. In 1918 NSW were replaced by an American it was drawn to the site of operation. the Brigade was motorised, having at design made from polycarbonate. In this stage acquired a motor hose car- By further research and enquiries some other states they continued in riage. That is to say, a vehicle with a among the earlier residents, it is be- pump. limited use up to the late 1970’s. lieved that the manual fire engine was (We are proud to have one of these brass housed at the old Pig & Whistle build- In 1925 a Garford Motor Engine, com- helmets on display at our museum.) ing at the top of Hilly Street, near a plete with pump, was allocated to the laneway. Fire drill was frequently Station where it remained until 1928. carried out at this site and all trial runs It is interesting to note that, although started from there, the engine being the Fire Station was originally located Sydney Ferries manually drawn to an impromptu des- at Mortlake, it was always known as tination named by the Captain. Then Passengers on the Sydney ferry- Concord Fire Brigade, a position away they would go to extinguish the which still exists today, although the boats often commented on the imaginary fire and return to the Pig & Brigade is stationed in North euphorious names that distinguished Whistle. Strathfield. the fleet. Charlie Sanders, the founder of Sand- The Mortlake property was purchased According to ancient mariners, we ers Boatshed, was the first Captain by St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic owe these Aboriginal names to a and he was relieved by a Mr. Solman, Church, the fire Station becoming a Scotsman who was chairman at the a constructional engineer, who was classroom (since demolished) and the first christening. The vessel was to Captain when the Brigade moved into Station Officer’s residence becoming have been Willoughby after the the completed Fire Station in 1903. the Presbytery, which still remains. suburb. The chairman, in his rich An interesting feature regarding the In 1888 Tennyson Road was part of Scottish brogue, whispered Wullaby horse mentioned earlier is that he was Burwood Road, Mortlake, which then to the lady who had the honour of a tall grey, about 17 hands, named extended from Georges River Road bestowing this name, and she chris- Sloper. So that, with the animal in- through Burwood, down Crane Street, tened it Wallaby. cluded and an established Fire Station, along Majors Bay Road, Brewer fire drill and putting Sloper through his Street, Frederick Street, Gale Street When the next boat was built, being routine was quite a regular thing, old and down to the Parramatta River. In bigger than the Wallaby and of the Sloper responding quickly. Immedi- 1904 Tennyson Road was recorded same genus, it was called Kangaroo. ately the bell rang Sloper would take and in 1905 Gale Street was named. up his position quite smartly between Thus originated the custom of giving (prepared by Ernie Younger in the 1970s and pub- the engine shafts and the semi-auto- aboriginal names, each beginning with lished in the Concord Historical Society newsletter.) the letter K, as Kookaburra, Kameruka, Kiandra, Kareela, Positions Vacant Koompartoo, Karama, Kai Kai, Kummulla, Karingai, Kalang, Kara We still need more guides for Rivendell and Yaralla. Why not come along to our Riven- Kara, Killara, Karablia, Kurraba, dell Open Day on 30th July and join one of the tour group to learn about this work. It’s Kirribilli, and a dozen others. not hard and can be very rewarding. Your Society needs you - won’t you help? Our Museum - a Call to Action For too long our Museum has been the * There are “Quickstart“ Courses run “poor relation” in our Society, but we by the Mitchell Library. These are free are now hoping to re-activate the Mu- and introduce participants to popular Discovering Iron Lace in seum Sub-Committee and work to- areas of research using the Mitchell wards improving and promoting this Library’s card and computer cata- Newtown (Walk) - Sunday, wonderful asset. logues. You learn the practical as- 2nd July, 2006. With the help of Karen Harris, Cultural pects of finding and accessing Development Officer at City of Canada pictures, manuscripts and maps in the The decorative ironwork on the terrace Library. houses of Newtown is an exceptional Bay Council, we have applied for a part of the inner city’s Victorian her- Community Heritage Grant. * There are courses, “Researching itage. The variety of design surviv- If this is successful the money on the Internet”, which could be help- ing on the verandah railings received will go towards preparing ful to those not too familiar with com- throughout much of Newtown makes a Significance Assessment of the ar- puter research. This is a step-by-step a walk through this area of modest tefacts housed at the museum and introduction which covers the basics housing an aesthetic experience. provide training for our members to of the internet, using a browser, and tips to help you find the information Time: 10 am to noon. Cost: RAHS carry out the assessments, preserva- tion and management of the collection. you need. It is suitable for beginners Members $11, non-members $16. and senior citizens. This is something that is long overdue. Meeting place: St. Stephen’s Anglican We have many valuable and historic Church, Church Street, Newtown. In anticipation of receiving this grant items at the museum which need to be The walk will go as far south as Wells - but even if we are unsuccessful - identified, researched and catalogued. Street and return to St Stephen’s. what we need now is a group of vol- This work can be carried out in your There is street parking in the vicinity unteers who would be willing to learn own time, spending as much time or of Church Street and free Council the basics to undertake this work. a little as you can spare. parking off Lennox Street nearby. Our Museum should become a focus You can work as an individual or we Bookings essential - 9247-8001 or point for people to learn more of our can work in groups. [email protected]. area’s heritage and history, particu- larly for the school children studying This is too much work for just one per- local history. son - we need as many volunteers as we can enthuse. The more helpers The Museum of Fire, While we are waiting to hear about the we have the less work there will be for grant and in preparation there are individuals and the more we can Penrith several things we can do. achieve to make our Museum a place The museum is situated at No.1 Mu- * Margaret Roberts, the Council’s Lo- of learning as well as an interesting seum Drive, Penrith (on the corner of cal Studies Librarian, has invited our place to visit. Castlereagh Road) and has one of the members to visit the Five Dock Library Perhaps we have, amongst our mem- world’s largest and most unique collec- to inspect their collection. It contains bers, someone with the experience to tions of fire fighting equipment and books, reports and environmental stud- lead us in these endeavours. We memorabilia from NSW, other states ies, maps and plans, local newspapers need to hear from you. and countries around the world. and newspaper clippings, photo- graphs and family history resources. If you are willing to put your name for- Vehicles include hand drawn, horse We need to know what they have and ward, please contact Lois on 9744- drawn and motorised vehicles dated 8528 as soon as possible so that we th how it complements our own collec- from the late 18 century up to the tions. can start to work towards our goals. 1980’s. There are fire fighting tunics, dress uniforms, helmets, badges, buttons, etc. from all over the world as well as R.A.H.S. Special Workshop communication systems, fire fighting The Royal Australian Historical Society is holding a Photographic Collection tools and protective equipment. Management Workshop on Saturday, 24th June. - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The museum is open 7 days per week, This is for Societies who have had collections of photographs donated and don’t 9:30 am to 4:30 pm (closed Good know where to begin. (This certainly applies to us.) Friday and the last two weeks of December). Group bookings are Participants will gain some new skills by helping process and catalogue photo- welcome and there is something for graphic material in the RAHS collections. This workshop, conducted by Kylie ALL the family. Rees, will enable us to begin the process of correctly storing, identifying and cataloguing our own collections. She will demonstrate the correct handling pro- cedures and archival supplies will be given. All participants at this workshop will Some thoughts on Dreams be helping the RAHS in their efforts to catch up with the backlog of photographic There is consolation in the fact that material. This will, in turn, train us to manage our own collection. We will also even though our dreams don’t al- receive a sample bag of archival goodies to take home with us. ways come true - neither do our Cost is $25 or $50 for 3 members. Lunch can be purchased for $5.50 per per- nightmares. son. Venue: History House Auditorium. Some men see things as they are and This is something we have to do for our own collection and it is too much for say “why”. I dream things that just one person so won’t you come along to learn. never were and say “why not” (Robert Kennedy) We need to book so please contact Lois as soon as possible. Time Capsule at Breakfast Point From the As part of Australia’s Bicentennial activities AGL and Concord Council buried a Secretary’s Desk Time Capsule on the tip of Breakfast Point and our two local MPs planted trees. With all the building activities Open Day at Rivendell - Sunday, taking place there, we are con- 30th July. We need to know if you cerned that this capsule has not are available to help on this day. been removed.. Please contact me as soon as possi- ble. If any of our members visit Breakfast Point or walk the fore- Missing sticky tape dispensers. Do shore track would you please you have any of these from your time check to see if there is any vis- helping to go through the old newspa- ible sign of this. We have con- pers? If so could you please let me tacted Canada Bay Council but know. they don’t appear to have any Newspaper Cuttings: By the way, information. we still have a small number of papers The capsule was intended to be that need to be gone through. Can opened in the year 2088 and you help us finish up this job? contains: a set of stamps, the Arnott’s Cottages. Some time back new 1988 Bicentennial Coin Collection, Photographs from Photo Competition, Council purchased three of these tim- Photographs and Biography of Bicentennial Committee, Photographs and Biog- ber cottages prior to development of raphy of Council and Staff, Details of F4 and Ring Road 33, Bicentennial Coun- the site. One is located at Walker cil Minutes, Video of Concord, Microfiche of films and general records, History Reserve and one at the tennis courts of the AGL Mortlake works, Photographs (past and present) of Mortlake, Programme in Wellbank Street. Does anyone of Dedication Ceremony. know where the third one is? Your help in locating this would be greatly appreciated. Reminder: Have you paid your Also, are there any other known time capsules buried in Concord, by whom and membership fees yet? They are due in what location. by the end of this month. Air Conditioners at the Museum. Thanks to Council, who kindly donated The Sydney Morning Herald two air conditioners from the old Council Chambers, we will now be a . . . achieved 175 years of publication on April 18, 2006. little warmer - or cooler - on museum * The first edition of the Herald was launched on Monday, April 18, 1831 – it was duty 4 pages long. The second edition was only 2 pages. Attendance at meetings. Would *· A subscription delivered to a Sydney address cost 5 shillings a quarter. members please sign the Visitors’ * The front page primarily consisted of classified ads and listed those “Prison- book at the entrance as this is our only ers of the Crown” who had obtained “‘tickets of leave” and where they were record of attendance. Last meeting, now living. according to the book we only had 11 people attending - but I’m sure there * The main article in the paper was a manifesto from the Editor, starting with a were a lot more. quote from Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man: “Sworn to no master; of no Sect am I”. Photographic Collection Manage- ment workshop by R.A.H.S: Did * Three quarters of a page was devoted to shipping news from departures and you read the article? Can you join me arrivals to exporting and importing information. to learn? * The last section of the paper was titled “Fashionable & Important Information” Museum in Action: Did you read the with a brief article on the arrival of a very “respectable London designer – Lewis article? Can you become part of the Cohen” and stated “(he) hopes, by exerting himself to please those who may team? honour him with their commands, not to be found unworthy of patronage.” Annual General Meeting: To offic- * A personal notice on the back page states: “One Pound Reward – Lost in ers and chairmen, it’s time to start pre- Parramatta”. Mr. John Dargin declares that he has lost the deeds to his farm paring your report for this meeting. located on the “First Branch of the Hawkesbury” and that One Pound reward We will also need a copy to the Edi- will be given to the person who returns the deeds. tor for publication to our members. Election of Officers: At our August Reviving a Lost Art meeting ALL positions will be declared vacant. Are you willing to put your Stand erect, place right foot on the ground, push name forward to become part of our foot down as in operating a throttle and shift Executive? Now is the time to start Wed. 14th June - General Meeting weight to right foot. Place left foot forward to thinking. repeat operations as previously carried out with Wed. 28th June - Walker Estates right foot. Alternate at a speed of 60 movements Articles or Items for Nurungi: Have Sun. 30th July - Rivendell Open Day per minute and, when proficiency has been at- you come across something interest- Wed. 12th July - General Meeting tained, increase speed to 80 per minute. This is ing that you think might interest our Wed. 26th July - Executive Meeting known as “walking”, a form of transportation used readers? Why not send it in. If we before the development of the automobile and need to get permission to reprint we Wed. 9th August - Annual General said to be healthful. With the rise in the price of will also need to know its source. Meeting & Elections petrol, it is likely to be revived.