A Proud Tradition

The Meekatharra Fire Brigade (now called Fire & Rescue) has been around officially since the 1920's. Our trucks are currently housed in a modern shed just a block from our house, on a large block of land next to the original old brick fire station, which is now our social club / museum room. There's also a big storage shed which was donated by Iris Curley, an aboriginal matriarch who won the lottery several years ago.

They used to have competitions between the town fire brigades and Meeka was for many years the state champion brigade. Many of the blokes in it today had fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers who served, and their photos are on the walls of the social club. In the photo below, one of my aged care hostel clients, Don, is the fresh faced young bloke second from the right in the front row.

I'm not sure when women began joining; I can see them in the more modern photos but no one's sure if it was a formal "let them in" thing or if it just happened. Nowadays of course there are lots of women in the volunteer brigades, officially recognised and taking part in fire fighting instead of handwashing sooty uniforms in vats behind the chook pens (which many of us are probably still doing anyway).

I enjoy looking at the old wooden ladders, brass helmets and ancient fire gear among the sepia photos in the social club and knowing that I too am becoming part of its history. Gary loves all the old gear and is always pointing out some fascinating little detail that no one else remembers.

Four thirty - time to light the fire under the washing vat & hook up the waterwheel buffalo before I start churning butter for the 700 sandwiches that Gary will consume this week.

Not shown: the 12 women who washed those uniforms by hand