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The Museum has all sorts of fascinating objects from all around the world in the collection. Each has its own story shaped by where it came from, who owned it and its place in history. In the lead up to the exhibit, Celebrating Our Connections with Japan , we thought we’d shine a light on two of the Japanese vehicles in the Museum’s collection. We’ll be taking a look at the 1976 Toyota Pumper and the Japanese hand pump, both of which are out on display at the Museum. Penrith

In the lead up to the Museum’s ‘International’-themed Heritage Day this Sunday, we thought it an opportune time to take a look at an International vehicle. Get to know a little more about the International ACCO C1600 and then drop by this Sunday to see it in person! In the early 1970s, International pumpers were introduced to the New South Wales Fire Brigades (NSWFB; now Fire & Rescue New South Wales) fleet. The International Harvester Company, who originally dabbled in the m

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019-2020 saw a period of intense, high-severity fires spread across Australia, burning an immense 17 million hectares of land. Thirty-three people, include nine firefighters, lost their lives, approximately 3,000 homes were destroyed, and over one billion animals were killed or injured. During the catastrophic season, chief photographer at The Sydney Morning Herald , Nick Moir, captured what is now one of the most iconic photographs

It is #AskACuratorDay tomorrow (Wednesday 15 September 2021) and to celebrate we are hosting a week-long curatorial takeover! Did you know that our CEO started her museum career as a Curator? Perhaps this is why she has endorsed this weeklong promotion of our curatorial team, but it might also be because Curators are the backbone of a museum. What is a curator? A curator is defined as a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. It is Curators who oversee the conser

The 1820s in Sydney Before we begin an exploration of Sydney’s fire protection in the 1820s, let’s set the scene. The year was 1821, 200 years ago, when the first steps were made to ensure Sydney’s protection against fire. Two appliances were purchased by the authorities and by the end of 1821, they had arrived in the colony. The year, like most before it, brought great change to the colony. Amongst other things, the Australian Magazine made its debut, Australia’s greatest ex

By Guest Writer Ian Grimwood This blog is a modified extract from Ian’s recent History Week presentation. To view the recording please visit https://www.museumoffire.net/copy-of-history-week-2021 In this piece, I will highlight the close association that the Australian Military Forces and the Fire Brigade in NSW have had since the nineteenth century, up to contemporary times. If we start with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) back in 1884 a portion of the senior leadership

Greetings to the avid readers of our weekly blog, I hope you are all faring well during this lockdown period (if you’re based in NSW, that is). As promised in last week’s post, retrievable via this link: https://www.museumoffire.net/single-post/working-from-home-lockdown-2021, I am here today to talk to you about the process enlisted to deinstall a set of three gauge-ous gauges during lockdown. As they have now been retired to storage, I will end this blog by showcasing the s

An Update from our CEO Belinda When our team scheduled a CEO update for this week, we were anticipating a mammoth blog filled with information about all the fun activities coming up at the Museum this month. Sadly, that isn’t the case and I find myself trying to work out exactly what to talk about. This sounds really negative however it has given me cause to reflect on everything that is still taking place at the Museum and provides me with a great opportunity to answer the q

-Story by Bill Rowlings OAM Deputy President, c. 1984 It was all the doing of the first female to take on a senior role in fire brigade management in NSW. In 1982, the NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Peter Anderson, appointed Kristine Klugman BA (History) MA (Community Studies) as the first female to serve on the then 98-year-old Board of Fire Commissioners, and made her Deputy President. At the time, she was also the President of the Australian Museum Trust,

Today, 18 May 2021, is International Museum Day; an event celebrated annually by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This special day also coincides with Library and Information Week 2021, which is held from 17 to 23 May in Australia. Last year, as the day rolled around, it was hard to find something to celebrate as we remained in lockdown with no known re-opening date in sight. One cause for positivity though was that on 18 May 2020, our Curator, Laura, was to comme