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Early calls for the formation of a fire brigade within Merrylands were made to the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) by the Prospect and Sherwood Council (now Cumberland City Council) in April 1922. Requests for a dedicated brigade would also be made by and maintained by the Loftus Park Progress Association in May 1923. The BoFC, in agreement with the concerns of the Council and the Progress Association, would acquire land on Merrylands Road in 1923, with the intentio

This week, to coincide with the annual celebration of International Women’s Day, the Museum is proud to officially open our latest exhibition which pays tribute to the role women have played within firefighting in NSW. This exhibition has been produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of women being permitted to join the NSW Fire Brigade (NSWFB, today Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) as firefighters. This is the first time that an exhibition has showcased this largely forgotten p

On 14 January 1975, in the heart of Sydney CBD, the former Angus and Robertson building on Castlereagh Street, opposite David Jones, was gutted by fire. Firefighters described it as the most difficult and hazardous commercial property fire they had fought in many years. The four-storey historic building had been occupied by various commercial businesses since Angus and Robertson vacated the premises in 1972. It contained a labyrinth of basement cellars and was crammed with so

At 7:58am on Boxing Day 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake occurred on the ocean floor 60 kilometres off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. This earthquake caused a large volume of water to form gigantic waves that moved in all directions, initially at speeds of 700 km/h and reaching heights of 15 metres. What ultimately resulted in a tsunami, tragically claimed the lives of 230,000 people in a matter of hours, destroyed 141,000 homes and devastated the local fish

As the year draws to a close, we always spend time reflecting on what stories and photographs were popular on our socials. Our team enjoy sharing historic incidents and anniversaries, just as much as we take pride in sharing the various updates we’ve made around the Museum and the various activities we’ve been taking part in. In what will be one of the last blogs for 2024 we’ve taken a look at the most popular images we’ve shared on Instagram. It is said that a picture speaks

Establishing a Brigade in Dee Why The expansion of the Warringah Fire District in 1923 saw the suburb of Dee Why brought under the protection of the Fire Brigades Act. Recommendations were put forward for the establishment of a brigade with a strength of two permanent and six partially paid firefighters. This accounted for the number of surrounding fire stations that could provide aid during an incident, and the prevalence of weatherboard houses in the area. A site on Fish Ro

Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Coraki  Established in 1849 before becoming a bustling riverside port in the 1880s, Coraki looked to establish their own fire brigade under the Fire Brigades Act at the start of the twentieth century. The town was then successful in achieving incorporation under the Fire Brigades Act in the year 1912.  Unfortunately, due to miscommunication between the Coraki Council and the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) the Council missed out on

Did you know that it has been a decade since the Hon. Robyn Parker, Minister for the Environment and heritage attended the Museum to announce the listing of several of the Museum’s collection items onto the NSW State Heritage Register.   What is the heritage register? The NSW State Heritage Register was created to identify places and objects that are of significance to the state of New South Wales. These places and objects help provide us with insight to previous generations

It’s time for another look back at what was happening in the world of the NSW Fire Brigade (NSWFB, today known as Fire and Rescue NSW, FRNSW) thirty years ago, twenty years ago and ten years ago! Here is a quick spin through thirty years of history! Thirty Years Ago - 1994 Thirty years ago, in 1994, there were a lot of legislative changes being enacted by the NSW Government that directly affected the NSWFB, specifically through amendments to the Fire Brigades Act (1989). The

Establishing a Brigade in Mullumbimby  In 1911 recommendations were put forward for the extension of the Fire Brigades Act 1909 to include Mullumbimby. In November of that same year, Inspecting Officer Thomas Nance (later Chief Officer of the New South Wales Fire Brigade, NSWFB, Today FRNSW) was dispatched to determine the suitability of Mullumbimby for the establishment of a dedicated fire brigade. The application of the Fire Brigades Act was proclaimed in the Government Gaz