Back in the hot seat!
In July 2025 I took a step back from the museum to begin a new chapter of my life. As I began my maternity leave, I was thankful for the support that our museum staff and volunteers gave both myself and Ben Dickson, who was to act as CEO in my absence.
It was around this time that I attained ten years’ service at the Museum of Fire (MOF), having begun my MOF journey as the senior heritage officer in 2015 before becoming CEO at the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. To step away from something that I had poured my heart and soul into for so long was incredibly difficult but thanks to Ben’s confidence and our close relationship I did so knowing that, should he need any support, I was only a phone call away.
Ben had been a valued member of the Museum for many years, having begun his museum career with our front of house team where he learnt the ropes of our organisation, before spending time as my assistant and then making the move to our heritage team where he was appointed to the role of Curator. As a result of this there wasn’t a part of the business that Ben wasn’t involved with over the years.
![Kate and Steve taking part in the Rouse Hill Orange Blossom Festival [Image courtesy of RegProm Marketing; photograph by Isabella Oxford, Isabella Evans Design]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/535dbe_93009fc0ca6e4963920fc8ed31d6ea79~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_783,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/535dbe_93009fc0ca6e4963920fc8ed31d6ea79~mv2.jpg)
During my absence and again since my return the team continued to advance the promotion of the museum throughout the community, participating in a wide range of local events, from Science in the Scrub in the Western Sydney Parklands to countless parades where our still-operational vintage vehicles turned heads through St Marys, Rouse Hill, and Canada Bay. Our team also attended the Campbelltown Emergency Ready Day in support of the local community and emergency services to prepare for the upcoming bushfire season.
The Museum also hosted several of our staple events including Winter Family Day which brought our largest ever attendance to the event and Spring Family Day, which despite the cold weather and rain still drew a great crowd with fire engine rides proving to be the most popular drawcard. While our winter event saw over 500 fire engine rides, the spring event with the adverse weather saw our volunteers provide just as many rides as in winter! Due to the success of these events in bringing the community together and driving people to the museum these days will remain a part of our annual calendar for many years to come.
We also played host to FRNSW’s Open Day in May which continues to be a great success, and our team maintained a strong presence at the FRNSW’s Championships with pop-up shops at regional events. An even bigger on-site shop is planned for the upcoming state championships in Coffs Harbour!
The Museum team remain committed to sharing fire service heritage and this sits at the heart of our long-standing partnership with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). The most visible way we do this is through the publication of history booklets for brigades across the state. In my previous role as senior heritage officer, I would lead the production of these heritage works so when I transitioned into the role of CEO it was a passion I took with me. While in my early days of maternity leave, I returned briefly (while still waiting for the arrival of my baby) to attend a centenary event that was close to home, that of No. 83 Riverstone. I was also able to take my daughter with me to attend the centenary of No. 234 Bowral Fire Brigade, again while on leave later in the year. This one also held a personal connection for me as prior to commencing my time with the Museum of Fire I worked at the Bradman Museum in Bowral as a Curator for many years.
While I attended just two FRNSW station events during this time the heritage team and Ben, in the position of Acting CEO attended an additional five, representing the museum and sharing the history of FRNSW.
While I was on leave, I also returned to the museum, this time with my tiny baby, to participate in the launch of a very special book, “Trailblazing: The History of Female Fighters in Fire and Rescue NSW”. In 2020 Assistant Commissioner and member of the museum board, Cheryl Steer, set out to record the history of female firefighters within FRNSW. This book details not only how these women came to join the organisation, their challenges, contributions and stories, but also the experiences of women who led the way. The book was launched in 2025 to coincide with the fortieth anniversary since women were permitted to join the service as firefighters. I don’t often get to put pen to paper anymore as part of my job at the museum, so this was a very special publication to be a part of as a co-author. The team who brought this book together are a remarkable group of women and I feel privileged to have been able to help share their stories. I will also always be thankful that my daughter was able to attend the book launch.
Following on with the theme of celebrating women within the fire services, the Museum's Art Competition Exhibition returned once more, this year with a theme exploring the history of women in FRNSW. Now in its sixth year, this was the first time I did not host the event, taking a seat in the audience with my small baby in my arms to join those cheering for the children and their amazing artwork. Our Acting CEO Ben served as MC and the event was once again a success. This was the first year that a digital submission platform was used and I am pleased that it significantly reduced the workload of our heritage and admin teams with only shortlisted works being received by the museum. It did make a huge difference to have just thirty-forty physical works to contend with in our small offices rather than over one hundred!
Our heritage team produced two wholly original temporary exhibitions in 2026. These were “Illustrating Change: Designing Fire Engines for New Challenges” which showcased a different side of fire engines: their blueprints and “Fire as Good: Reshaping Our Relationship with Flame” which provided an opportunity for us to rethink how fire is perceived, focusing on the positive impacts fire can have when it is used in a controlled manor. Whether through natural adaptations by plants in fire prone environments or contained in machinery and contraptions, fire is an incredibly useful tool.
In June 2026 Ben announced that he had been offered a new opportunity and would be leaving the museum. At this time, I was just working a few days a week and had hoped to remain on part-leave until much later in the year. Understanding that this was a great opportunity for Ben and the need for stability within our organisation I made the difficult decision to return to the role of CEO full time, much earlier than I had expected. This came with its own challenges, especially as a breastfeeding mother with a young baby, so I am very thankful to the museum team and those around me who made this transition possible, even though it often felt like a constant battle between my obligations to the museum and my responsibilities as a mother.
I thank Ben for his service to the museum, his hard work, dedication and his friendship. In our respective roles as CEO and Curator we spent a lot of time travelling and working together. I miss having Ben as a sounding board for all aspects of the business and I also miss his unique personality that he brought to our team dynamic. I wish Ben all the best in his future endeavours.
In a full circle moment bringing together the theme of celebrating women within FRNSW and history, the first FRNSW station event I attended since returning from maternity leave was one that featured very strong female leadership, No. 344 Kearsley. In the coming weeks we have several more FRNSW station events to attend and our team look forward to continuing to share the history of FRNSW by supporting these stations.
I am very grateful for the time I have spent working at the Museum of Fire. A lot of blood, sweat and tears has gone into the past few years as we struggled through the pandemic, cost of living crisis and continued to battle to find new ways to bring income into the organisation. I take pride in leading our dedicated team of staff and volunteers, they are (especially our volunteers) the true magic behind what we do, and I know we are blessed to have such a dedicated team. With only four full-time staff we heavily rely on our volunteers who give their time without question.
Time is a fleeting thing. When looking back at what our team have achieved over the last year it is remarkable that we even have time to just open the museum daily to the public given all of the extra events and activities that pull our attention in every direction! Our organisation is only as good as the people who dedicate their time to it, and I hope that those supporting the museum continue to maintain and grow the now, well established organisation.
~Blog by Museum of Fire CEO, Belinda McMartin
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