One Last Look Back

Acting CEO Ben Dickson [Photo Courtesy of the ABC]

I stepped into the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer in July 2025, taking the reins from our substantive CEO, Belinda McMartin, while she was on maternity leave. The past year has been one of the most enlightening of my professional life, and the Museum of Fire has continued to grow throughout it. I am proud to have been part of that journey. As my time as Acting CEO draws to a close alongside my departure from the Museum, this feels like the right moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together.

One of my first priorities was continuing to advance promotion of the Museum's name out into the community. We participated 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. Closer to home, the Museum also played host to some genuinely exciting new events. The Street Session Automotive Lifestyle Festival, an externally run car show, brought an entirely new demographic through our doors: those aged 18 to 25, a group that museums everywhere will tell you is among the hardest to attract. We also maintained our well-loved traditional events, with All Chrysler Day and General Motors Day drawing wonderful crowds. Whether participating externally or hosting in our own backyard, our commitment has always been the same: to be for community, and within community.

Community presence extends beyond events, and this year our public profile grew in some genuinely meaningful ways. The Museum of Fire featured on Channel Seven's Sydney Weekender, with our exhibitions and interactive elements showcased to a wide audience, reflecting the quality of work our team delivers every day. In 2026, our vintage fire engines made headlines again as some of the first vehicles to travel along the newly opened M12 motorway. Not only did they feature prominently in coverage of the opening, but we were also interviewed by the ABC to speak to the importance of presenting state heritage along a motorway that sits within the Museum's own local community.

That commitment to sharing fire service heritage sits at the heart of our long-standing partnership with Fire and Rescue NSW. One of the most meaningful responsibilities we carry is providing heritage and historical support through the publication of history booklets and framed heritage content, presented at centenary and historically significant events across the state. Where my previous role as Curator had me attending these occasions in a supporting capacity, Acting CEO meant I had the privilege of representing the organisation in full. I did so across nine events spanning the breadth of New South Wales, from West Wyalong in the west to Dungog in the north, Moss Vale in the south, and Maroubra in the east.

Acting CEO Ben Dickson and Captain Van Der Meer of 234 Bowral Fire Station [Photo courtesy of Fire and Rescue NSW]

Alongside our community and heritage work, 2025-2026 was a productive year for the Museum's exhibition program. We opened our first ever Urban Search and Rescue exhibition, highlighting Fire and Rescue NSW's extraordinary contribution to disaster relief both nationally and internationally. We also revitalised one of our longer-standing displays, dedicated to the Superintendents, Chief Officers, and Commissioners of Fire and Rescue NSW, breathing new life into it with updated objects, contemporary showcases, and refreshed interpretive material. The Museum's Art Competition Exhibition returned once more, this year with a theme exploring the history of women in Fire and Rescue NSW. As Acting CEO, I had the privilege of serving as MC for the annual award presentation ceremony for the first time. Presiding over the celebration of so many talented artists and seeing the fire service's history brought to life through their work, was one of the genuine highlights of the year.

2025 Art Competition Exhibition Award Ceremony with all dignataries and award recipients [Museum of Fire Collection]

Education has always been at the heart of what we do here, and it remained a priority throughout my tenure. Before stepping into the Acting CEO role, I led the Museum's education programs as Curator, and that foundation shaped much of what we were able to deliver. During this period, my team completed a full overhaul of our education programs, updating our educator notes and developing new resource material for teachers. Getting young people through our doors, putting them face to face with a fire engine that is older than their grandparents, and watching that moment it all clicks: that history is real and it still matters - that is what fire safety education at its best looks like.

Acting CEO Ben Dickson leading a tour with international and national female firefighters, March 2026 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Our volunteers are at the core of everything we do at the Museum of Fire. They maintain our building and grounds, bring deep expertise in restoration and reconstruction, and have contributed to countless projects over the years, some of which have earned nominations and significant external recognition. The defining project of 2025-2026 was the restoration of our 1942 GMC CCKW water tanker. When acquired, the vehicle was far from its best, but our volunteers, together with members of the Historic Fire Engine Association, took on a complete restoration, tackling mechanical, auto electrical, and cosmetic work to return it to its original condition. Partway through the project, we lost one of our long-time volunteers, Reg Varley. With the restoration nearly complete, the team pushed hard to finish the job in time for the GMC to attend Reg's funeral: the last vehicle he had worked on. The GMC was already a remarkable piece of history. What it represents now goes well beyond the mechanical.

Collage of Museum events from June to December 2025 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Behind the scenes, the past year has also involved the less glamorous but essential work that keeps a museum running well. We restructured our team to better serve both our visitors and key stakeholders, completed infrastructure upgrades to keep the Museum safe and fit for purpose, and strengthened our internal systems and policies. On the results side, the Museum recorded some of its best ever visitation numbers and gift shop performance during this period, both of which are vital to sustaining our exhibition and education programs as a not-for-profit registered charity. There is much more in the pipeline, with plans to strengthen our collecting strategy, expand our exhibition program, and grow our event schedule well into the future.

The Museum of Fire is at a genuinely exciting point in its development. The work of the past year has laid important groundwork: stronger systems, a more visible public presence, and a clearer sense of where the organisation is heading. As Belinda McMartin returns to lead the next chapter, I am confident she does so with a team that is capable, committed, and energised. The history we preserve here is irreplaceable, and the community that gathers around it continues to grow. It has been an honour to play a part in that story.

-Blog by Ben Dickson, Acting CEO