Station Focus: 083 Riverstone Fire Brigade 1925-2025

Formation of Riverstone Fire Brigade  

Interest in the fire protection of Riverstone was brought to the foreground in 1923. At this time, Riverstone was located within the Windsor Fire District and received protection from Windsor Fire Brigade, however, the brigade was unable to provide adequate fire protection to Riverstone due to the great distance between the two towns and Riverstone’s lack of a reticulated water supply. This meant Riverstone was at risk of being removed from the Fire Brigades Act unless a pumping engine was installed and a sub-station formed, with water to be drawn from private tanks until a reticulated water supply was installed. On 1 April 1925, a brick shed with a galvanised iron roof on Riverstone Parade, adjoining the Taylor Brothers Produce Store, was obtained by the Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC) to serve as a fire station. The horse-drawn turbine pump was then delivered later in the month, and on 1 May 1925 the first

two firefighters were appointed to Riverstone Fire Brigade, these were Captain J. W. J. Weaver and Firefighter A. Keegan.  

In 1928 the brigade was in need of a new station premises as the sites current owner wanted to redevelop the site. The owner offered to construct a new station about 54 metres from the existing site, which was completed by the end of April 1929.  

Riverstone's second fire station, February 1968. [Museum of Fire Collection]

Riverstone Fire Brigade continued to have ties with Windsor Fire Brigade for many decades before gaining their independence. In April 1935 the phoneline between Windsor and Riverstone Fire Stations was disconnected and finally on 1 November 1959, the independent Riverstone Fire District was constituted, signalling complete independence from Windsor Fire Brigade. 

Not even fire stations are impervious to the march of time though and thus the request for a new station in Riverstone was raised in September 1967. The existing station was a rented premises and the poor condition of the building, in conjunction with the lack of adequate amenities, made it unsuitable for housing members of the brigade and drill operations. Following extensive surveys of the Riverstone area, a new site was obtained on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Railway Terrace in 1969, which was a portion of the Riverstone Police Department’s property. The purchase was finalised in June 1970, and in July 1971 the BoFC employed W. R. Marr Pty. Ltd. to construct the new station. Zoning issues involving the Elizabeth Road site soon proved to be an issue for the new station as the local council had zoned the land intended for the fire station as “Special Uses – Police Purposes” and so a new site had to be found. The local Council offered a suitable location on the corner of Riverstone Parade and Church Street as a replacement which was accepted by the BoFC in March 1972. Construction of the new fire station began in June 1972 and was completed and occupied by the brigade on 21 November 1972. The new Riverstone Fire Station was officially opened at 7:30pm on 7 June 1973 by the BoFC. 

Riverstone's third fire station, c. 1980s. [Museum of Fire Collection]

Riverstone Fire Station has received several renovations and extensions over the years, including in 1989 and 1993-1994 to better serve the growing community. Today, with rapid development happening in the Riverstone community, Riverstone Fire Brigade are busier than ever, responding to incidents and participating in community engagement. 

Captain’s List 

Name	Appointment as Captain	End of Service as Captain
J. Weaver	1925	1930
H. Head	1930	1936
B. Parry	1936	1965
N. Alcorn	1965	1971
L. Gosling	1971	1974
P. Aldridge	1974	2001
M. Partridge	2001	2003
R. Ewers	2003	2016
D. Richards	2016	Present

Historic Fleet List 

Year	Make/Model	Fleet Number	Type
1925	NSWFB Conversion	069	Horse-Drawn Pumper
1931	Garford 64c	098	Pumper
1933	Garford 15	154	Pumper
1939	Garford 15	131	Pumper
1957	Garford 15	092	Pumper
1961	Dennis 250/400	211	Pumper
1968	Bedford J1	070	Pumper
1973	Ford D400	341	Pumper
1976	International 1710A	527	Pumper
1986	International 1810C	282	Pumper
2003	Isuzu FTR-800	543	Pumper
2019	Iveco Eurocargo ML150-E-28	514	CAFS Pumper

Want to learn more about the history of Riverstone Fire Brigade? You can purchase a copy of the Riverstone station book either in-store or online by visiting www.museumoffire.net/product-page/station-books

- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team