Station Focus: No. 453 Taree Fire Brigade 1893–2025

Interest in forming a fire brigade in Taree occurred as early as 1887. Due to the increased development of the town during this period, concerns were raised regarding the safety of the newly constructed buildings and residences. In response, a manual fire engine was purchased by the council in April 1893, and in May a volunteer brigade made up of council members was formed. The fire engine was temporarily stored in a shed owned by the Apparatus Officer of the brigade, Mr Rose, until a small station was erected on the property owned by the first Captain, W. Plummer on the corner of Victoria and Manning Streets in June 1893.

Taree Fire Brigade, unfortunately, saw a lot of instability in its early years and were hampered by a constant lack of available funding, resulting in them hosting several balls to raise money, including a juvenile dance in May 1899. The brigade also faced other instabilities, such as having to relocate their fire station multiple times because they lacked a dedicated site. The original station site was sold in 1900 to the School of Arts to build their new facility. While efforts were initially made to keep the fire station on the same property as the School of Arts, they soon had to find a new site.

In 1903, the brigade finally found a new site next to Belmore Hall, thanks to the Grand United Order of the Oddfellows. However, just a few months after the station was moved, there were reports that the brigade no longer existed, with the local community requesting that the council establish a more well-structured fire brigade. A new committee was formed, and the brigade was re-established the following year in 1904.

Taree Volunteer Fire Brigade, c.1910s [Courtesy of Taree Fire Brigade]

This newly re-organised brigade, however, did not last long, as by the time the Fire Brigades Act 1909 had been extended to Taree on 1 January 1910, it was reported that Taree Fire Station was in a bad condition and the brigade was no longer in operation. The Board of Fire Commissioners of NSW (BoFC), the governing body of the newly formed NSW Fire Brigades, re-formed the Taree Fire Brigade with previous members joining the new brigade. They were supplied with new equipment, though they continued to operate out of the existing station.

Construction work on Belmore Hall in 1912 then saw the Taree Fire Brigade relocate temporarily to a site on the corner of Victoria and Macquarie Streets until the renovations were completed. The brigade operated from this temporary site from 22 July 1913 until the new station at Belmore Hall became operational on 1 January 1914.

Taree Fire Brigade operated out of their station at Belmore Hall for just under ten years, until 1923 when the BoFC expressed concern that the station was at great risk due to Belmore Hall’s highly flammable wooden structure. The BoFC then started looking for a suitable site to construct a new purpose-built fire station in early 1924, ultimately purchasing a site on the corner of Wynter and Pulteney Streets. Sketch plans were submitted in October, with applications for tenders opened shortly after. Work began on the station in January 1925, with Taree Fire Brigade occupying the new station just a few months later in April. Taree Fire Station was then officially opened on 22 May 1925.  

Taree Fire Station, c.1930s [Museum of Fire Collection]

Taree Fire Station has consistently demonstrated its commitment to safeguarding the district’s fire protection needs. As the population grew and emergency incidents increased in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Taree Fire Brigade faced mounting demands. In response, Station Officer Robert Weir was transferred to the brigade in 1990, marking the first permanent officer assigned to the brigade.

Major renovations to Taree Fire Station were also carried out in the 1990-1991 period, which saw the expansion of the station to include an additional engine bay. Taree Fire Station also became a designated HAZMAT station during the 2005-2006 period, with firefighters trained to respond to intermediate hazardous materials incidents.

Taree Fire Station, 11 March 1991 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Captain’s and Station Officer’s List

Name	Appointment as Captain	End of Service as Captain
W. Plummer	1893	1899
A. Ross	1899	c. 1903
G. Ricketts	1903	1904
E. Atherton	1904	c. 1909
E. Woodley	1910	1910
A. Baker	1910	1924
N. Nielson	1924	1961
P. Whatson	1961	1971
W. Erickson	1971	1987
R. Ward	1987	1991
L. Banister	1991	2004
M. Clarke	2004	2009
P. Murray	2009	2017
A. Shoesmith	2017	Present
Name	Appointment as Station Officer	End of Service as Station Officer
R. Weir	1990	1993
M. Beard	1993	2012
S. Austin	2012	2016
P. Willard	2016	Present

Historic Fleet List

Year	Make/Model	Motor Engine Number	Type
1893	Howe & Rose	-	Manual Pumper
1911	Green	048	Manual Pumper
1915	NSWFB Conversion	089	Horse-Drawn Pumper
1924	-	121	Hose Cart
1924	-	134	Hose Cart
1924	-	140	Hose Cart
1924	NSWFB Conversion	075	Horse-Drawn Pumper
1925	Garford 15	020	Pumper
1934	Garford 15	140	Pumper
1940	Garford 15	152	Pumper
1962	Dennis 250/450	098	Pumper
1962	Ford Thames	322	Pumper
1971	Dennis D-600 Mk 2	426	Pumper
1982	International 1710C	665	Pumper
1990	Isuzu FRS 4x4	774	Pumper
1993-4	International 1810C	148	Pumper
1997	Isuzu FTS-700	885	Pumper
2003	Isuzu FTR-800	514	Pumper
2005	Isuzu FTS-700	784	Composite HAZMAT
2016	Mercedes Atego 1626	163	Tanker
2019	Varley Commander T4	358	Pumper
2019	Scania P310	822	Urban HAZMAT Pumper

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

- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team