Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade
The construction of our fire station is nearing completion. It has been a long and arduous process. As none of our members are au fait with the construction industry, it has been more or less a ‘hit and miss’ affair and, luckily for us, there have been far more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’. Our Secretary, Alwyn Weston, can take most of the credit (or "blame") for the outcome – his tenacity knows no bounds. For the last few years, Alwyn has learned more about building than most engineers – or so it would seem.
The provision of handicapped facilities in a rural fire station seem absurd due to the physical nature of our work but, in keeping with government policy, they had to be included. This was one obstacle we knew nothing about, and had to overcome. Some rural fire brigades do have handicapped members and, most times, their input is invaluable.
We would like to thank our councillor, Bob Millar, for all of his help as well – it was greatly appreciated. Should Alwyn and/or I run into any problems, Bob was always willing to help us work our way through it or put us in contact with someone who knew what needed doing.
The official opening has been tentatively set for late August, but that depends on whether the bulk of things that still need to be done have been completed. Some items yet to be sorted are the construction of our driveway, the placement of the aerial mast on top of the council water tower behind the station, and the connection of the telephone service (which is an on-going saga). Almost everything that we have done in relation to the construction and fitting-out of the fire station (including the part-purchasing of our two fire appliances) has been funded by rural fire levies paid by property owners outside of the town precinct and collected, on our behalf, by the Pine Rivers Shire Council. For this, we are extremely grateful. I certainly hope you are as proud of the station as we, the members, are. It is a magnificent achievement and a wonderful facility for the district. The members of the brigade have put a lot of thought into this project and have built the station with the future in mind.
Should any of the readers of this fine publication want to know more about the rural fire brigade movement, you (male or female) are most welcome to join us for our monthly meeting which is held on the second Wednesday night of the month – in the fire station on the corner of Sellin and Laceys Creek Roads, Dayboro, commencing at 7.30pm. For further enquiries, please contact our Secretary, Alwyn Weston, on 3425 1420.
Further rural fire brigade news will appear in future editions of the Grapevine.
