Bungaree History Walk
  • Home
    • Launch of the Walk
    • QR Codes
  • The Wathaurungs
    • Wathaurung Culture
    • Lal Lal Falls
    • The Important Mountains
    • Special Wathaurung Sites
    • Interesting Wathaurung Facts and Photos
    • The Legend of Bunjil
  • The Bungaree Blacksmiths
    • The Chisholm's
    • The Devereux's
    • The Ritchie's
    • The Cyclone Destroys a Blacksmith
    • Stories about the Blacksmith
  • The Bungaree Hotels
    • Grand Junction
    • Bridge Hotel
    • Morning Star
    • Horse and Jockey Hotel
    • Robbery at the Morning Star
    • The Cyclone Destroys a Hotel
  • The Bungaree Bank
    • The Bankers
    • Inside the bank
    • The Holey Incident
    • The Blacksmith's Joke
    • The Bungaree Bank Closes
  • The Bungaree Police Station
    • Stories about the Police Station
    • The Truck Crash
    • Archaeological Survey
    • Police Station Photos
  • The Bungaree Railway Station
    • The Train Wreck
    • The Busy Bungaree Station
    • Interview with Mr Lawless
    • Bungaree Railway Photos
    • The Bungaree Station Closes
  • The Bungaree Shops
    • The Chalmers Shop
    • Bottom Shop
    • Top Shop
    • The Lolly Shop and Butcher
    • Interviews about the Shops
    • Things the Shops Sold
  • The Bungaree Schools
    • The First School
    • The Bluestone School
    • The Current School
    • Interviews with Past Students
    • Bungaree School Photos
  • The Bungaree Mechanics' Institute
    • A Cyclone Destroys the Hall
  • St John's Anglican Church
    • Parish Life
    • Improvements to St John's
  • The Bungaree Fire Brigade
    • Black Friday
    • Fighting Fires
    • Early Fire Fighting Equipment
    • Bungaree CFA
    • The Mt Warrenheip Fire
    • The Captain visits the school
  • St Michael's Church, School and Convent
    • St Michael's School
    • St Michael's Church
    • St Michael's Convent
  • The Bungaree Recreation Oval
    • The Bungaree Footy Club
    • The Bungaree Netball Club
    • Interviews about the Institute
    • The Cricket and Tennis Clubs
  • The Making of the History Walk
  • Contact Details and Bibliography
  • Extra Information, photos and songs
  • Feedback Blog

Fighting Fires


The first fire the brigade attended was across the Daylesford Road, between the Gong Reservoir and Pootilla. The fire was in young pines in the Water Commission area and burnt for about three quarters of a mile. It was stopped at the Daylesford Road. Water Commission employees and Ballarat City firemen also helped put out the fire, which Eddie Keeble thought burnt about 150 acres. He said possibly 15 or 20 men from Bungaree attended.

One of the biggest fires Eddie Keeble recalled the Bungaree brigade attending in its early days was at Millbrook, in about 1943. He said the fire started alongside the railway line, about half a mile from the former Millbrook Railway Station. The brigade had quite a battle to save a house belonging to Lubys on the Melbourne Road. The house was saved and the Lubys were so pleased that they sent the brigade a donation of £10, which was a lot of money in those days.

Picture

A fire at Clunes, probably in 1944, was the first big fire Roy Tinney attended with the brigade. "We had Leo Kelly's truck and we put the tank on the back of that," he said. "The fire had been going for a fair time by the time we got there. Nobody was there to direct us, so we decided to try and save a house which was on a road off to the right of the Clunes-Creswick Road.  It was fairly windy for break burning but it was felt that if we did not have a try, the house would go anyway. We managed to get enough burnt to save the house."

A good supporter of the brigade in its early days was Jack Armytage from Dunnstown who was a member of the Buninyong Brigade. He often came over to Bungaree with his ute and pump to help out.

Bill Martin said some of the good early members were:  E. Keeble, E. Hanrahan, R. Hamilton, K. Sheehan, J. Armytage, G. Trigg, A. Taylor, the Maher brothers and R. Tinney.

Leo Rix recalls that Eddie Hanrahan was a very enthusiastic fire fighter. He once raced off into a large burning bushfire by himself, equipped with just a knapsack extinguisher.


 


Click here to find out about the early fire fighting equipment.