Things have changed a fair bit since the earliest days of the Harcourt fire brigade.
Back then 75 years ago people unlucky enough to be faced with a fire could expect the local brigade volunteers to turn out in an old lend-lease ex army Chevrolet.
These days a call-out to the fireys out Harcourt way is likely to be met with a high tech tanker fully equipped with computers and hydraulic gear.
This weekend the big changes that have happened over the past seven decades will give pause for thought as the brigade celebrates its 75th anniversary with a presentation dinner tomorrow evening at the Harcourt Leisure Centre, followed by a public open day at the Harcourt fire station this Sunday.
Brigade members are inviting everyone to get along to the fire station at High Street, Harcourt between 10am – 2pm on Sunday to enjoy the free sausage sizzle, memorabilia and equipment displays, special anniversary souvenirs including wine glasses, coffee mugs and coasters – and kids entertainment as well.
Among today’s long-serving volunteers, Peter Wilson has been with the Harcourt CFA for 61 years and laughs as he recounts a few of the changes that have taken place in his time with the brigade.
“We’d use either the old lend-lease chevvie or an old Austin truck and we’d have to use a hand pump to fill it,” he says. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail, Friday, November 8, 2019