Ferrymead opening its ‘Hall of Flame’

Press, 18 February 1983, Page 18

Ferrymead opening its ‘Hall of Flame’

By

LIZ MCDONALD

When old fire engines retired from their days of battling the blaze, there seemed little place left for them in the community. Until now.

A group of Christchurch people, not content to let the engines die. have directed large amounts of their energy and time into creating a museum of fire-fighting exhibits.

Fire engines have been rescued from their resting places in Bluff. Whangarei. and localities in between. They have been transported to ' Christchurch, restored, painted, and finally polished in preparation for their debut tomorrow in their new home — Ferrvmead Historic Park's “Hall of Flame.”

Ferrymead, of course, is a well-known haven for retired vehicles. The story it tells of early New Zealand transportation has another chapter as the fleet of shiny, red engines takes its place alongside the trams, trolleybuses and trains.

The “Hall of Flame” itself looks more like a fire station than a museum. Made from recycled bricks and corrugated iron, it has large glass doors which open along the front of the building, en-

abling the engines to be driven in and out.

Built by the Ferrymead Trust for the Fire Services Historical Society in the late 19705. the 800 sq m museum includes a mezzanine floor used as a display gallery for old photographs, documents, fire-fighting equipment, and firemen's uniforms. Also on display are a collection of old trophies and medals, and emblems of fire brigades around the world.

The project to collect and restore the exhibits began, perhaps appropriately, after a fire.

Mr Michael Hayes, who is now the secretary of the Fire Services Historical Society, lost his home in a blaze in April, 1965. This, he says sparked an interest in fire engines which had been kindling inside him since childhood. “I had always been totally fascinated by old drawings of fire engines.”

It led him on a search for an old fire-fighting steam engine for which he enlisted the help of Mr John Shanks, an enthusiast in old engines who later became the Ferrymead Trust’s first secretarymanager. Together they located an 1873 Shand Mason

engine in the possession of a Christchurch businessman.

The old English engine had been pulled by horses during its early days as a firefighter in Christchurch, and is now believed to be the oldest working steam fire engine in the world. Mr Hayes acquired the old engine and although inexperienced in such work, decided to restore it. In 1968. he and Mr George Thompson. who was then the Christchurch Fire Brigade’s third officer, took the engine to Mr Thompson's home and stripped it down. Although the boiler was sound, parts of the engine were in severe disrepair and had to be remade.

Mr Hayes says that one of the hardest jobs was replacing the wheels. There were no wheelwrights working at the time, so they were made laboriously by hammer and chisel. With the assistance of many willing helpers, Mr Hayes and Mr Thompson finished their project in 1969. When the Christchurch Fire Board heard of the work, they gave Mr Hayes an old Ford V 8 fire engine. From there it snowballed, and a

nationwide hunt for vintage engines began.

Some were recovered from farm sheds or back yards where they had lain, almost unnoticed, for years. Others were acquired from their owners with "gentle persuasion," Mr Hayes says. “We had our spies out. and we had the ability to move pretty fast if something turned up." he adds. Only one engine was bought. Mr Hayes paid $675 for a 1922 Dennis at an auction, because he knew he would not get it otherwise. By that time the society had been formed, and willing members were able to contribute to the cost of the Dennis. As the collection and the society grew, it became apparent that a home for the engines would have to be found. The first fire museum was Ferrymead’s Cranmer building, an old school room. But it was too small for the growing number of exhibits, and was seen only as temporary premises until the “Hall of Flame” was built.

The fire engines and other exhibits have now been well settled in the new museum for some time, but it is only in recent weeks that it has neared completion. The 75member society has been helped in this task by real firemen — those from the Woolston brigade and the volunteer New Brighton. Sumner. Lyttelton, Darfield, and Brooklyn brigades. One of the major jobs has been the installation of a sprinkler system. A system salvaged from a Christchurch Public Hospital building was designed and fitted by volunteers, and should now prevent what the society sees as the greatest threat to its collection — fire.

The society knows well the damage fire can do — it has already lost one engine in a blaze.

Most of the items on display show the influence of British design and technique on fire-fighting equipment. Before New Zealand recently began assembling American pumps for use on diesel engines here, all the country’s engines and their fitt-

ings were imported from Britain. The advances in the development of fire-fighting engines can be easily seen in the line-up at the “Hall of Flame.” The collection dates back to Christchurch's first fire-fighting machine, made in 1856 by the British Merryweather company, and worked in Christchurch during the 1860 s. The pump was operated by hand, and is small and light enough to be pushed by one fireman. More modern Merryweathers are also on display. One is a recent model with a motorised turntable ladder; another was made in 1886. The earlier model is named "Te Taniwha” — water dragon. Originally owned by the St Albans borb'ugh. it was sold to the New Zealand Refrigerating Company in 1922. Although it was already an old engine, the company used it to protect the Smithfield freezing works near Timaru. A restoration attempt was made but with limited success, and the engine was fully restored only when acquired by the society. A Bedford machine built in Britain during the nuclear scare of the 1960 s is known

as the "Green Goddess" — because it worked in its home country under a different colour. Many such engines were built, and when it was realised they were no longer needed, they were put up for tender. Several were bought for use in New Zealand, and it is believed that some are still working here.

With their petrol motors and four-wheel drive operation, they were considered ideal for service in rough country areas. The “Goddess" at the “Hall of Flame” was used in Omakau, Central Otago, until acquired by the society last year.

Some of the machines are special to people for various reasons. Mr Hayes's favourite is the 1873 Shand Mason — the first he restored. Three of the engines helped to battle the fire which razed Ballaniynes, Ltd, in 1947. One old steam engine attracted the eye of an American tourist, and he offered the society $20,000 for it. While- certain that the sum would more than pay for a similar engine, the society members were mindful of the engine’s historical value and declined the offer.

With more than 30 engines

on display. Mr Hayes says the collection is almost complete. Although collected for their historical, aesthetic, and educational value, the exhibits also have a practical use. The fire engines may have been put out to pasture, but if needed they can be returned to the working world.

While the older engines would have little use in the case of a fire, some of the more modern ones can be called by the Fire Service to fight a fire or stand by at a station in an emergency. None of the engines meet the Fire Service's standards, but most are in good working order. And if fire breaks out at Ferrymead, the vintage engines may beat their modern counterparts to the scene of the blaze.

“We wouldn't try to usurp the Fire Service,” Mr Hayes says. “We'd raise the alarm first, then get our engines into action. They will be Ferrymead’s own firefighters if anything happens." After all, the engines may not be as advanced as latest models, but between them they have a wealth of experience.