Corrimal fire brigade celebrates 100 years since it was founded. Photo: Fire and Rescue NSW.
One hundred years ago Corrimal firefighters would drag a cart with a reel of hoses on it by hand as their trombone-playing captain led them to the latest emergency.
Today the station boasts state-of-the-art trucks with built-in touchscreens for access to the latest updates on any emergency.
Although the change in technology has been significant, the crew’s commitment to protecting their community remains the same, and some believe that trombone-playing captain still keeps an eye on things.
The station marked its 100th birthday recently, and as part of the celebrations a history book about the station by Deputy Captain Graham Yates was launched.
“It’s been a labour of love,” Graham said.
“I’ve spent the past four or five years collecting information and it took about 18 months to pull together.
“I wanted anyone who didn’t know anything about the fire brigade or firefighting to get a bit of insight into how Corrimal began, a history of Fire and Rescue NSW and our station.
“I’ve been deputy captain for the past 14 years; I signed up 29 years ago and my only regret is that I didn’t sign up earlier – I love it.”
The station was founded in 1925 after the Northern Illawarra Lord Mayor met with a Fire and Rescue divisional inspector and agreed the growing suburb of Corrimal needed protection.
Ten members were signed on as part of two related brigades at Corrimal and Balgownie.
Graham said the types of jobs crews attended hadn’t changed much in 100 years – from cats stuck in drains to car accidents, bushfires and house fires.
Today, however, crews are much busier than in the past.
“Back in the 1920s there weren’t that many houses here,” he said.
“Now the population has grown and so have our calls.
“We get between 300 and 400 calls for help a year.”
Back in 1925 English immigrant Thomas Sunderland was appointed captain, aged 44, as his service as a fireman in London for six years made him the most experienced candidate.
Thomas was a larger-than-life character, a member of the Corrimal band who could be heard practising his trombone in the station, and who would walk from the Corrimal station to the Balgownie station every week to conduct training and equipment checks.
The Corrimal station used to conduct its training on a large paddock, now the number two soccer ground for Corrimal Rangers FC.
Thomas lived at the station until 1959.
“One of the firefighters turned up to the station just after 8 am,” Graham said.
“He found it strange it wasn’t open, because Tom used to open up early and talk to the locals that walked past.
“He was found dead on the floor of a massive heart attack, aged 78.”
Graham said today it was well accepted in the station that Thomas continued to haunt the building – but as a friendly ghost.
Rattling doors and windows and sudden chills are common signs Thomas is about.
“He still thinks he’s the captain of the station; he’s just looking out to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Graham said.
Crews at the station are lucky to have a bit of supernatural help – they’ve had no shortage of disasters to attend over the years.
They’ve helped protect life and property from the 1946 Corrimal School of Arts fire, the 1968 Wollongong escarpment bushfire, the 1971 Roma Picture Theatre building fire, the 1973 Firestone factory fire at Thirroul, the 1994 Sutherland/Royal National Park bushfires, the 1996 Corrimal Scout Hall fire, the 1999 Sydney Eastern Suburbs hailstorm, the 2001 Helensburgh bushfire, the 2004 ethanol tank bulk storage fire at Port Kembla, the 2018 Corrimal High School fire and the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires.
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