Good as new… the restored 1913 Hotchkiss fire engine. Photo: Belinda Strahorn
BRASS helmets used by Canberra’s first firefighters; a 1913 Hotchkiss vintage fire engine, lovingly restored; an original fire alarm system with bells for all the buildings in Canberra and a hand-drawn fire cart used in Queanbeyan in 1893…
These artifacts are among the thousands of pieces of firefighting memorabilia housed at the Canberra Fire Museum, in the old Forrest fire station.
Retired firefighter and ACT Fire Brigade Historical Society volunteer Ron Hourigan says the collection of fire paraphernalia offers a rare glimpse into the early days of firefighting in the nation’s capital and is definitely “worth a look”.