Having served the community since 1935, Melton Fire Brigade gathered with grateful community members recently to celebrate its 90-year anniversary.
More than 150 people joined in the festivities at Melton Entertainment Park on Saturday, August 23 to take a trip down memory lane, hearing stories from past and present members and reflecting on the many memorabilia items on show.
As a stalwart of Melton Fire Brigade, Alan Squires, who has been involved for 55 years, was first introduced to the fire services when he lost his house to a fire that took off through the back of Truganina in 1969.
“Not long after I transferred from Truganina in 1974, I took over as secretary for the next 35 years,” Mr Squires said.
“Melton was a little spot on the map back then – a small town that averaged 250 to 300 fire call outs a year. I’ve watched both the town, and the brigade grow exponentially since then.
“The biggest change has been transitioning from a farming and grassland area to an urban area of 100,000 people.”
The old tin shed was replaced in 1974 when the brigade went from rural to urban. In 2008, the brigade grew, and permanent CFA staff were required, before integration with Fire Rescue Victoria in 2020.
“We were probably one of the first successful integrations for a long time in CFA,” Mr Squires said.
“We could see we just couldn’t provide the service that the town needed. Now we have 118 members and a very strong junior program.
“Because the town is so spread out, with a freeway going through the middle of it, we’ve also built a satellite station in Melton South, where we also house a vehicle.”
Mr Squires recalls a fires that tore through Melton South in 1985 as being similar to the conditions endured throughout Ash Wednesday, when 14 homes and a business were lost.
“We’re very active in campaign fires as a brigade – I’ve been to New South Wales twice, Queensland, Gippsland and the most recent Grampians fires,” he said.
“We were involved in the major Pentland Hills school bus crash in 2022 and in Exford in 2023. It was very confronting, but we looked after some of the kids and got them to hospital.”
Fire Prevention Week was a real highlight for the community in the ’80s and ’90s, from school visits, poster competitions and a parade. It has since evolved into a yearly Djerriwarrah Festival.
Melton is also well renowned for its success at the State Firefighter Championships in both rural and urban competitions and has had a very lively women’s auxiliary over the years.
“We’ve put together a photo board of all the old equipment, radios, and knapsacks that we’ve collected over time. The clippings have covered my lounge room floor for weeks!” Mr Squires said.
The brigade proactively fundraises for new vehicles, particularly road rescue equipment and has strong recruitment, with 20 new members arriving over the last 18 months.
Third generation Melton firefighter, Ben Gilbertson is well entrenched in the brigade’s history, having started as a junior at just 14 when he started running in the championships.
“My mum grew up in the area on a farm and her grandfather was one of the founders of the brigade, and our first president,” Mr Gilbertson said.
“During our 75-year celebration, my twin brother and I were part of the procession because at the time, we were the youngest of our family in the brigade.
“I was awarded with a brigade life membership last year for 20 years’ service and that has definitely been a highlight.”
With a much-loved group of long serving members around the brigade, Mr Gilbertson said while the generations have changed, they continue to impart their wisdom on newcomers to the station.
“There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t realise, whether that’s operational or in administration. We’re lucky to have so much knowledge around us,” he said.
“There are a lot of young enthusiastic people taking the mantle of those who have been there for many years and they’re going straight into other training courses after their general firefighter to expand their capabilities.
“The different personas are a good opportunity to revitalise the brigade.”
