Eastbourne fire brigade – 100 years of service BRIEFS

Where’s George? You can find out at Lighthouse Cinema on 10 September, 2.30pm, when Murray Reece’s wacky mystery feature film starring his Moana Rd, Days Bay, neighbours will be screened for the second time. The 80-minute film has an M classification. Tickets from the Lighthouse, Petone.

The Eastbourne Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrates 100 years of service to the East Harbour community on 23 August and will host a series of events to mark the occasion.

This will include a casual barbecue get together for ex-brigade members, a more formal event for invited guests, and an open day for the public.

“We’ll host a barbecue for former members of the brigade and family of members who are no longer with us. We think it’s important to acknowledge all those who have given years, sometimes decades, to the community in which they live, including those who have since passed on,” says Chief Fire Officer Steve Charlton.

The barbecue will be on Wednesday, 23 August, starting at 6pm, exactly 100 years to the day after the brigade was formed. Those interested in attending should contact Senior Firefighter Sue Barton at Sue.Barton@fireandemergency.nz.

An open day will be held on 23 September with lots of opportunities for local families and kids to see what firefighting is all about.

“The youngsters will be able to get a close-up look at some serious firefighting equipment and will get the chance to use our hoses, ride on fire trucks and watch firefighting demonstrations, along with other fun activities,” says Steve Charlton.

Also on 23 September, the brigade will host a ceremony and presentation for invited guests, including former members and people with a historical connection to the brigade, senior representatives from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and political and community leaders.

Steve Charlton says it is amazing to think just how many people in Eastbourne and the Bays have passed through the station since the brigade was formed on 23 August 1923.

“Our estimate is that something like 500 people have served in the brigade, helping people whose homes have been hit by fire or flooding, tackling some challenging bush fires, attending serious medical incidents and road accidents, and other incidents where local people have needed our help.

“Basically, anyone who’s lived in the area for a while seems to have had family or friends in our ranks. Some people in the brigade have had fathers and grandfathers serve before them.

Steve says a lot has changed over the past century in terms of the equipment firefighters use and the way the fire service is organised, but a few things haven’t.

“The Eastbourne station remains crewed by volunteers and they’re still motivated by the same thing as their predecessors – a desire to turn out to help their neighbours at any hour of the day in fair weather or foul.

“We look forward to seeing former members at the barbecue on 23 August and people in the community at the open day in September,” says Steve Charlton.

Lowry Bay writer Jane Bitomsky, who has a PhD in early modern English history, was shortlisted for the prestigious Michael Gifkins Prize for an unpublished novel. A Foundling’s Sin, “a lively historical novel full of humour, drama and romance, following an orphan named Repentance as she searches for love and navigates domestic service in Jacobean England” was one of five shortlisted by Australian publishing house Text and the New Zealand Society of Authors. The winner was Tina Shaw, whose novel A House Built on Sand will be published by Text in September 2024. As well as being published in a range of academic journals, Jane volunteers as a writer and baker for the Wellington chapter of Good Bitches Baking. She was a finalist for the 2022 First Novel Prize awarded by the non-profit New York-based Center for Fiction.

Congratulations to Paul Rolfe, whose award for Cloudy Bay Winery’s new cellar door building was featured last month. The Days Bay architect took the Green Building award at the Property Council NZ awards in Auckland in late June, as well as a merit in the Leisure and Tourism award, and was shortlisted for the Retail category of the 2023 Interior awards, won by Cheshire Architects’ design for Faradays, a new Auckland space within the Textile Centre.