Thread: All 2019/20 bushfire comments here.

Mick, at our ages you should know there are some disgusting, low life, bottom of the swamp dwellers people on this planet.

Wonder if they will appear on E bay soon or at a flea market near you, or me, come to that.

But really, if this is the way it is going to be in future, then some sort of mini Tracking device needs to put in place. Seems to be plenty available & on a Genny should be easy to disguise to get some collars felt by plod & kick the front door in at 0400.

Not unless it is coppers or CFS guys or some other Authority nicking them under the cloak of having a legitimate reason to be there. Oh yes, it happens.


And yes a disgusting state of affairs..

It wasn't that long ago Ambulances also were being burgled while the crews were otherwise engaged. Now that is really really low ****.

I don't know if the SA fires are worse than they were in the 50's and 60's but they certainly cause more personal damage now just because of population spread.

As a child we always holidayed in Largs Bay and you could see the summer bushfires every year painting the skies red at night.

An uncle built a home in Blackwood which was boondocks then, I mean , who'd build up there? He would be in state of panic every year as the fires went through the ranges.

A huge amount of land then was uninhabited basically and the fires were often only minimally controlled.

We used to go Strathalbyn and the fire alarm would go off and we'd run down to the CFS shed and a few blokes would jump into a S11 Landy with a tank and pump on the back and off they'd go.

How much did early Land Rovers contribute to fire rescue over the years?

Like most other cities the population has certainly spread outwards. Up here for instance land was divvied up & re titled before the old Growers retired but they had a lot of money tied up in the old gardens which they saw as their superannuation one day. Can't blame them for that back in the early 1900/50s.

Blocks were broken up & sold & even to this day, we never know when another few blocks for housing will come onto the market. Next thing townships join together with housing & become one because every man & his dog wants to live a semi- rural lifestyle near the CBD & other facilities. Maybe these fires will thin them out again as did the 1983 fires. De-population by Fire I think someone here called it?

Things change in the district. eg. The CFS Station Siren no longer sounds (except for a few seconds a week to test it) Why, if it is no longer used, because crews apparently are called out by Pagers. It would make sense to sound the Siren if there was nocturnal fire in the area so one could be aware. I guess one has to rely on a firey to knock on your door to tell you. Yea roight. "G'day mate I'm Eevo, I'm here to **** on your fire"

There were some stories that "newcomers" in the Township complained to the CFS that the siren was waking up their kids FFS, so that got knocked on the head but no-one consulted or advised us of any changes. So what, the kids would be alive.

Another off shoot from that is they bring their city/suburban habits with them & after a while the area they so wanted to escape to has become just another suburb, albeit with some cooling altitude to come home to & the place becomes a Dormitory Suburb. Blocks are not always maintained & Council Staff (& CFS) drive around the district seemingly blind to overgrowing bush & ****. The lazy bastards cannot even get out of their utes to pick up dropped builders rubbish etc on the road or cut back any overhanging branches at intersections even though they all seem to be equipped with flashing roof beacons. It also appears a lot of Council Staff do not live in the Adelaide Hills but would travel up from the plains to "work" & therefore they may not have any affiliation with how things are done.

In their favour the Builders Rubbish eventually gets demolished by traffic & there could be a trail of Gyprock or paint for 100s of metres along the road just because some bloke can't shift his arse & grab a shovel which I believe should be in each council vehicle together with a bush saw as that vehicle's CES.

Originally Posted by 4bee

"G'day mate I'm Eevo, I'm here to **** on your fire"

HAHAHA!

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

I don't know if the SA fires are worse than they were in the 50's and 60's but they certainly cause more personal damage now just because of population spread.

As a child we always holidayed in Largs Bay and you could see the summer bushfires every year painting the skies red at night.

An uncle built a home in Blackwood which was boondocks then, I mean , who'd build up there? He would be in state of panic every year as the fires went through the ranges.

A huge amount of land then was uninhabited basically and the fires were often only minimally controlled.

We used to go Strathalbyn and the fire alarm would go off and we'd run down to the CFS shed and a few blokes would jump into a S11 Landy with a tank and pump on the back and off they'd go.

How much did early Land Rovers contribute to fire rescue over the years?

Hey RB, Were you part of the BHP contingent from Broken Hill who camped each year at Largs?


Blackwood was sure boonies back then but have you seen the joint recently?
And talk about building in between Gum trees & inflammable scrub . It was a back to nature stuff without realising the danger.
Fire fighting was done then by blokes with Wet wheatbags & beating the flames out & the poor buggers who had to carry Brass Knapsack Sprays up hill & down dale The odd ex-army 4X4 SWB & LWB Blitzes (Petrol Driven)seemed popular with the EFS. There is an excellent Book put out by the MFS titled , "Muscle & Pluck Forever" detailing the early days of the SA Fire Brigade now MFS & includes the evolution of the Police run EFS (Emergency Fire Service) run by a bloke named Fred Kerr, an Ex SAFB Officer & later CFS I believe. Basic equipment, headgear was a Beret & drill Coveralls with shoulder "Corps" patches I don't recall them with any type of Helmet unless they were WW2 Military ones. Pumps & small tanks were trailer Mounted & towed & some knapsack Sprays. All probably Ex ARP (Air Raid Precautions) surplus stuff.


EDIT.Rest In Peace - Fred Kerr




Some older kids at school at Thebarton Tech. lived at Aldgate, I think it was, & if a Fire started they would head back home by Steam Train to assist with firefighting on their property.

Ah the good olde days.

EDIT. Just remembered most of the houses in Blackwood were of timber construction to fit the natural image I guess & stained to blend in. Fire trap? No wonder Unc **** his breeks each Summer.

Oh yes, your question. I have no idea & was not privy to seeing any at all but that doesn't mean there weren't any. Land Rovers would have been the obvious choice for light First Call/Primary vehicles or what Eevo would call them today. I don't recall any LR images in the above MFS Book.

Just to give an idea of back then.

Photographs of South Australian Fire Departments • Manuscript • State Library of South Australia

Yes I was part of the annual Broken Hill to Largs migration., for nearly 15 yrs .

It wasn't BHP but Zinc Corporation-NBHC mines camp....organised and run by the by the picnic fund committee , which most employees contributed to, not by CRA , which was then Con Zinc Rio Tinto Australia.

ZC-NBHC was actually the precurser to Rio Tinto as we know it now.

Of course you're correct. I'd forgotten Zinc Corp.