All fired up about history

Elizabeth Lillis
A HISTORY of the Upper Beaconsfield Rural Fire Brigade and Auxiliary was launched last month.
A large crowd gathered in the Upper Beaconsfield Fire Station for the launch of Go To Blazes.
Written by former brigade member George Silberbauer the short history charts the evolution of the brigade from a roughandready casual group to part of the organised Country Fire Authority network.
Dr Silberbauer said the book was written to mark the 75year history of the brigade, which was celebrated in 2005.
“In the early days the brigade was really the only local emergency service,’’ Dr Silberbauer said.
The book includes details of Ash Wednesday 16 February 1983 and its aftermath for the brigade. Although Dr Silberbauer was critical in the book of CFA management, he said his views had softened since he finished writing more than 12 months ago.
“I was particularly impressed with how the fires were handled recently over December and January; things have really changed, efforts seem well coordinated, ’’ said Dr Silberbauer, now a volunteer member of the Poowong CFA.
He has included poetry extracts at the start of each chapter partly, he says, to acknowledge the work of brigade stalwart Eric Bumpstead. “He was always trotting out lines and when challenged could often finish a line off rhyme and verse,’’ Dr Silberbauer said.
The book acknowledges many contributors to the brigade, including National Medal winners Nancy Boura, Eric Bumpstead and Stan Hamilton.
Dr Silberbauer said record keeping by brigade members meant there was good research material and photographs for the book.
“Nancy Boura had the photo albums and there were news clippings and the minutes books of brigade,’’ he said.
As an anthropologist, Dr Silberbauer said he would have liked the book to be more of a social history but felt he had captured a short history of rural brigade life for the future.
Funding was provided for the preparation of the book by the State Government Community Support Fund.