Old Parkes Fire Station gets a new lease on life

The NSW Government is giving the old Parkes Fire Brigade building a new lease on life as a fire brigade museum by appointing the Parkes Antique Motor Club as Crown land managers.

Crown Lands in the Department of Planning and Environment has appointed the motor club as the Crown land manager for the Want Street reserve on which the 1924 former station is located.

The Parkes Antique Motor Club plans to revive the site as a museum to be opened to the community on special occasions, and on request of visiting tourist groups in consultation with Parkes Tourism.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said Crown land reserves play an important role supporting communities with everything from space for museums to parks, sporting ovals, showgrounds and community halls.

“Everyone loves their local firies so it’s great the old Parkes fire station will get a new life telling the local brigade’s stories from the past 145 years,” Mr Kamper said.

The Parkes Antique Motor Club and its members has a large number of vintage fire trucks, ranging from a 1924 Garford to a 1949 Dennis truck, as well as various brigade memorabilia like brass helmets, uniforms and equipment.

Parkes Antique Car Club President Phil Dixon said the club also plans to develop its relationships with other fire brigade museums to explore options for potential inter-museum loans of equipment to keep collections dynamic for locals and visitors.

“The old fire station is a beautiful building and all of our members are very enthusiastic and happy to be able to showcase our historic equipment there to do something positive for the town,” Mr Dixon said.

The Parkes Fire Brigade has a colourful history dating back to 1878 when it was first formed with a board of control headed by the town mayor, with a shed building erected in 1879 at the rear of the local courthouse to store fire brigade equipment.

The town’s first fire brigade station was built on land owned by the justice department and then a new, larger station was completed in 1924 at a cost of £1,564 at the corner of Court and Hill Streets.

In 2017 it was announced Parkes would get a new state-of-the-art fire station with two engine bays, which was completed in 2020 behind the former station that will now serve as a museum.