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The Morphett Vale CFS had its beginnings in 1944 when the Hunt Bros. Chaff
mill on It was not until 1957 that the Morphett Vale and District Emergency Fire Service (E.F.S) was formed on the 8 March at a special meeting held at the Morphett Vale Institute. Mr. W.C. Taylor was elected Chairman. Vice-Chairman was Mr. R.C Duval and
Mr. J. Parkyn was the first secretary. The
committee consisted of M.W. Hunt, J. Moore, H.W. Cox, J. Stanford, K. Booth,
C.B. Griffen and A. Holly. The name of the unit was
adopted on the motion of Mr. H.W. Cox. Mr. M. Hunt offered a Marman Herrington Ford four wheel drive vehicle at a cost
of £120.0.0 Mr. J. Moore offered the use of a shed at the rear of the Emu Hotel at Morphett Vale, to house the vehicle. On the |
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Money was then needed to buy a pump and materials to build the vehicle into a fire truck. Donations were collected from around the district and in December 1957 a Carols by Candlelight was held at the Morphett Vale recreation ground. Well-known personality Mr. Bob Moore was the compere. Admission was three shillings for adults and one shilling for children. £69-1-7 was raised. The body for the fire truck was designed by Jack Parkyn and built at the Emu Wine Cellars by E.F.S. members. The truck was insured two years later for £750.0.0.
In 1959 the Morphett Vale and Districts E.F.S. Ladies Auxiliary was formed in conjunction with the Country Women's Association. In another development in the same year a siren tower was set up at Rex Dawson's B.P. Roadhouse Service Station. Rex received all fire calls and sounded the siren until it was shifted to the new Morphett Vale E.F.S. station in 1962. Willmore and Randell
Land Agents donated land in Gertrude St. Morphett Vale and in 1960/61 the
first fire station was built by Mr. D.G. Provis and
Mr. R.J. Collins. The station was large enough to house two fire trucks and
cost £1036.0.0. To build. The Morphett Vale and Districts E.F.S. was registered on In 1962 a 1947 Ford V8 ute was bought from L W Gassier Baker of Port Noarlunga for £70.0.0. The body was built by Bennetts Engineering and a pump and hose fitting added for a total cost of £985.0.0.. A 1947 Oldsmobile Cab/Chassis was donated to Reynella to be used as a fire truck. Mr. R Bowden spent £150.0.0 putting it in working order. A 100 gallon tank with a Villiers Motor and pump was fitted to the truck. This was used until it was sold in 1967. The tank and pump were then removed from the truck and fitted to a two - wheel trailer. Over the next two years two vehicles were purchased. A J3 Bedford Cab/Chassis fitted with a water tank, capacity 350 gallons replaced the Marman Herrington Ford fire truck which was sold to Aldinga Plains E.F.S. A J5 Bedford Cab/Chassis was bought from Freeman Motors for £1514.0.0 with a body built by Smiths Motor Body Builders. The Morphett Vale Fire Station had to be extended by ten feet to take the bigger fire truck and sliding wooden doors were fitted.
In 1965 the Reynella Fire Station was built in
There had been a great deal of excitement in 1995/86 with the passing of
Halley's Comet close to earth. But in 1965 members of the Morphett Vale
E.F.S. were treated to the sight of a comet much brighter than Halley's. On
the 5 November at In 1966 a base radio and three mobile radios were bought from Elizabeth Electronics at a cost of £600.0.0. The Morphett Vale Fire Station underwent renovations with the fitting of two roller doors to replace the sliding wooden doors fitted in 1963. The old doors were not wasted but were used on Ron Bowden's Factory at Reynella. The purchase cost him £10.0.0..
In 1968 a fire station was erected at Hackham by Adam Engineering on land belonging to the South Australian Railways and rented to the Noarlunga Council for $2.00 a year. The cost of the building was $384.00. In 1970 the Reynella and Hackham Fire Stations were registered as separate stations.
Also in 1968 an F545 Toyota Cab/Chassis was bought from British Motor Industries. The body was built by Mike Lentis of Morphett Vale Crash Repairs. The 10 h.p. Wisconsin Pump and Rex Pump were taken off the old 1947 Ford Fire truck which was sold to Mike Lentis and converted into a tow truck. In 1969 a new Three Phase siren was bought for the Morphett Vale Fire Station. A mobile crane was needed to put the siren in position.
In 1970 the Morphett Vale, and Districts E.F.S. was changed to the Morphett Vale, Reynella, Hackham E.F.S. (Inc). Mr. H.W Cox was nominated by the Noarlunga Council to District Supervisor. In 1971 a K.E.L. Bedford Cab/Chassis was purchased and two 200-gallon
saddle tanks were fitted. A galvanised iron shed
was built on the Eastern side of the Morphett Vale Fire Station to house the
7 ton In the same year one of the larger fires in the area broke out. It was a
grass fire on Also in 1971 Council appointed another member of the Morphett Vale
Brigade, Mr. Ron Bowden, to the position of Deputy District Supervisor. He
retained this rank until 1980 when he gained the position of District
Supervisor, from Harry Cox who retired in 1986. Mr. Bowden established the
City of The E.F.S. however, did not confine itself to fighting grass fires. On Fire broke out at Dungey's Road House, a well known local landmark, just four days later and was attended by 6 F.C.O.'s and 15 fireman. In July of the same year a fire was reported at the Candle Factory in
Probably the biggest fire was in December 1978 when 20 to 25 hectares were
burnt out in an area off Cox's In 1972 the Radio System was changed from H.F. to V.H.F. The old radios were sold to the District Council of Morgan, the District Council of Yankalilla and Jervois E.F.S. Two sets of breathing apparatus were bought from Protector Safety at a cost of $630.00. On In 1973 a K.E.L. 5 Bedford Cab/Chassis was purchased and built into a fire truck. A Magirus Pump was fitted to two 200-gallon saddle tanks. A 10 h.p. Wisconsin Motor and Pacific Pump were bought for Moana E.F.S. in exchange for their 1962 Magirus Pump, which was fitted, to the K.E.L. 5 Bedford. The 1963 J3 Bedford was then sold to Nanawarra E.F.S. December 1973 was a busy time for members of the E.F.S. There were sixteen calls on one Sunday night followed by one fire each night for the next four nights. In 1974 Cadets were permitted to join the E.F.S. In 1975 D.Blowes and S.Humphrey painted the Morphett Vale Fire Station green with paint supplied by the Council. The next few years saw more renovations and additions to the fire station. In 1976 the Morphett Vale Fire Station shed was extended by another ten feet. In 1979 a pit was dug in the shed for servicing the fire trucks and the shed was further extended in 1980.
A 240 volt Single Phase siren was purchased in 1977 from Aldinga Beach C.F.S. for $230.00 and installed on the tower at Hackham Fire Station. In 1982 the Hackham station was extended twice its size by DeLuxe Constructions. In 1979 the Reynella Station was extended by 10 feet. In 1983 the ceiling of the Morphett Vale Fire Station was lined with material supplied, donated and fitted by members. Mike Thorpe then painted the interior of the station. Vehicles were updated too. In 1976 a K.C.C. Bedford truck replaced the
1964 J5 Bedford truck which was then sold to Clarendon E.F.S. In 1979 the
1967 K.G.L. 7 ton
Morphett Vale 14 - Jeep J20 In 1977 the Morphett Vale, Reynella, Hackham E.F.S. (Inc) was changed to the Morphett Vale, Reynella, Hackham C.F.S. (Inc.) In 1980 the name was changed again to the Morphett Vale Country Fire Service. In May 1989 a type 2.4 tanker (Hino FT) 163 was delivered. This vehicle is powered by a 6.014 litre (367 cubic inch) Hino diesel engine that has 6 vertical in line cylinders. The diesel engine develops a maximum net torque of 402 Nm at 1800 r.p.m. This appliance was fitted with a Gaam Pump model M.K. 300, the pump engine make Hatz model 2440c, the propulsion of the pump engine is diesel. The cost of this appliance was $92,000.
Morphett Vale A24 - delivered to
the brigade in 1989 In January 1990 on a day of total fire ban Morphett Vale 4.3 was attending a small grass fire in the Onkaparinga gorge. After finishing at the grass fire Morphett 4.3 was responded to an MFA at Wilfred Taylor reserve. When coming down states road the appliance failed to negotiate the corner and hit a tree. The crew on board the appliance suffered many injuries and some of the members were actually trapped underneath the vehicle for a short period.
Morphett Vale 4.3 after the
collision
Extract from the 'Advertiser' STAR force officers rescued a volunteer firefighter today after he was
hit by a boulder at the bottom of a cliff at the Onkaparinga gorge. The 29-year
man from the Hackham Country Fire Service Unit was fighting a small scrub
fire when a large boulder rolled down the 200m cliff and struck his legs.
The fireman could not stand and was winched to safety by STAR force
officers. The extent of his injuries was not know but were
reported by police to be minor. The fire which started about August 1992 saw the completion of a new Fire Station at Doctor's Road,
Hackham and the closure of the Reynella, Morphett Vale and Hackham stations.
The official opening for the new Morphett Vale Station was on
Morphett Vale CFS Station under
construction 1992
Morphett Vale CFS Station 1994 In 1994 the back of the
Morphett Vale Car 1 As part of group re-organisation in 1998 the Noarlunga and Happy Valley CFS groups merged to form the Mawson group. Morphett Vale station which was the Noarlunga group base was to continue as the group base for the new group however its radio callsign was changed from 'Morphett Base' to 'Mawson Base' this was something many radio operators took some time to adjust to. Morphett Vale 1.4 and Car 1 were sold in 1998 and replaced with a Holden Rodeo single cab utility four wheel drive. A Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) pump and 400 litre water tank were mounted on the tray.
Morphett Vale 14 shortly after
purchase (1998) September 2000 saw the brigade receive a new Isuzu 24 Pumper appliance from the government. Morphett 24P is a dual cab Isuzu four wheel drive with a pump capable of delivering 500 gallons of water per minute. This appliance replaced the Hino four wheel drive vehicle we received in May 1989, it was to be redistributed to the Rapid Bay CFS to replace one of their aging appliances.
Morphett Vale 24P delivered in
September 2000
COMPETITIONS
Extract from the 'Advertiser' 1985 Scott Cotton, aged 3 years, lends a helping hand in winding up hose,
with junior Fireman Robyn Ormsby during the Region
1 competitions held at McLaren Flat oval on Sunday,
July 7, 1985. Scott’s dad Fire Party Leader Tony Cotton of the Hackham CFS Fire Station
is a member of the Morphett Vale / Reynella / Hackham CFS Brigade. Robyn Ormsby has risen from the ranks of
cadet with the Morphett Vale / Reynella / Hackham CFS Brigade to junior
Fireman. This year Robyn won the award for Junior Fireman of the year. Regular attendance at training and fire calls together with skills
learned has earned her this honour. Robyn has been a member of the brigade’s competition team for a number
of years and as a member of this year’s Ladies C. Grade Dry Hose Drill team
gained first place both at the McLaren Flat, and Mallala (Visitors) Fire Fighting Drill Competitions. The
team she trains will now represent the region in the state Finals on Morphett Vale / Reynella/ Hackham CFS Brigade members were all smiles
when they learned there Morphett Vale 1 Cadets and Ladies team took first
place in the C. Grade Dry Hose Drill visitors event.
Pictured from left Messrs. Allan Ormsby, Tony
Prowse and Glen Cronin. It was also a special occasion for Tony too, for he
was to celebrate his 18th birthday the following day.
Towards
the Future In 2008 the Morphett Vale CFS memberships comprises of 40 firefighters and 8 operational support members. We also have a strong contingent of 10 cadets ranging from 11 – 16 years of age. With the anticipated growth within the rural and urban area’s, the brigade is preparing to meet the increased responsibility and with the help of the local community, are ready to meet the challenge.
Service
Records Morphett Vale, Reynella, Hackham CFS
(INC) Secretaries 1957 - 1962 Jack Parkyn 1962 - 1969 Brian Percy 1969 - 1972 Brian Beauchamp 1972 - 1974 Trevor Modistach 1974 - 1977 Rinus Spaan 1977 - 1979 Gordon St.John 1979 - 1981 John Seddon 1981 - 1982 Matt Selfridge 1982 - 1984 Warren Oliver 1984 - 1995 Trevor Finney 1995 - 1997 Brett Merritt 1997 - 1998 Rachael Harris 1998 - 1999 Louanne Butler 1999 - 2001 Kym Turbill 2001 - 2003 Rachael Harris 2003 - 2004 Emma Starfield 2004 - 2005 Todd Harris 2005 - 2006 Leanne Smith 2006 - 2008 Kevin Churchward 2008 - Teresa Price
Treasurer 1957 - 1962 Maurice Hunt 1962 - 1969 Brian Percy 1969 - 1972 Brian Beauchamp 1972 - 1978 Alan Lawrence 1978 - 1979 Dennis Wright 1979 - 1983 Kingsley Crowe 1983 - 1985 Rodney Wood 1985 - 1987 Peter Venning 1987 - 1992 Rodney Wood 1992 - 2000 William Fell 2000 - 2001 Roland Dickeson 2001 - 2003 Brady Starfield 2003 - Jenny Pilkington
Captains
- 1993 David
Blowes 1993 - 1997 Peter Venning 1997 - 1998 Trevor Finney 1998 - 2001 Phillip McDonough 2001 - 2003 Todd Harris 2003 - Max Atkinson Life Members
of Morphett Vale Country Fire Service Harry Cox George Cox Danny Sparrow Alan Lawrence Ron Bowden Ian Taverner John Seddon
Rod Wood Pat Taverner
Bert Fell David Blowes
Peter Venning Dean Bowden John Harris Phil Parkman Glen Cronin Max Atkinson |
A new fire truck was bought in the next year. This was a K.G.L. 7 ton
Bedford Cab/Chassis fitted with a 10 
