The recent opening of Hotel Indigo Auckland, located in the 41-storey tower at 51 Albert Street, and photos showing parts of the old building combined with the new, prompts the rich story of those...
Not all stories about Auckland’s Fire Brigade involve shiny appliances, powerful jets of water playing on angry flames and occupants being rescued from blazing houses. This series of individual items...
Early settlers arriving in Auckland, 1840-50, either got wet feet, or were piggy-backed ashore, because there was no reliable wharf. Sara Mathew, for instance, tells in her diary of the many landings...
In 2023 I had been a member of the Auckland Fire Police/Operational Support for 42 years and it was time to retire. I resigned in October 2023, as had been planned for some years… but I didn’t really...
The headline for last Saturday’s events will read “Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade reaches its 150 Years”. But the occasion for the Mid/South Canterbury brigade was much, much, more. I was in town...
“GETTING TO WORK – The Story of T. A. Varley, Father of New Zealand’s Fire Services” by R. C. Carlyon Photographs copyright as credited, text copyright R. C. Carlyon ISBN 978-0...
A Belated Tribute to 1ZH’s Ronald Brenton (Bren) Low The writing was on the wall. In late 1971 my bosses at New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) were saying that I must transfer to...
Three episodes need retelling when the Grand Old Man of British politics, Winston Churchill, brushed shoulders with the fire brigade. The first when he himself directed firefighters’ in their battle...
It’s 50 years since I was part of the Mururoa Mission, the New Zealand Government’s protest against France testing nuclear devices in the South Pacific. The milestone anniversary has...
This volunteer group in Auckland is celebrating its 90th anniversary today, 22nd June 2023. It was founded as the Auckland Metropolitan Volunteer Fire Police Corps at a meeting held in the old Pitt...