War Years

The early days of the brigade were still lean however, and by the outbreak of the 2nd world war; only 9 members remained at Montrose, with Frank Rafferty as Secretary. Fire-fighting equipment was very rudimentary and included such items as wet bags, green branches, shovels and beaters. In 1940 the brigade acquired 6 knapsacks to add to this armoury.

During 1943 the brigade purchased its first major piece of fire-fighting equipment - a Furphy. This was an agricultural water tanker mounted on skids so that it could be carried on any available vehicle.

Furphy

Furphy

Times were relatively quiet during the war but the brigade was still active in the community. During 1944 the Brigade organised picnics for members and their families, hiring buses to places like Mordialloc, Frankston, and Seaford. This was paid for by proceeds from carting water for people in the local community.

In 1944 the brigade began looking for a site for a station. A tender by Fred Emery quoted Thirty Pounds fifteen shillings for “brickwork four and a half inch jointed on the outside, bagged on the inside - a garage measuring 24 feet by 20' feet by 10' feet high, including excavation and concreting”. In 1945 the Lilydale council approved the construction of the building at the rear of the Montrose public hall.

1944 also saw the acquisition of the brigades' first vehicle - a run-down ex-allied (army) works council truck that was built up by Ted Adams and members to become what was believed to be the first powered tanker in the Shire of Lilydale.

First Montrose Tanker

First Montrose Tanker

In 1946 a new Brigade Management Team was elected, with George Richards as Captain, Ted Adams as 1st Lieutenant, Arthur W. Gibson as 2nd Lieutenant, Bert Weeks as Foreman, Hughie Armstrong as Apparatus Officer and S. Anderson Smith as Secretary.

In the following years the Montrose Fire Brigade, in conjunction with Lilydale and Wonga Park Fire Brigades and the Lilydale Police assisted in the development of the use of radio for emergency communications. Using ex-disposal FX-6 radios a number of search and rescue operations at the time proved their worth. These early radios had such good performance that, when used at night, could make contact with Noumea in the Pacific.

Base Radio

Base Radio

The Brigade's first Base Station was at Ted and Jean Adam's place, using the call sign VL3 JW2 with Jean as the Base operator. The radio used can still be seen on display at the station. Ted Adams and John Plant from Lilydale were recognised as the early pioneers of radio in the region.