SA Country Fire Service Promotions Unit - History Section
Promoting the Historical foundations of the Service

Happy Valley Brigade - 1939 to Present

The Happy Valley Fire and Prevention Association was formed on 28th February 1939 after the disastrous fires on 10th January that started in the district the same year. January 1939 started off very hot with strong north winds blowing. The recorded temperatures were over 30 degrees for 10 days consecutively with the highest being 47 degrees Celsius or 117 Fahrenheit on Tuesday 10th January. This fire started west of today's Happy Valley Oval, about Brook Drive Reserve. The oval was not there then and was not constructed until 1965. The only fire-fighters to arrive were soldiers from the Army Remount Farm at O'Halloran Hill.

After the fire, Samuel Fairbrother from Happy Valley called the inaugural meeting with the thought of forming a fire protection association within the district. This meeting was held in the only meeting place in those days the school room of the now old Happy Valley School on Education Road.

These men attended on this night , Ernie Bahr, Cliff Baseby,Dick Candy, Frank Dodd, Herbie Day, Ted Fabian, Brian, Dudley and Samuel Fairbrother, Eric Klar, Reg Lucas, Dud Nicolle, Hurtle and George Powell, Stan Keane, Bob Robertson, Ellie Scroop.

On this night 28 February 1939 Samuel Fairbrother proposed and Cliff Baseby seconded that a Happy Valley Fire fighting and Protection Association be formed and all agreed.

A committee was formed to collect 2/6 subscriptions which back then was 10% of their wages (that is if they had a job) to kick off an Emergency Fire Service. The first members of the brigade also paid 2/6 annual subscriptions.

To say this brigade started off from nothing financially is very true, but never the less residents that lived in the district in 1939 rallied to the call as they could see the need for a Volunteer Fire Service.

There were many dances, raffles and donations organised to help raise funds for much needed equipment. Meadows Council provided a 50/50 subsidy of any money we could raise.The Council supplied our first Happy Valley knapsacks.

The Auxillary Fire Service later become known as the EFS Emergency Fire Service. By the end of 1939, close on four hundred volunteers divided into 10 areas covering the city and suburbs.

The EFS would grow to have in 1993, 435 brigades and about 18,300 volunteers throughout the state and would later have another name change CFS,Country Fire Service

Today we are known as the Happy Valley Country Fire Service

This information comes from the book of our brigade historian and foundation member Dud Nicolle

This information has been sourced from the Brigade website at this address

Brigade Stations

1978 to 2008 - Glory Court, Happy Valley
Photographer, CFS Promotions Unit - Jun 2008
Google Map reference - Longitude 138.582999 Latitude -35.084755

Captains

Life Members