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

Norton Summit / Ashton Brigade - 1956 to Present

In 1947 it was decided by the East Torrens council and volunteers to man the council truck with a portable water tank, pump (petrol) and long hose to help fight bushfires.

In 1948 Mr. F.S Eyre who was the district supervisor and council clerk registered it as the Norton summit E.F.S.

This method worked all right for the time and was a big improvement on the few knapsacks and wet bags and branches.

But there was only one truck and when a fire started we had to 'phone people nearest to where the men are working and they would have to race back and put on the tank and the equipment and go to the fire.

In 1958 a committee was formed with the late Mr. Les Treloar as president, J.W Markings as deputy supervisor as well as G.Whitebread.

Official Opening of the Norton Summit / Ashton E.F.S 1958

It was then registered as the Norton Summit /Ashton E.F.S. (Emergency Fire Service)

The council was approached about a separate vehicle and they decided to buy an army chev blitz for 300 pounds for which they paid 150 pounds and all available help from the committee and others turned it into a fire unit.

In 1961 Mr. J. Fellew was elected as chairman.

In 1962 Mr. S.C Fiest was elected secretary/treasurer and in the same year it was decided to build a fire station to house the fire truck and was finally built on council land near the council chambers.

The blitz unit also had a hand siren attached in the same year.

In 1963 the first 10 sets of overalls were purchased for 2 pounds 11 shillings.

Official opening of the Norton Summit / Ashton E.F.S 1958

In may 1964 a 4 wheel land rover vehicle was purchased as a second unit.

The committee set to work in their spare time and took off the old aluminum body and built it for a fire unit, it was ready in 1965.

In 1966 the women’s auxiliary was formed and with their help the kitchen was completed and the E.F.S obtained the councils permission to shift the radio and have an external telephone in the kitchen.

The Electronic siren, which was originally an Air-raid siren obtained from the Military and was erected on a short pole near Jack Makings garage, was converted to an automatic telephone operation and mounted on a windmill stand resurrected from Government House ruins and erected on the hill near the Girl Guides Hut with the kind permission of Mr. Chas Giles.

In 1967 the E.F.S building was opened by Mr F.L Kerr, SA Director of E.F.S. There was a good attendance at the ceremony by local residents as well as the E.F.S Men and Women's Auxiliary members all in uniform. Life Membership and service medals were presented by Mr. Kerr.

There had been a keen interest by members of the unit prior to this time and taken part in weekly foremanships and civil defence courses conducted at Bridgewater.

The old Blitz was becoming unsuitable for long trips fast, so the E.F.S asked the Council if they could send delegates to talk this over. As a result of the meeting it was decided that East Torrens District Council would donate an international new cab-chassis and the Committee to get the body completed by P.A. Wotton at a cost of $2.800. That we sell the blitz - which was later bought by the Council for $600 and was completed on 1971.

As we could not fit in a date to have the international commissioned it was decided to have it on a display in the parade of the Uraidla show.

We Registered the Norton Summit / Ashton E.F.S as an incorporated body in October 1971. Mr. D Norton elected chairman in the same year.

Former SA Premier & Brigade Member - Sir Thomas Playford, far right.

The History of the Brigade - Another view. 2010.

At the end of the Second World War, approximately 1946, the local council began to form an emergency fire service.

Equipment was sent out from London and was distributed among the District Council of South Australia. This equipment was to be used for fire fighting. It included a Beresford pump with hoses, suctions and nozzles, ex British Army helmets, small pick axes and a fire siren.

One set of equipment was delivered to the East Torrens District Council.

The Council had a 200 gallon (approximate) tank made and when there was a fire, this tank and the equipment would be loaded onto the back of the Council truck, a Bedford Tipper. Water from Sir Thomas Playford's property was used to fill this tank and then they would proceed to the fire.

The fire siren was erected on a post at the site of the Human Resources Centre - ex East Torrens Council Office. The remaining equipment was housed at the Council shed in the exact location of our current shed.

In 1957 there were two major disasters that affected the districts of Norton Summit and Ashton. One was in February that year. A bad fire between Norton Summit and Ashton resulted in the death of a local woman. She was trying to reach the school to collect her son. The other was on Christmas day when a house at Norton Summit burnt down. Due to the steep, narrow driveway, the Bedford Council truck could not reach the house.

It was due to these local disasters that the District Council and the Fire Controllers of Norton Summit and Ashton held a meeting in February of 1958. It was at this meeting that the Norton Summit / Ashton Emergency Fire Service was formed.

From this meeting, a Committee was formed. The committee decided to purchase a Four Wheel Drive to be used as a fire unit. it was at the same time that the Army were replacing their equipment with new vehicles. The old vehicles were put up for auction by the Government. The committee had a public collection through the two districts and with overwhelming support from the local community, they raised enough money to purchase and ex Army Chevrolet Blitz and further equipment for a fire unit. During the year of 1958, this new vehicle, with the aid of the local community, was turned into a fire appliance.

In 1958 the Blitz was housed at the Council shed. But in 1961 room was running short in the shed for the Council, so the Brigade decided to build their own shed next door.

Although this shed was started in 1961, it only housed the fire units. It wasn't until 1967 that the kitchen and radio room was built. In November that same year, the building was officially opened by Fred Kerr.

More fire tracks were made over the coming years. This saw the need for a smaller unit to be used for fire fighting as the Blitz was too large to travel along some of the new tracks.

In 1965, the Brigade purchased a LWB 1961 Land Rover from the Government Sales and again, through local volunteers, this was built into a fire unit.

In 1970, the Chevrolet Blitz was replaced with a C1300 International, and the Blitz was given to our neighbouring Brigade, Cherryville.

In 1972, the 1961 Land Rover was replaced by a brand new Land Rover which had been built up by local volunteers. The 1961 Land Rover was sent to Montacute and was kept at Batchelor Road, Castambul.

With no mains water available through the East Torrens Council area, the need for another tanker was important. At this stage there was only one tanker which was housed at Summertown and served the whole district. Throughout late 1978 and early 1979, the Brigade purchased a Bedford truck and this was then built into a 1000 gallon Tanker.

The current building could on ly house 2 vehicles, but with the purchase of our third vehicle, we had to return to the Council shed.

After the Ash Wednesday Bushfires in 1983, businesses and residents showed their overwhelming support for the brigade and enough money was donated to purchase another small fire unit. This being a diesel powered Land Cruiser. A local contractor had the responsibilty of building this unit.

In 1986, a Hino 4x4 was purchased and Carey Gully Engineering built this fire unit. The C1300, which was replaced by the Hino, was sent to a small Brigade in the Coonalpyn Downs Council to a small town called, Netherton.

In 1988 the current Council shed was becoming run down and the Council had moved their equipment to their new Depot in Ashton. The brigade approached the East Torrens Council and after lots of negotiations, we demolished the old Council shed and built the Station we have today.

1991 saw the first major house fire at Ashton. A continuous water supply was a problem and so the purchase of a larger capacity Tanker was high on the agenda. A 1984 bogie drive UD was subsenquently purchased. The tank was built and installed by A.J. Stock and Co. The remainder of the work was completed by Greg Piggot and Brigade members.

During that same year, our Land Rover had served its 20 years and under CFS requirements, we had to sell this unit. The proceeds from the sale went to the building of the new Tanker.

In 1996 we purchased a brand new Land Cruiser, selling the currrent one to a local resident.

2 years later, this Land Cruiser was replaced by another new Land Cruiser, which is still used by the Brigade.

In Late 2005 the Hino 4x4 was replaced with the Izuzu 34P which is currently used by the Brigade.

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

Brigade Stations

1956 to Present - 5 Colonial Drive, Norton Summit
Photographer, CFS Promotions Unit - Oct 2009
Google Map reference - Longitude 138.724771 Latitude -34.922420

Captains

Life Members