When, in October 1881, a bushfire – “beyond all human control” – broke out near Hays Inlet and quickly spread to engulf the premises of Mr H Tubbs, the only way of combating it was to throw buckets of water on it. This proved ineffective and the property was reduced to a “smouldering ruin”. Mr Tubbs’s neighbour, Mr Noble, was more fortunate. His house was saved by four “plucky children” who, returning from school, noticed the fire and beat out the flames. The salient word here is “fortunate”, that is, lucky. Escaping the ravages of fire in Redcliffe’s early days was a matter of luck.
You were lucky if you lived near a water source such as a creek, well or the sea; you were lucky if you had a lot of neighbours – a willing “bucket brigade” – to help fight the fire; and you were lucky if the wind was favourable. The only saving grace was that, until the 1930s, the population was sufficiently sparse that fire was not a threat to large numbers of people.
Even so, blazes were common and frequently disastrous. They were started by lightning, by human carelessness, by accident or by more obscure means. In 1929, a Mrs Lemon was “ironing with a petrol iron”, which, unsurprisingly, burst into flames as she was refilling it. She and her neighbours acted promptly to save her house but not without considerable damage to furniture and fixtures.
Many Redcliffe landmarks were lost in the bucket brigade days, among them Orient House, a splendid boarding establishment overlooking Suttons Beach, which burnt to the ground in 1928. Its proprietor? None other than the luckless Mr Tubbs.
From Buckets to Brigades: A New Era for Firefighting in Redcliffe
For as long as there was no reticulated water supply and the principal method of fighting fires was the water-filled bucket, peninsula residents remained at risk. However, with the establishment of the mains water supply in 1941, a dedicated fire-fighting unit for Redcliffe became feasible.
The Redcliffe Fire Brigade was formed in 1942. It was initially headquartered in a shed at the home of the first Chief Officer, Mr Frank Mayer, in Webb Street, Margate. With many buildings still being constructed of timber (and human and meteorological factors remaining the same), the threat of fire was as great as it had ever been but now the likelihood of extensive destruction and damage was considerably reduced. The brigade moved to purpose-built premises in Oxley Avenue in 1949 and is now housed at Kippa-Ring.
Be fire aware (and operate your petrol iron with caution) and you will never need their services.
With thanks to MBRC ourstory.moretonbay.qld.gov.au Image courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council, reference number RLPC-002-002122
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