Community gathers for Appleby Fire Station opening

5 Hakihea 2022

Friends and family joined members of the Appleby Volunteer Fire Brigade on Saturday to celebrate the official opening of their new fire station.

This is the first time in its 33-year history that the Appleby Brigade has had a purpose-built facility. Its first base was the Tasman District Council’s forestry headquarters on Rabbit Island, before moving to a former pea shelling factory built in 1944 and known locally as “The Pea Viner”.

Fundraising enabled improvements to the building, but its location on a busy highway made access hazardous for the crew every time they responded to a call. Being inside an inundation zone was also problematic.

The new building on a more suitable site about 3km away was made possible by the generosity of brigade stalwarts Ted and Clare Ford, who donated the land. Ted Ford is a founder member of the Appleby Brigade, and Clare is a staunch supporter who was recognised with honorary life membership during Saturday’s ceremony.

The $1.57 million cost of the new building was financed from the Government’s COVID Recovery Fund, with Appleby Fire Station one of 11 stations in the South Island that have been paid for from that source.

Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Executive Piki Thomas thanked the volunteers and their families. The brigade responds to road crashes, medical events and both vegetation and structure fires, and made a notable contribution to the long-running Pigeon Valley fire response in 2019.

“Being a volunteer often means missing family events and having to leave work so you can respond to your community’s calls for help. I thank you for your mahi, and I thank your whanau and employers who enable you to do what you do.”

 

Pictured: Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Executive Kaupapa Māori and Cultural Communities, Piki Thomas cutting the ribbon.