HFB Recreation Club
History
On May the 16th 1910, the Hobart Fire Brigade Board agreed to the following request from Superintendent Trousselot:
That he be granted permission to start a Recreation Fund in connection with the Hobart Fire Brigade. With both permanent and part time staff making a small contribution from their weekly wage. On the 20th August 1912 this initiative took flight and marked the establishment of our “Hobart Fire Brigade Recreation Club”.
The Club’s initial president was permanent Fireman A.J. Walker 1912 - 1916, followed by part time (retained) Fireman J.A. Large and then A//Dep. Supt. C.F. Campbell. Other names which would be familiar to you all are: former DO Bill (WJ) Burke, Len Dodge, Rupe Lowe, former HFB Deputy brigade Chief Tom Klug to name a few.
The Club had a membership of 33 employees who all shared equal shares in the Club.
Today we have a total of 161 current members who pay a fortnightly membership.
The funds from the Recreation Club have been used to provide recreation and social items that benefit its members while not on duty or awaiting alarm and fire calls. These purchases have changed from paying for upkeep of the Club’s billiard table (which stands upstairs in the billiard room today) to the purchase of sporting equipment, assisting in the funding of sporting teams, helping out fellow colleagues in times of hardship and funding farewell functions for retiring members.
Over the past 100 years the Club has arranged a variety of social activities such as: billiard tournaments, football and cricket matches in which the books are still at the station to prove who were the best batsmen and fielders, cabarets and social occasions which still to this day are spoken about with a smile.
The HFB Recreation Club is very much a proud piece of historic tradition and reminds us of the firefighters that were once here before us protecting our community, the firefighters here now and the future firefighters to follow, who I am sure will be as proud to be a part of such a dynamic tight-knit club.
The Club has played a vital role in shaping the people we are both operationally and socially and has allowed us to create rapport with our fellow employees and strong friendships have formed as a result of this.
Office Bearers
| President: | Barry Bones | |
| Vice President: | Andrew Emery | |
| Secretary: | Emma Weitnauer | |
| Steward: | Adam Meredith |
Annual Function
The Hobart Fire Brigade Recreation club holds an annual function for retirees and past members and their families on the first Saturday night of November every year at the Hobart Fire Brigade Clubrooms. Past members are encouraged to attend and enjoy a night with food, drinks and entertainment. This night is not only a great opportunity to catch up with people you may not have seen for years but also an opportunity to farewell the years retirees. Information regarding each years function (cost and finer details) can be found on the Hobart Fire Brigade Recreation Club Facebook site or by emailing the address below.
Honorary Members
Justin Young
Life Members
| P. Alexander | *R. Johnstone | *A.C. Telfer | |
| B. Baker | J. Kean | D. Tennant | |
| *B. Burke | T. Klug | *W.F. Warren | |
| *A. Butters | W.C.H. Manton | A. Meredith | |
| G. Butters | *A.G. Medbury | M. Goldsmith | |
| *D. Corker | S. Peters | ||
| *C.E. Crisp | D.Petersen | ||
| T. Davidson | G. Pollard | ||
| L. Dodge | *C.B. Powell | ||
| D. Doran | C.A. Robertson | ||
| L.M. Fisher | R. Sherrin | ||
| I. Fulton | *N.A Skinner | ||
| *J.J. Gannon | *F.C. Smith | ||
| J.R. Gates | P. Tavasz | ||
| *A.Hanacek | J. Taylor |
* = deceased
Contact
Any concerns please email our current President Barry.Bones at Barry.Bones@fire.tas.gov.au
