Historic fire truck travels down south

A HISTORIC fire truck from Wanneroo will retire to country WA.

The 1962 Thornycroft fire truck will be donated to the WA Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades Historical Group in Bridgetown.

The fire truck was manufactured by Thornycroft in Basingstoke, UK in December 1962 and originally bought by Perth Airport before the then Shire of Wanneroo bought it in the early 1970s as the first heavy duty fire truck in the area.

Mayor Tracey Roberts said the Wanneroo Central Bush Fire Brigade used the truck with a 8000L water tank as a water-point appliance as well as a fire fighting unit until 1994.

“The Thornycroft fire truck has certainly been a valuable asset to the Wanneroo Central Bush Fire Brigade,” she said.

“It makes sense that it will now be carefully restored and preserved as it should be, and who better to do that than the WA Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades Historical Group.”

Brigade captain Chris Hudson said he was pleased the vehicle would be well-looked after in its new home.

“After several starts at restoring her by the Wanneroo Central Brigade volunteers, we are now happy to see Big Bertha, as she was affectionately known, going to a new home at the WA Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades Historical Group and being restored to her former glory,” he said.

Councillors unanimously approved the fire truck donation at their August 27 meeting, on condition the truck maintains its City of Wanneroo badging, and approved the loss on sale of $5000 as a result of the donation.

“It’s a very graceful lady that needs a resting place,” councillor Frank Cvitan said.

The tanker will be transported to the historical group’s facility in Bridgetown for restoration works, which were expected to be relatively straightforward due to the good condition of the vehicle.