By Parker McKenzie
Ferntree Gully CFA’s newest member won’t be out on the trucks fighting fires. Instead, author Ray Peace will search through the brigade’s archives and chronicle the last 80 years of its history since it was first formed.
Mr Peace, who is also a member of the Knox Historical Society, said the CFA is a central institution for the area.
“It has important historical records, which is why I am here essentially,” he said.
“It ties together a lot of things because I’ve been recording some of the fires already in different contexts, but this will bring them in as a single unit which will be great.”
The Ferntree Gully Country Fire Brigade was first founded in 1942, however, the history of firefighting in the township dates back to 1926.
Mr Peace said as a local to the area, he has seen how important a role the CFA plays in community safety.
“I was in The Basin on Ash Wednesday and watching from afar in 1968. I was a kid in school, we could see from the school grounds and I was here in 2009 and taking photographs at the time,” he said.
“I remember those two fires well; the fires and the CFA played a part in my life in different ways.”
Mr Peace recently authored a book on the history of the 1812 Theatre in Ferntree Gully — titled Behind the Curtain: The Story of the 1812 Theatre — and was approached by the CFA to chronicle its first 80 years of existence.
He said he believes it will be the first 85 years, however, by the time the book is finished.
“It will involve conducting interviews with those who are still alive, but sadly some of them have already passed away,” he said.
“Also looking at the archives and putting that together as a single package, which is what I did with the 1812 Theatre.”
Mr Peace said he enjoys writing about the history of the local area.
“It’s a great project to be working on,” he said.
“It’s great to be recording the history because if you don’t, it becomes lost.”
