Members of the Feilding Volunteer Fire Brigade. Date and photographer unknown.

The Feilding Fire Brigade. Date and photographer unknown.

Fire police outside in the Fire Police Station in 1903.

Feilding's first fire engine was purchased by P. Thompson and A. E. Eade, in 1891. Various fundraising efforts contributed to the payments for the engine, and the Borough Council agreed to donate twenty-five pounds annually, on the condition the money was used to sink wells in various parts of the Borough.

In 1907, the Fire Board was formed, and from that time on the Brigade has had the most up-to-date equipment on hand.

Feilding Fire Brigade Officers, c. 1914.

Back: F. Groombridge Middle: A. W. Newman (Superintendent), W. Stringer (Deputy Superintendent). Front: O. C. Sporle (Senior Foreman).

Back Row: S. Daw, Caretaker; P. Fisher, Driver; W. Groube; F. Groombridge; S. Lovelock; S. Marston; A. Wenham; D. Kitchen; F. Benge. Second Row: F. Alston; A.G. Sporle; Foreman Sporle; Deputy Stringer; Superintendant Newman; Foreman Jacobsen; C. Burt; W. Towler. Sitting: Messengers Fraser and Niccolls.

The first Maternity Home in Feilding was where the present Telephone Exchange is today [notes made in 1983]. Later the Dalkeith Maternity Home was established and run by two sisters. The Haeremai Maternity Hospital was opened in the 1930s. It continued to operate until August 1951, when the Palmerston North Hospital Board established the Maternity Home in Duke Street, Feilding.

Photograph taken early 1950s. The latest model car in the line up is an early Morris Minor, third from the end.

Fire Brigade

Feilding Fire Station is situated on Kimbolton Road

2nd photograph taken in 2017, all next photographs were taken on our Library Historic Walk 2018

The strength of the Feilding Fire Brigade, in 1964, was seven officers and twenty firemen. This official photograph was taken on 9th April, 1964. Back: B.D. Bismark, I. Tricklebank, G. Benton, R.S. Holland, J. James, F.E. Guy, M.J. Faulding, T.G.R. Tricklebank, S. Lawson. Middle: M. Hodgson, M. Bradley, V.D. Ryan, B. Hassell, A.S. Hodgson, W.B. Donald, R. Marsden, A.W. Costall, D. Harding. Front: A.M. Hastie, W.H. Holland, (Secretary), I.B. Standring (Fourth Officer), R.J. Corkhill (Deputy Chief Fire Officer), A.R. Sporls (Chief Fire Officer), M.R. Knight (Third Officer), D.T. Trevena (Station Officer), R. Crowley (Sub Officer). Inset: A.S. Barkman.

The Community Centre was established in 1938 by L.J. Wild. It offered a meeting place for existing organisations and acted as a focal point for other educational courses etc. as well as being a place where people could meet and talk. The programme of study grew to include orchestra, writing classes, physical education, judo, chess, film, musicals, art, floral arrangement, photography etc.

The Maternity Home under construction.

Plunket was started in Feilding in 1917, with the first rooms being upstairs in the Jubilee Buildings. In later years the Plunket moved to it's present site in Stafford Street. In September, 1948, the committee decided to transfer the meetings to the Community Centre, where they are still held each month.

Boy Scout Paper Drive. Ray Svendsen on right.

The first fire engine in Feilding, 1891.

Photographer: Macedo Back row 5th from the right is Walter Hurdle Senior