Hilldene brigade: a century of protecting its community

The event at Seymour RSL on Saturday 10 August was attended by CFA board member Dawn Hartog AFSM, former Captain and former Group Officer Seymour Group (now Mitchell Shire Group) John Clarke AFSM and Lesley Read AFSM, as well as current and former brigade members.  

CFA service awards, national medals and life memberships were given to recipients, including a 60-year service medal to former Captain Leslie Bassett and a 15-year service medal to Captain William Fenech.  

“The anniversary event has given members the opportunity to celebrate where the brigade has come from,” William said. 

“The whole brigade got involved in trying to find information about the brigade's history. 

“We've managed to find the notebooks where the first brigade meeting was held over 100 years ago, the original notebook, ledgers and registration forms from all the brigade members up to the first 40 years.” 

In 1924, Hilldene was formed as part of the Seymour Rural Fire Brigade with members based at the back of the Seymour Fire Station.  

Brigade members then moved to Seymour-Pyalong Road in the 1980s, some years later changing the name of the brigade to match the town.  

Captain William Fenech said the brigade was formed to assist farmers in the local area and surrounds. 

“At that time, the brigade didn't have much in the way of equipment. They had wet sacks and fire beaters and hand tools, and primarily relied on manpower and people from the local community coming to help out,” William said.  

“A lot of the brigade members were shared with Seymour [Fire Brigade] and the two brigades had been seen as siblings of sorts. 

“In the 1980s the brigade decided to move out of the Seymour township, and the first block of land they moved to was owned by brigade members Margot and Kevin Green, who offered part of their land to the brigade.  

“The brigade members themselves had built their first fire shed over a period of about four to six weeks.” 

The brigade moved into its current station in 2011.  

Despite being a rural brigade, members have proved themselves mighty, averaging 150 callouts per year, and responding to a range of fires and other incidents, particularly vehicle accidents on the Hume Highway. 

The brigade also supports the nearby Puckapunyal Army Base, local farms and infrastructure.   

Hilldene is well resourced and has the community to thank for their generosity in helping the brigade purchase additional firefighting equipment. 

“We now have a heavy tanker that's supplied by CFA and we have a newer light tanker that's been funded by some community fundraising,” William said.  

“We've also secured a grant to get a big fill appliance, so we will have that as well and a community-funded field command vehicle.” 

The brigade has played a vital support role in bushfires including Glenaroua fires in 2002 and the devastating February 2009 bushfires. 

"More or less, in every campaign fire since, the brigade has sent either a truck or members to assist in major fires, including grassfires along Mickleham corridor in 2014,” William said.  

“More than 10 brigade members participated in the deployment to New South Wales during the 2019-20 fires, and when the fires came down to Victoria later that year.” 

William said it was invaluable having past and current members gather to celebrate where the brigade has come from, as well as its history.  

“Now we want to take that to the next level and start displaying some of it,” William said.  

“We need to print all the photos and scan all the material we have and put it on display so we can cherish it and see it for the next 100 years.”