Please see below an important Media Release from Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade –
In October 2013 the Blue Mountains townships of Yellow Rock and Winmalee were devastated by bushfire. Some 200 homes were destroyed and many others sustained damage & families displaced. The media followed the event for almost 2 weeks. The massive rebuilding that has been required in the area still continues today.
The Brigade’s shed at Yellow Rock was one of the casualties of the 2013 fires. That shed, and Brigade members’ vehicles were destroyed as the bushfire engulfed the area, while those members were away fighting the fire.
However, as a result of the community spirt of Yellow Rock and Winmalee residents and the generosity of many other everyday Australians over the past two and a half years, on Saturday 6th February 2016, Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade will host the official opening of its new satellite Fire Station at Yellow Rock.
For more than 20 years, the Brigade has sought a permanent fire station to house one of its tankers at Yellow Rock, and thus maximise the fire protection available to residents at Yellow Rock. Until 2013, the tanker was housed in a rudimentary shed at a member’s residence in Yellow Rock.
The events of October 2013 were the catalyst for a renewed effort to locate a permanent location for Yellow Rock Station.
Oasis Horticulture, a nursery at Yellow Rock, generously donated to the Brigade the lease of land on Singles Ridge Road. With considerable effort over an 18 month period from the Brigade, approval was obtained from the Blue Mountains City Council for the erection of the Station on that land. The local community has been fantastic – with the donation of funds, and generously giving of time and materials to ensure the completion of the project.
Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade’s station at Yellow Rock will symbolise the community’s resilience, and determination to survive in the beautiful, but bushfire prone area that is the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.
The station will be officially opened on Saturday 6th February 2016 at 11am by the NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Mr Rob Rogers on site at 234-236 Singles Ridge Road, Yellow Rock. The event is also being attended by Local MPs State and Regional NSW RFS delegates, retired and current brigade members & their generous supporters who have enabled this vision to come to fruition.
For further details please contact the Brigade’s Captain, Mr Anthony Black, on black@estc.net.au or 0414 475 435