Members of the Waimate Volunteer Fire Brigade gathered at Bushtown on Sunday to plant a tōtara tree commemorating 150 years of service to the community.
Waimate Fire Brigade members at Bushtown for the planting. Left to right: Nathan Fletcher, Malcolm McLennan, Tony Smith and Andrew Emerson.
Around 30 past and present members attended the planting, which followed a weekend of jubilee celebrations that attracted former firefighters, their families and thousands of people from the wider community.
Acting Chief Fire Officer Andrew Emerson said there was some irony in the choice of commemoration.
The brigade was established in November 1875, at a time when bushfires were a constant threat to the growing settlement.
Just a year later, in November 1876, a major fire swept through a large area of native bush, forcing people to flee.
Then came the devastating Great Fire of 1878, which destroyed most of Waimate's remaining native forest and brought the district's thriving sawmilling industry to an abrupt end.
At the time, firefighters had little more than picks, shovels and buckets to fight the flames.
"And here we are 150 years later helping to restore a small area with a tōtara."
Andrew is currently holding the fort while Chief Fire Officer Stephen Pali is in Antarctica, where he is spending a stint working as an electrician and fire chief.
The brigade's jubilee celebrations included a gathering of at least 112 people on Saturday, while an estimated 2,000 people attended the community open day at Boland Park.
Andrew said the turnout was a highlight of the celebrations.
"It's great that the community got behind and supported the day downtown. That's what it's all about."
A living legacy at Bushtown
Bushtown Heritage Park is a seven-hectare attraction dedicated to preserving and sharing Waimate's early bush and sawmilling history.
The park recreates aspects of the district's early settlement, with an Edwardian main street, heritage buildings, historic machinery and a working steam-operated vintage sawmill, alongside a growing forest of tōtara trees.
The Bushtown committee approached the fire brigade about planting a tree to mark its 150th anniversary.
Bushtown representative Joy McIvor said the tōtara planting programme offered families, businesses and organisations an opportunity to commemorate important occasions, remember loved ones or honour ancestors who settled in the district.
More than 200 trees have been planted at the heritage site, each with its own engraved plaque and recorded location. There’s room for 750 plantings.
At $550 per tree, the programme is a major fundraiser for the ongoing development of Bushtown, with the cost including a planting ceremony, photographic record, framed certificate and permanent care of the tree.
Joy said families could share the cost, with contributions of $20 or more from relatives quickly adding up to the price of a tree.
Gift vouchers are also available, providing another way to contribute to the park's growing tōtara forest.
Bushtown welcomes enquiries from families, businesses and organisations interested in planting a tree.
Find out more: Bushtown Heritage Park
Photo credits: Joy McIvor