Fighting Fire: A Century of Service: Sydney & New South Wales Fire Brigades

Australian History Local History Social History Antiquarian & Collectible Cultural Studies Biography & Memoir Firefighting History Emergency Services History

First-edition copies of Fighting Fire: A Century of Service – Sydney & New South Wales Fire Brigades (1984) are scarce on the collector market, especially in hardback with the original dust jacket still intact. Published by the Board of Fire Commissioners NSW and written by historian Colin Adrian, this 271-page illustrated volume was never reprinted, so every clean, smoke-free example that surfaces is snapped up fast by Australiana enthusiasts, fire-service memorabilia collectors, and institutions documenting Australia’s emergency-services heritage.

Inside, Adrian moves beyond heroic anecdotes to trace how the brigades shaped—and were shaped by—Sydney’s growth from a colonial town threatened by timber shanties to a modern metropolis. Archival photographs of horse-drawn steam pumps, wartime auxiliary crews, and the first motorised engines are paired with first-hand accounts from firefighters, union minutes, and newspaper clippings, creating a vivid social history that doubles as a reference for genealogists, local-history buffs, and cultural-studies researchers.

For the reader, what makes this copy special is its condition: pages are crisp, unmarked, and free of the foxing that plagues most 1984 NSW government printings. The dust jacket remains bright, making the book shelf-ready for display or gifting. Whether you are building a vintage Australiana collection, sourcing authoritative material on Australian firefighting, or hunting a unique conversation-starter for a young-adult interested in real-life heroism, this first-edition hardcover delivers both rarity and substance.

Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.

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