History of Heathcote Bush Fire Brigade

As told to journalist, Joan Thompson, by Fire Control Officer Ray Watchorn, September 1975, and with excerpts the book “From Bottle Forest to Heathcote” by Patrick Kennedy
Ray Watchorn, born in Paddington in 1911, moved to Heathcote, almost accidentally in 1942. Returning from a holiday at Thirroul, he and his wife Dot noticed some land for sale, and bought it with all £10 deposit.He installed his wife and children in a tent, and later went back to Kogarah and sold out his plumbing business – then established another plumbing business in Heathcote.The family lived in tents for several years and for the first time in their lives, saw a bush fire – when it actually burnt across part of their land, during the summer of 1943- 44. Unlike today, there was little bushfire protection so Ray set about forming the Heathcote Bushfire Brigade to serve the community. With the assistance of other dedicated members of the local community, he achieved this in 1944. He was the secretary until the first annual meeting when he was elected captain. Before this, there was some limited and less formal protection under Captain Frank (Pop) Cooper. Jack Loveday, who moved to Heathcote in 1951 after marrying his wife Kath in 1949, worked under every captain of the Heathcote Bushfire Brigade during the 1950s and 1960s. Jack described Ray Watchorn as a fantastic bloke who would do anything for the local community. Ray could do anything he put his mind to. He was methodical and a perfectionist. I worked with Ray as a brigade member of the Heathcote Bushfire Brigade and then for 14 years as deputy captain with every other captain of the Brigade after him up to Keith Campbell. ‘We all put in some long hours at our station which was at the top of the hill in Bottle Forest Road. It began operations in about 1958. In the 1950s, we fought fires using only knapsacks. Before the station opened we would hold our meetings in people’s homes, the waiting room at the railway and in ‘Dolby’s Barn at the back of the Dolby family’s general store. Vince Morris and Ray Watchorn helped to keep us all organised and focussed on our various tasks. They were very good times. He was captain of Heathcote brigade until 1952 when he became the Shire’s first Group Captain. A major bushfire destroyed some twelve homes and hundreds of livestock in Engadine that year, and even though there were seven brigades in the shire, there was no real co-ordination of their activities. As a result of that catastrophe, Ray approached the Shire Clerk and proposed forming a Bushfire Advisory Committee. This was approved, and new brigades were formed and their areas of responsibility established. Ray was the inspiration which saw a decade of big advances from 1950 to 1960 where, aided by the Bushfire Advisory Committee, improvements were made in workers’ compensation, amendments to the Bushfires Act, improved pumping equipment, canvas hose, knapsacks and hand tools. These improvements benefited not only the Shire, but in many instances, the whole State of NSW. Radio equipment was tested in July 1957, and introduced shortly afterwards. A base station was established in a small annex attached to Ray’s home and overall control of fires was organised from that location until 1974, when it was transferred to an old cottage on the site of the current Fire Control Centre. In October 1965, Ray was appointed by Council as a full-time Fire Control Officer after twenty years service as a dedicated volunteer. He continued as FCO until his retirement in 1976. Ray died on the 11th January 1989 after a long illness. In honour of his achievements and the regard his fellow fire fighters held him in, the Sutherland Fire Control Centre was renamed after him, along with fire boats from Woronora Brigade.
	Ray Watchorn around 1954 with his son Joe, who was about four years old, on the bonnet of Ray’s 1949 Willy’s jeep.