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Bedford

The Association has acquired two fire engines, each with its own charming historical background.  David Poxon, the previous General Manager of the Association, has indicated that the history behind the vehicles is as significant as the preserving of the machines which have shaped the bit of folklore.

Preserving pieces of history

Klerksdorp vehicle lives on

The Association has acquired two fire engines, each with its own charming historical background.  David Poxon, the previous General Manager of the Association, has indicated that the history behind the vehicles is as significant as the preservation of the machines, which have shaped a bit of brigade folklore.

The first fire engine is a Bedford which was developed and deployed as the first response fire engine for the Klerksdorp Municipality in 1974. The fire engine was discovered on a game farm outside Klerksdorp where it was kept by the Brits family. The vehicle was auctioned off by the Municipality on reaching the end of its economic life span during 1996. From what we know it was then purchased by a plastics recycling company. The owner of the company owed money to Mr. Brits and offered the fire engine as a settlement. The fire engine was then driven to the game farm where it languished for approximately seven years. In the meantime, Mr. Brits had passed away and the vehicle belonged to the family trust when the FPASA started enquiring about it. Johan van den Heever, Fire Protection Consultant with the FPASA and longstanding friend of the Brits family, said they were  ecstatic when they had a look at it; and that's where it all started!                                                                                                                         All they saw was a small puff of blue smoke when the engine started and it idled smoothly.                                                                                                                                       The Brits family trust sold the vehicle to the FPASA to support the idea of preserving this Klerksdorp icon and its sentimental value to the Brits family.

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Photos: Kevin Richards

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