As you drive along Putty Road, this building almost looks like a residence by its design, except that it has three roller doors and a large/broad concrete and gravel apron.
The Memorial Garden is under the shade of a mature tree, to the west of the driveway. Sadly, they have had three of their crew die in incidents, as noted by memorial plaques in the garden. [Two - Rachel Harrison, and Karl Miskle, on 22 November, 2003; with the third, John Gilder on 2 August, 1997]
The bronze plaque for the Opening of the 'Brigade Building', and the 'Memorial Garden', is beside the screened door to the office section of the building. It reads:
NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE
Bulga Brigade Station and Memorial Garden
was officially opened and
Dedicated by
Commissioner Phil Koperberg AO AFSM BEM
on Saturday 15 october 2005
Under the shade of a mature tree, is a buried boulder, with three bronze plaques on it for members of the Brigade, lost 'in the line of Duty'. The inscriptions of the plaques are:
In Memory of
John Robert Gilder
9 Feb 1928 - 2 Aug 1997
Bulga
Rural Fire Brigade
In Memory of In Memory of
Rachel Jan Harrison Karl Philip Miskle
8 Nov 1983 - 22 Nov 2003 27 Sept 1980 - 22 Nov 2003
Bulga Bulga
Rural Fire Brigade Rural Fire Brigade
Philip Christian Koperberg, born April 1943, in the Netherlands,coming to Australia in 1953 from Indonesia. He fought his bushfire in 1959; and joined the North Springwood Fire Brigade in 1967, becoming Brigade Captain in 1969. He went on to be Fire Control Officer for the Blue Mountain between 1970 and 1982.
He was the Director General of the NSW Bush Fire Service from May 1990, and then was the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service between 1997 - 2007, before entering politics from 2007-2011.
Visited: 0856, Sunday, 3 December, 2017
'Firehouse': Bulga RFB
'Firefighter Memorial': Memorial Garden