Ash Wednesday Firefighters MemorialPrint Page 
The memorial was erected in memory of the firefighters who lost their lives in the Ash Wednesday fires of February 1983.
On Wednesday 16th February 1983, a call was received from Narre Warren tanker that they and another tanker from Panton Hill were in trouble and trapped. They were situated on St Georges Road, Upper Beaconsfield, on the top of a hill.
When the change came through the fire travelled from High Street, up the hill to St Georges Road, a distance of half a kilometre, in eleven seconds. With such speed and ferocity, they never stood a chance. The radio went dead, fire-fighters were fighting for their own lives, trying to take cover by getting under their trucks for protection.
At dawn the next morning two burnt out fire trucks and twelve fire fighters where discovered by Narre Warren First Lieutenant, Frank Clarke at St Georges Road, Upper Beaconsfield. One of those on the truck was his Captain, and 5 other members from Narre Warren.
Forty seven people, fire-fighters and civilians, were to die on this day at fires all over the state. Forty six of these people died when the wind changed
Location
| Address: | Princes Highway & Magid Drive, Narre Warren, 3805 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.019725 Long: 145.298101 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Fire |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 16-February-1983 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 16-February-1983 |
| Link: | http://www.hss.uts.edu.au/centres/p… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 1st February, 2003 |
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This Memorial Was Erected In Memory Of The Firefighters
Who Lost Their Lives At Upper Beaconsfield
On “Ash Wednesday” - 16th February 1983
Narre Warren Rural Fire Brigade Panton Hill Fire Brigade
John Minett Bill Marsden
Dorothy Balcombe Peter Singleton
Lloyd Donovan Maurice Aitkinson
Murray Forsyth Stuart Duff
Neil Henry Neville Jeffery
Darrell Wilkes
Casual Firefighter
Keith Busbridge
Erected By The City of Casey - February 2003
City of
Casey
