Community & Business
15 February, 2024
Garford Restoration Progressing
The Garford fire engine is currently being restored in Tamworth.
The restoration of Nyngan’s 1924 Garford Fire Engine is progressing smoothly, according to Bogan Shire Council mayor Glen Neill, who visited her in the workshop of the Tamworth Classic Fire Engine Club recently. According to the mayor, the old engine started and “ran like a Swiss clock” when he called in recently.
Most of the panels had also been painted and were ready for re-assembly.
The Garford engine was given to the Nyngan community by the Marr family, formerly of ‘Illabunda’.
The late Jim Marr purchased the engine after it was decommissioned by the Nyngan Fire Brigade in 1963, having spent 20 years in the district.
Last year the engine was transported to Tamworth, where the Tamworth Classic Fire Engine Club – mostly all retired fire fighters – have been given the job of restoring her so she can be the feature exhibit in the Nyngan Fire Museum and an asset for our community.
Mayor Neill acknowledged the work of local historian Keith White, who lobbied for the restoration for many years, and Nyngan Fire and Rescue captain Rob Avard, who helped arrange for the work to be done.
The restoration of the Garford is part of a Bogan Shire Council project to create a fire and rescue museum in the former NSW Fire Brigade building in Cobar Street, Nyngan. The building has recently had some internal renovations, including a new kitchenette, bathroom, and office space. All of the work has been made possible with NSW government grant funding.