George Lockyer has written Fire Stations of Aotearoa NZ, which features Gisborne and Tolaga Bay among the 27 stations covered.
George Lockyer has written Fire Stations of Aotearoa NZ, which features Gisborne and Tolaga Bay among the 27 stations covered.
Retired volunteer firefighter and “seasoned storyteller” George Lockyer has published a book about the country’s fire stations, including those in Gisborne and Tolaga Bay.
“From the bustle of Auckland’s international airport fire station to the close-knit volunteer brigade at Athol in Southland, Fire Stations of Aotearoa New Zealand takesreaders on a powerful journey into the heart of our communities and the people who protect them," a statement from self-publishing company Catch Phrase Media NZ says.
“This richly illustrated hardback visits 27 fire stations across the country. Lockyer captures not only the history and traditions of each brigade, but also the humour, heartache and humanity of the firefighters themselves.”
Lockyer says in the statement: “As a former volunteer firefighter, I knew the lingo, I’d lived the life. That helped me get beyond the uniform and capture the real stories of these extraordinary men and women. It was a privilege to meet so many who regularly give up days of their lives to keep the rest of us safe.”
George Lockyer's book Fire Stations of Aotearoa NZ includes the Gisborne and Tolaga Bay stations.
The statement adds: “Fire Stations of Aotearoa New Zealand also offers a glimpse into the evolving role of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) - from its roots in the old New Zealand Fire Service to its place today as one of the world’s most efficient emergency organisations - facing the added challenges of climate change and increasingly extreme weather events."
For every copy sold, $5 will be donated to Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.
Gisborne station's Dave Ions features in George Lockyer's new book on fire stations.
Chapters 18 and 19 feature Gisborne and Tolaga Bay stations. Glossy photos and histories of each abound, as well as chats with some of the personnel.
Andrew Shelton is pictured at the Tolaga Bay station in a new Kiwi book on fire stations by retired volunteer firefighter George Lockyer.
London-born Lockyer lives in Governors Bay, Canterbury.
He is the author of six books, including Iconic Kiwi Pubs, Kiwis on Harleys, The Long and Winding Aotearoa, Kiwi Garages and Living the Dream: Kiwi Bikers.
He said he decided to write a book about fire stations “because I’d never seen a similar book in bookshops and thought it was high time”.
“Although the book’s title says Fire Stations, it’s really about firefighters and their stories. And as a former firefighter, I had a feeling that there’d be some good ones. And without stories, a verbal history, we have nothing.
It was also noted that he rode a “trusty Kawasaki KLR 650 to many of the stations”.
Lockyer has already written a new book called Travels with Chog "about a motorcycle adventure my friend and I took in 1983-84 overland from the UK to India and [it] also contains reminiscences of growing up in working-class London in the 60s and 70s".
“I’ve been trying to get it published for about 30 years.”
