Piece of Waipawa history sold at auction

The 9-carat gold pin was presented at auction in its original box, from 1899. Photo / Supplied

A gold pin made in 1899, once worn by a captain of the Waipawa Fire Brigade, has sold at auction for $410.

The pin, featuring a firefighter’s helmet, was originally owned by Fitz Everard Samuel Downer, a member of the Waipawa Fire Brigade from 1896 and captain from 1904-10.

Downer was born in Lymington, Hampshire, in 1876, the son of Haydon Everard Downer and Anne, nee Irman. His father was a shipwright. His parents migrated to New Zealand in 1879 on the ship Arethusa and settled in Waipawa, where his father worked first as a ship’s carpenter and then as a government bridge builder.

Downer married Alice Bates in Waipawa in 1901. He is listed as a labourer and later a drainlayer in the electoral rolls. He joined the Waipawa Fire Brigade in April 1896, and in 1899 he was elected to be a branchman, and in 1902 a lieutenant. Between 1904 and 1910 he was captain of the brigade and represented the branch at the United Fire Brigades’ Association.

He died in 1948 and is buried in the Waipawa cemetery.

The 9-carat gold pin he once wore was presented at auction in its original box, marked Merryweather & Sons London – a company that supplied fire engines. In 1898 the Waipawa brigade had a demonstration of Merryweather equipment.

The pin sold for more than its reserve price of $300 with a representative of the auction house, Mowbray Collectables, saying there was still a strong demand for quality coins, stamps and other collectables.

“Last month’s coin, banknote and medal sale was very successful, with $517,000 in sales. Including stamps, total sales were over $1.1 million.”

The Waipawa pin sold to a collector of fire brigade memorabilia.