September 30, 2022
One vehicle at the recent Queensland Heritage Rally in Kingaroy brought back good memories for two ex-Kingaroy boys in the big crowd.
When the 1960 International fire engine cruised past in a grand parade, Hugh O’Brien and Patrick Warnick recognised it as the vehicle they used to play on as kids.
“In the early 1960s at St Mary’s Convent, we were mates with Gary Wall whose dad Barry was the fire chief back then,” Hugh said.
“We spent many happy afternoons after school playing on the fire engines and climbing the hose tower, things they’d never let kids do today!”
Patrick’s late father, Es Warnick, was a longtime chairman of the Kingaroy Fire Brigade in the ’70s and ’80s.
“Dad would be looking down with pride at how faithfully the fire truck has been restored,” Patrick said.
The International was commissioned in 1960 and used by the Kingaroy Fire Brigade until about 1982 before spending time at Wooroolin.
It was later gifted to Stuart River Rural Fire Brigade and has been privately owned since it was decommissioned from Stuart River.
The Beil family have completed about 80 per cent of its restoration in the 15 years they have owned it and are proud that they are able to restore it to its former glory for the people of the South Burnett to enjoy.
Mark and Melissa Beil have been volunteers with Stuart River Rural Fire Service for more than 20 years.
Mark, the 2020 South Burnett Citizen of the Year, said he was determined the engine remained in the Kingaroy district.
“It’s part of our history, it has served the town well and I’m proud to be bringing it back to its glory days,” Mark said.
The Beil family’s next vehicle restoration project is a Holden EH panelvan which was used as a service car for Star Rubber Motors in Kingaroy.
“If anyone has any old photos of that vehicle, or the fire truck in its heyday, I’d love to see them so I can make the restoration as accurate as possible,” Mark said.
Mark can be contacted on 0409-871-917.
