Older Warkworth residents might recognise a familiar old motor when it turns up for the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade 75th Jubilee Display Day.
Among the exhibits will be a 1935 Chevrolet, one of the first fire engines acquired by the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade.
The vehicle was originally just a flat top truck owned by the Farmers Trading Company. But during WWII was commandeered by the Air Force and turned into a fire engine.
After the war, it became Helensville’s first fire truck before being sent to Warkworth.
After ending its service in Warkworth, “Flick”, as the engine became known, was acquired by a collector, who parked it in a shed in Albany, where it lay forgotten for decades.
When the shed had to be pulled down, Flick was offered to the North Shore Vintage Car Club.
About six years ago, Flick went into the club’s workshop merely to have a head gasket replaced and a bit of a “cut and polish”.
But club committee member Peter Lloyd says everybody got a bit carried away. By the time the engine emerged from the workshop, it looked brand new, with all its parts in working order.
The engine is now pressed into regular service for fire service funerals and Santa parades.
“The guys are proud of it. It looks the part and it’s got a siren you can play with,” Peter says.
Around 20 vehicles from various local brigades will take part in the 75th Jubilee Display Day, featuring fire engines from the past and present. The event will be held on Wharf Street, Warkworth, on Saturday, October 20, from 9am to 1pm.
