MONCTON – The president of the Greater Moncton Museum Society is supporting efforts to create a permanent home for the Moncton Firefighters’ Museum’s artifacts.
Lourdes O’Reilly says the city and the fire department share a common history.
“They’ve grown together and they’ve evolved together,” she said.
Steve Richardson, the museum’s chair, says the museum includes a fire engine built in 1926, badges, helmets and newspaper clippings dating from department’s early days in the late 19th century.
But he says there is not enough space to store everything on one site and many of the items are on display in a fire department in the north end.
Other items are stored at a separate location.
“A lot of it has been saved by our guys and some of it from family members and retired members who have passed on,” he said. “They have this stuff around the house and every once in a while, someone comes into the station with a donation.”
Richardson says the artifacts deserve a place to call their owns and thinks a new convention centre could be a good place for a permanent display.
“I’ve been in a lot of convention centres where the history of a community is part of it,” he said.
Lourdes says a permanent display would also benefit the community.
“To have that vehicle on display somewhere would be just wonderful,” she said. “I can also see that vehicle going to schools and little mini tours.”
Comments