KENTHURST VOLUNTEER ACHIEVES AMAZING MILESTONE BY BILL DUNCAN, KENTHURST BRIGADE
Sidney Lionel Smith, affectionately known to his family, friends and colleagues as Lionel, has given 75 years of continuous service to our state’s firefighting organisations. In 2021 he became the first NSW RFS member to be awarded the sixth ‘bar’ to his National Medal: a unique and amazing milestone. Lionel’s story was featured in the 2017 book, ’75 Years of Service’, written to commemorate three quarters of a century since the establishment of Kenthurst Brigade at the request of Prime Minister John Curtin in early 1942.
‘blitz’ trucks to use as fire tankers. The Hills District headquarters then operated out of the Council depot behind the old Council chambers, where the Castle Towers theatres now stand.
At that time, Lionel was just entering his teenage years. He was born in 1929 in Oakville where he went to the local primary school and completed high school by correspondence. His family were farmers, raising poultry and crops.
Having worked in the automobile industry, Lionel was always an innovator and developed many ways to improve firefighting equipment and techniques. Consequently, he was very active in the then Bush Fire Council of NSW, especially its technical committee, and was always at the forefront of improvements in firefighting vehicles, pumps and other equipment.
Lionel’s first firefighting experience was at age 15, when he participated in attacking a fire in Oakville that was started by a spark from a steam train near Mulgrave station. Lionel fought the fire with wet bags and a knapsack spray. Lionel’s father was one of the founders of Oakville Brigade in 1946 and Lionel became one of the earliest members, before serving as Senior Deputy in that unit from 1952 until 1968. He went on to become a Deputy Group Captain, then Deputy Fire Controller and later Fire Control Officer (FCO) for the Hills Shire. In those days, the FCO reported to a Shire councillor – there were no uniforms or formal training, and little equipment. Some brigades had converted old ex-army 48 BUSH FIRE bulletin || GENERAL NEWS
He subsequently designed and manufactured the Quenchmaster firefighting foam system in his spare time, which is now employed in tankers right across Australia and New Zealand. Lionel and his wife, Gwen, championed the use of ‘two-way radios’ in Hills brigades. Indeed, Gwen was the chief radio operator for the Hills brigades in those early years. Lionel chaired the Bush Fire Control Officers Association of NSW and has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for his professional leadership, as well as the Commissioner’s Commendation for Service.
