For almost a century, the Coolamon Fire Station has stood proud at the top of the town.
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Now tasked with preserving history in its new era as a museum dedicated to the vital line of work, the station is first opened 90 years ago in 1933.
It is now leased by former Fire and Rescue NSW firefighter of 22 years, Chris Berry, and his wife Joanne, who opened the station as a fire museum in October 2015.
Mr and Mrs Berry have been avid collectors of old Fire and Rescue NSW memorabilia and have accumulated items over the past four decades which are now on display at the old station.
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Since opening the fire station they have also had a lot of items donated and over the last eight years it museum has attracted more than 40,000 visitors, Mr Berry said.
"When I joined Fire and Rescue NSW they started sending bits and pieces out so I would take them home and once you start, you get a bug and you can't stop," he said.
From old fire extinguishers to hoses, uniforms and even an incredibly rare bike that was used back in the day to deliver messages from station to station, some of the items on display are like nothing you've ever seen before.
"There are a lot of different pieces, but it was the first brass helmet I got that kicked off the collection," Mr Berry said.
"There's things in there you'll never see again."
Mr Berry said while they don't make any profit by running the station as a museum, knowing how much it means to the community is enough for them to keep it going.
"It's a big drawcard," Mr Berry said
"We've had over 40,000 visitors over the eight years.
"People are fascinated with it and It means a lot to the community, a lot of the oldies come and they don't want to go."
Mrs Berry said a lot of effort has gone into preserving the old station.
"There's a white line on the floor that was used to guide the fire engine as it backed into the bay and there is an old pit in the middle of the floor that was used to work on the engines," she said.
"There are still oil stains on the floor and grey markings on the ceiling showing where the exhaust fumes hit the roof every time the engine started up."
The station remains open to the public and visitors free of charge with a donation tin at the front.
Mr and Mrs Berry use the donations to cover the cost of rent.
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