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Story: Men’s clubs

Palmerston North volunteer fire police, 1906

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Palmerston North volunteer fire police, 1906

New Zealand men have set up many exclusively male organisations, from sporting clubs to volunteer fire brigades. As in this example from 1906, many of these groups adopted distinctive uniforms. While fire brigades had an important function at a time when fire was always a danger and there were no professional fire brigades, socialising was an important by-product for the men.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: 1/2-035527-F

by Crown Studios

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Men’s clubs – Fraternalism, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/31258/palmerston-north-volunteer-fire-police-1906 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 10 May 2011.