Collector hopes ‘fire sale’ will spark new love
Matt Silver’s 35-year obsession has been a labour of love.
But it’s the prospect of a different kind of love that has put an end to his hobby of collecting firefighting memorabilia.
The 46-year-old has decided it’s time he settled down and started a family – but he can’t do that when all his worldly goods amount to 20 fire engines and thousands of extinguishers, hoses and assorted other items.
They are all kept in a Lower Hutt storage unit that is colloquially known as the Wellington Fire Museum.
So he’s selling up 150 years of history, and looking forward to a new chapter in his life.
When he was given four months’ notice that his $18,000-a-year sublease for part of the warehouse would end, he had already made his peace with the news, he said.
‘‘It was the equivalent of the universe tapping me on the shoulder and saying, ‘You’ve made the right choice.’
‘‘I’ve never been married, and I don’t have children. I don’t have a home and I’ve been living with friends, couch-surfing or housesitting, for at least the last five years.
‘‘That’s the type of sacrifice that I have made because I’m passionate about the fire appliances.
‘‘Maybe I’ll find a piece of land, find a partner and start a family,’’ Silver added.
He established the Wellington Fire Museum Trust in 2003 as a way to develop an educational centre in the region, and preserve the history of the Wellington Fire Brigade, which dates back to 1865.
The centre also doubled as a tribute to paid and volunteer firefighters.
His collection began with a model engine at the age of 12. Seventeen years later, he bought his first fire engine. ‘‘[It] was one that my dad used to ride on when he was in the Hamilton Fire Brigade.
‘‘We weren’t talking at the time, and I feel that I bought it as some kind of connection with him.’’
Silver and his family emigrated from Britain to Hamilton in 1973, before shifting to Wellington in 1988.
His father’s firefighting career, which ended in 1995 because of a restructure, planted the seed for his passion.
He reckons he’s poured close to $400,000 into his collection, including the costs involved to house it all.
Silver is seeking expressions of interest for some of his fire engines, while a small number will be sold as a collection via an online auction.
For more information, visit the Wellington Fire Museum’s Facebook page.