About Us

Sutton is a small village just off the Federal Highway north of Canberra. The Sutton Rural Fire Brigade area covers the surrounding region towards Gundaroo, Collector, Bungendore, Queanbeyan and Canberra. The district was originally a grazing area, settled in the 1830s and 1840s, and many local families have long associations here. Recently there has been a great deal of rural subdivision and many current residents live on small rural acreages and commute into Canberra to work. We all get along fine together though, mostly.

The light unit and a truck in the country near Sutton vilage.

Our village has a thriving primary school which serves a wide area of the rural subdivision belt. A corner store and petrol station, a stock and station agent and a small Anglican church comprise our urban amenities. An antique galvanised iron community hall overlooks a sports oval, tennis courts and Pony Club grounds. We have an active Community Association which is trying to grapple with the challenges of our position, perched between the bush and the suburbs. The local area also supports a Landcare group and a Pony Club.

Sutton 7 on the oval at a community function. The metropolis lies in the trees behind.

Our rural fire brigade is a volunteer organisation, part of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. With the new shire boundaries, we are now part of Yass Valley shire. Our firefighters are drawn from the older families of the region who have participated through several generations, as well as new recruits from the commuter population. We have some very mature and very young active members, male and female. The Rural Fire Brigade has a station in the village, consisting of a truck shed and an older but more comfortable station building. This has recently undergone various improvements to make it more secure and suitable for meetings, training sessions and other activities. All the work on it has been done by members of our local fire brigade community, who are not only dedicated but can marshal multiple talents.

The station in use for a social function.

Truck repairs in the truck shed.

The truck fleet in 1996. It is now smaller and shrinking, but they assure us it is becoming faster, newer and meaner.