Flick the fire engine
Ken Steen as so many will remember him.
The late Ken Steen was one of a trio of Steen family stalwarts connected to the Cambridge Voluntary Fire Brigade for an extraordinary 127 years.
First there was the Steen patriarch Tom, who served 40 years. Then Ken’s brother Winston ‘Wint’, who served 56 years and who died last year. Ken’s 31 years with the brigade, which started in July 1963, add to a total that will be hard to beat in today’s changed world.
His October 21 memorial service at the fire station would have been akin to a homecoming of sorts. It was there, in the firehouse attached to the station, that Ken lived for 22 years after marrying Mary in 1966, and there that his three girls – Karen, Lynley and Andrea – spent their formative, if not slightly unusual, years.
Lynley’s eulogy made mention of her dad’s cheese scones, his passions for gardening, deerstalking, the RSA and playing 500, and the numerous occasions on which all three girls would fall about laughing at their dad’s antics. Growing up in the firehouse gave the family a unique ability to sleep through almost anything, but more than that, it left a legacy shaped by Ken’s dry sense of humour, his loyalty and valued advice.
After finishing school in Cambridge, Ken’s first job was as a fitter and turner before he did a stint at building. Later he moved to the freezing works where he became foreman.
Obituary: KENNETH ‘KEN’ STEEN: 29.04.1942 – 16.10.23
A guard of honour stands to attention as Ken Steen finally leaves the fire station aboard Flick, driven by Richard Gerrand. Ken’s grandson Bryce Ridling is in the passenger seat.
Deputy chief fire officer Glenn Philip said Ken had an impressively high attendance rate, 89.36 per cent, for callouts and musters, and was a man known for his dedication both to the brigade and the community. He also enjoyed brigade competitions, both locally and nationally, and became a life member on his retirement.
“His first major fire was to the Jonathan Foley’s photography shop fire in Duke St, with other memorable fires he attended being the music block at St Peter’s School and Paramount Tyres in Carter’s Flat,” he said.
“The Steen family has dedicated an outstanding amount service to the local community. It is extraordinary from one family … all that time away from family, all those cold dinners, always putting others first.”
Fellow life member Murray Browne met Ken when he himself joined the service in 1975. He spoke of Ken as ‘one of the old guys, someone to look out for and look up to.’ There were many spirited debates on topics like politics and inflation, he added, which led to Ken changing Murray’s moniker to ‘three percent.’
“There was often a pool cue in his hands,” he said.
“He played regularly with the late Don Gerrand, and always thought he was number one.”
