A volunteer organisation operating as a Men’s Shed and focused on railway restoration is facing an uncertain future as the Tasmanian government moves to sell its headquarters, the former Karoola fire station near Launceston. The Launceston and North East Railway (L&NER) group, which has maintained the site since 2022, has been informed the property is deemed surplus to operational requirements and will be sold via public tender, the ABC reported.
According to ABC News, the State Fire Commission, which owns the property, approved the sale, with Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Jeremy Smith notifying L&NER chair Elizabeth Cute of the decision on July 7. Commissioner Smith reportedly stated that a public process would ensure transparency, equal conditions for participants, and an appropriate market price for the property.
The L&NER group took on the role of main caretaker for the Karoola fire station in 2022, at a time when the building was derelict. Volunteers have since invested considerable effort into restoring and maintaining the site, using it as a vital base for their work on restoring a closed section of railway.
However, the group now finds itself in a precarious position. L&NER chair Elizabeth Cute told the ABC that the decision to sell contradicts a previous verbal agreement with the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS), which had reportedly indicated the station could eventually be transferred to the volunteers as it was not needed. Ms. Cute also highlighted the group’s financial inability to purchase the station, stating they do not have the necessary funds. L&NER deputy chair Greg Stewart expressed fears about the group’s future without the station, the ABC reported.
A representative from the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management, speaking to the ABC, noted that L&NER and the Men’s Shed had used the property informally and free of charge since 2022. The representative added that while the Tasmania Fire Service had initially considered a lease agreement, no formal arrangement was ever concluded. The L&NER group has been encouraged to participate in the public sale process if they wish to remain at the site.
The volunteer group will be permitted to continue using the station until the sale is finalised, the ABC reported. Readers interested in the full details of this developing story are encouraged to read the original report on ABC News (Tasmania).