KEY POINTS:
She was the first woman firefighter in the Commonwealth, fought for three years for her place at the frontline, and now Anne Barry has written a tell-all book about her years in the Fire Service.
Playing with Fire, a book about Mrs Barry's struggles, frustrations and insecurities, will
be launched on September 25 in Takapuna - the place where her firefighting career began and ended.
Mrs Barry never thought she would write a book about her firefighting days which, she said, began with sheer naivety.
"If I'd known what I was in for I probably wouldn't have done it. Looking back now I can't believe all the knock-backs I got."
Her 22 years of service started when she applied for a job in the control room of the Auckland Fire Brigade.
She was drawn to the four days off a week, and it was from here that she applied for firefighting.
However, the brigade said Mrs Barry was not tall enough, and that her vision was below standard.
"I knew what was going on. The flexible rules that helped officers' sons get into the service became very rigid when I turned up."
Despite having proof of about 100 registered firefighters who were shorter than her, and medical records from three independent optometrists which said her eyesight was fine, she was still denied entrance to the recruits' course.
The case was taken to the Equal Opportunities Commission and Human Rights Commission, and after three years of battling Mrs Barry was allowed to be a firefighter. It was 1981.
Even after gaining entrance things did not run completely smoothly.
"There were men I knew through the communication centre who encouraged me to apply but stopped talking to me when I got the job - I guess they thought I wouldn't get in.
"For the first three years I was forever trying to prove myself. I'd run as soon as the siren went to lift the heaviest thing."
In 1999 Mrs Barry and her husband John, also a firefighter, retired to live a nomadic life travelling throughout New Zealand and Australia.
On their converted bus, "Bustin to Play", the pair have travelled for eight years without a timetable.
They have been attacked by a wild emu, played golf on well over 100 courses, made many friends and have not been in their house for 16 years.
"We do what people dream of doing - just getting up and going."
* Playing with Fire will be launched on September 25 at the Takapuna Library. It costs $29.99 - a percentage of which will go towards Parkinson's disease.
