| Past Week’s Weather. A high pressure system in the Tasman remained fairly static sending a ridge of high pressure up the east coast. This brought some fresh moist south-easterly winds with a few isolated showers on to the Ranges. On Thursday evening we received the tail-end of a thunderstorm that played havoc with growers in the Brisbane valley. During the week we measured 21 mm of rainfall, bringing the month’s total so far to 40 mm. The lowest overnight temperature was on Monday morning with 13 degrees and the maximum touched 27 degrees on Wednesday,
Ambulancemen of Long Ago. In 1911, Bill Walker at the age of 17 joined the Ambulance Service at the Anne Street Centre, Brisbane and recalled his first job was to push patients on a two-wheel litter from Northgate to the Brisbane Hospital. Fourteen years later he became Superintendent of the Landsborough Ambulance Centre, covering the area of Mount Mellum, Maleny, Caloundra, Beerwah, Peachester, Kilkoy, Woodford and Mooloolah. In 1925, a butcher’s shop was moved from Glasshouse to Landsborough to serve as an ambulance garage and workshop. The casualty room was down in the corner of the yard between the Memorial Hall and the old Council Chambers. There was no telephone and communication was by the railway station telegraph. The Beerburrum Hospital – the hospital on the hill – built for ex-servicemen wounded in World War 1 – would wait to receive patients to arrive by Bill’s Dodge Four ambulance or by train. Most common accidents in those days were broken limbs, tree felling accidents, axe cuts – and there were several confinements in the ambulance. Bill also attended the Traveston train derailment disaster. This was on the 9th June 1925 when, at 2.00am in the morning the mail train from Brisbane became derailed 2.5 Miles north of Traveston. One of the passenger carriages and a luggage van bound for Rockhampton toppled over the bridge known as 96-mile Creek between Traveston and Tandur railway stations. The carriage was literally smashed to matchwood on the rocky creek bed below. Another passenger carriage fell over on its side on the northern bank also adding to the mortality rate; which consisted of nine killed outright. Fifty-five were injured, many seriously. The disaster was caused by one of the wheels of the bogies of the luggage van jumped the rails on a curve about half a mile from Traveston. In this condition the wagon travelled two miles, and over two bridges, before the final crash came. Bill records vividly the scene that met his eyes on that tragic day. Joke of the Week With all the new technology regarding fertility a 65 year old woman recently gave birth. When she was discharged from hospital and went home her friend – Anna – went to visit “May I see the hew baby?” Anna asked. “Not yet” the new mother said. “I’ll make some coffee first and then we can go and visit him”. |
| Thirty minutes had passed’, and Anna asked “May I see the new baby now?” “No, not yet”, replied her friend.
Growing very impatient, Anna asked, “Well, when CAN I see the baby?” “When he cries!” she told Anna. “WHEN HE CRIES? Anna demanded, “Why do I have to wait until he cries?” “BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM – OK? |
