Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

Queensland State Archives posted a photo:

A tale of a tram related mishap in The Courier Mail on Tuesday 26 Novermber 1935:

Tram Hits Bus
Women Suffer From Shock
Mishap in Valley

A tram bound for Clayfield struck the rear of a crowded bus bound for Cribb Island, in Wickham Street, Valley about 4 p.m. yesterday. Grazing along the side of the bus, the tram pushed it against a stationary motor car in front, forcing the car on to the footpath, while workmen and children in the bus screamed in alarm.

The bus had been stopped in Wickham Street, near Knapp Street, too pick up a parcel. It was moving off again, when the driver steered out from the kerb to clear the stationary motor car ahead. As he did so, he heard the clanging of a tram gong and a moment later the collision occurred.

Two young women passengers in the bus. Mrs. Annie Broadbent,

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The Courier Mail
Sat 6 Oct 1934

TRAINS COLLIDE AT ROMA STREET
Engine Derailed
Driver and Friemen Suspended

With a crash that could be heard for hundreds of yards, a goods train and an empty passenger train came into collision at the Southern end of the Roma Street goods yards early yesterday morning. The engine of the passenger train was badly derailed, its front portion being extensively damaged, and several waggons on the goods train received slight damage. No one was injured.

The collision occurred about 7.30am, the trains involved being the 41 down, a goods train from Toowoomba, and the 22 up, a passenger train running between Petrie and Central Station.

The Petrie train, after conveying its passengers to Central, was passing through Roma Street, en route to the Mayne Junction sheds, just as a goods train swung into the Roma Street yards, and was proceeding along another loop

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Northern Star
Fri 28 March 1919

THE BRISBANE RIOTS

To the law-abiding throughout the Commonwealth the proceedings which have taken place in Brisbane during the past few days will come as a shock. It seems incredible to think that the law of the land should be openly flouted and blood spilled through the inactivity of the Federal and the indifference of the State Governments. Neither would these things have happened – not even in Queensland, which has ever been in the van of the other States with its Trades Hall revolutionary propaganda – were it not for the fact that a Labor Government, under the domination of the Trades Hall caucus, is in power there. This supergoverning force of irresponsibles for some time has been getting more and more aggressive, openly embracing as members of the “brotherhood of man” a number of red-rag Russian agitators and publicly vaunting

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Additional Parking Sea World
Minister for Local Government and Main Roads Russ Hinze on 15 December (Dec. 50448), noted that Sea World is undergoing expansion and needs to fulfil Gold Coast City Council requirements to have more car parks. Hinze informs Cabinet that he was satisfied that the request for additional land was necessary and that this land would in part be taken from land vesting in the Gold Coast Waterways Authority.

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Kangaroo Point

Boosterism was a prime motivation of the National Party government during the 1980s. In submissions brought to Cabinet in October (Dec. 49802) by the Premier, many of the proposals currently being considered were summarised.

While that submission was withdrawn, it further highlights how development was valued above everything else with environmental, community and amenity concerns often seemingly a secondary consideration.

On 29 September 1986, Lands, Forestry, Mapping and Surveying minister Bill Glasson sought Cabinet to approve the Fricker Carrington Group as preferred developer, to be given a year to determine suitability of the site around Kangaroo Point. The site consisted of 6.273 hectares and the Premier had announced in earlier reports that the land package was worth ‘at least $10 million’ (The Courier Mail, 23 April 1986). By far the most generous bidder, Fricker Carrington’s offer at $8.5 million along with the promise

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Sanctuary Cove

Cabinet heard several submissions regarding the Sanctuary Cove Resort during 1986 (see for example, Dec. 49574). At a meeting in Mackay on 13th October, the Premier raised that the development ‘could be placed into liquidation without assistance’ (Dec. 49973).

By December the project was at a ‘crisis point’ and the Premier argued for a government loan of $5 million to pay
Discovery Bay Developments Pty Ltd. The Government had already provided $5 million along with Westpac $7 million, AIDC $15.5 million and Beneficial Finance $20 million (Dec. 49973).

Cabinet was told that Beneficial Finance Corporation subsequently had decided not to advance the additional $5 million outlined in an October submission and would not proceed with the syndicated loan facility. Westpac was therefore attempting to arrange the syndication itself but had been unsuccessful. Thirty banks had been approached – but not one had come on board and

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Redevelopment of Edward Street and Turbot Street (world’s tallest building)

The tender for the redevelopment of Queensland Railway land and the Capital Hotel site was put out in October 1985 and closed on 16 December 1985. In April 1986, Cabinet looked at the tender proposals for the first time (Dec. 48546).

Of the seven proposals submitted at the preliminary stage, Seymour Developments’ proposal appeared to give the best return for government. The assessment of the Mainsel Investments Pty Ltd proposal for an 83 story tower ‘creates a landmark building which exceeds any building in the Southern Hemisphere’.

However, the Queensland Rail assessment went on to say the proposal was ‘grossly oversized to meet future predicted demand’ and didn’t comply with the Town Plan. Because of the wide variation in the proposals, Cabinet decided to seek additional information from four tenders. The Co-ordinator-General presented a detailed report

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National rainforest conservation

During 1986, Queensland was in conflict with the Commonwealth government over the management of the rainforests of Far North Queensland. In January, Cabinet recommended a letter be sent to Prime Minister Hawke to express the Queensland Government’s vehement dissatisfactionwith a report tabled by the Working Group on Rainforest Conservation (Dec. 47958).

The letter signed by Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, expressly refuted (under the Constitution) the Commonwealth Government’s right to intervene in matters of land management within a state. The Premier strongly opposed further nomination of any areas for World Heritage status, and to any review of the rainforest timber industry.
In its recommendation, Cabinet noted that ‘the viewpoints of State Government and extreme Conservation Movement representatives were diametrically opposed on very many issues’. It identified the report’s proposal of increased Commonwealth involvement and oversight in state rainforest conservation as indicative of ‘the ambitions of sectors

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Taken from Cairns Post, Tuesday 6 September 1932:

TULLY COLLISION.

LOCO. AND TRUCK.

IN MAIN STREET.

TULLY, September 5.
Mr. John Maher, cane farmer, of Euramo, and Mr. D. Jorgenson, one of the principals of Scholss and Co., general merchants, Tully, had a miraculous escape from seroius injury when a sugar mill loco crashed into a motor truck in which they were riding, in the main street early this morning.

“DID NOT OBSERVE.”

Jorgenson did not observe the oncoming loco until the vehicle was just astride the line. The impact carried the truck within a few yards of the catte grid before the engine was brought to a standstill. Jorgenson was taken to hospital by the ambulance, having sustained facial lacerations and injuries to the left hand. Maher, who was nearest the engine, escaped with minor injuries.

“VERY WARM.”

This is the fourth accident of a similar nature, and the danger of the tramline

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Taken from the Daily Telegraph, January 6 1917:

QUEENSLAND’S TINY GUESTS.

Yesterday, at the Guildhall, for the twenty-fourth successive year, 1,300 children brought together by the Shaftesbury Society and the Ragged School Union were entertained to a children’s banquet and entertainment, and the happy proceedings were rendered ever memorable for the little guests by the presence in full state of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress with the Mace Bearer and Sword Bearer, the Sherriffs, and members of the Corporation of the City. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress and their retinue, amid tumultuous cheering, walked around the tables to see and to be seen by every child. The houseful of enchanted little ones were the guests of the people of Queensland. Last year, also, the same great daughter Colony, through the kind offices of Major Sir Thomas B. Robinson, the Agent-General, and Lady Robinson were the

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