Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

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Fresh Bid For Crossing Safety

The City Council will inform the Minister for Transport (Mr. J. E. Duggan) that it considers that the level crossing on Brisbane-road, near the racecourse, is dangerous to road users.

This was decided by the council last night when a reply from the Minister to the council’s complaint was considered. The Minister stated that the crossing was well protected by road signs and if ordinary care, which was essential by road users, were taken, no difficulty should be experienced.

The council asked the Minister to give further consideration to its request for more adequate warning signs.

Description source:
Queensland Times, 15 December 1950

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Digital Image ID 16608

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Safety Reminders

Queensland Road Safety Council Quips.

October, this year, in the metropolitan area, opened with a week of seven road fatalities – a life a day! Give all you can to safety because a life a day will soon dwindle the nation away.- Using a motor-car to cut corners gets the wrong angle on living.

Hundreds of “safe drivers” are now wearing another year’s Award of Merit. Attractively designed badges distinguish these commercial drivers, to whom daily traffic hazards are continuous and daily safety tallies are voluminous. It’s good to be able to say, “Well done, fella!” to the man behind the wheel.

The Queensland Road Safety Council wants to reward the safest place in the State by presentation of a safety plaque. “Courtesy Drive” Committees have been set up in many cities and towns to bring this to the notice of their community, by asking people to

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Road Safety Council “Results Disappointing”

Brisbane: “Despite the good work the Road Safety Council had already done the results are disappointing,” said Mr. Wood (Lab., North Toowoomba) in Parliament yesterday when speaking on the Transport Department’s estimates.

Mr. Wood said that the Road Safety Council should look for new methods of impressing on the public the danger of road accidents. In 1948-49 130 people were killed on Queensland roads. In 1949-50 the figure had risen to 143. It appeared that many people could learn the principle of road safety only the hard way.

“It is really tragic to see the number of lives lost each year when a little care would have avoided the accidents,” added Mr. Wood.

Descriptions source:
Warwick Daily News, 22 November 1950

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Digital Image ID 17631

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Sir Gordon William Wesley Chalk (1913-1991), politician, was born on 16 May 1913 at Rosewood, Queensland. His first direct connection with politics came in 1929 when he assisted a Country and Progressive National Party candidate, Edmund Bede Maher, in his successful campaign for the State seat of Rosewood.

In 1957, when the Labor Party’s Queensland split propelled the Country-Liberal coalition into office, Chalk became the transport minister in the Nicklin government. Transport proved a difficult portfolio, but Chalk’s reputation and influence grew.

When Nicklin’s successor, Jack Pizzey, suffered a fatal heart attack on 31 July 1968, Chalk assumed the premiership, but not without resistance from the Country Party deputy, Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen. Bjelke-Petersen prevailed and Chalk was premier only for the period 1-8 August.

‘Chalkie’ had a reputation as a capable and hardworking if somewhat blunt minister, with a cheerful demeanour. He had a stocky build, and wore

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Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900-1993), army officer and governor, was born on 8 March 1900 at Westminster, London. He was tutored privately at home and, though a member of one of England’s oldest private-banking families, chose an army career. Entering the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he was commissioned in the Royal Horse Guards in 1919.

He married Lady May Helen Emma Cambridge (1906-1994), a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Following a very successful military career during the course of World War II, Abel Smith was promoted to acting colonel in London in 1946, and served on the staff of the Household Cavalry at Whitehall and worked closely with King George Vi to revive the ceremonial life od the peacetime capital.

Abel Smith’s assumed the role of governor of Queensland on 18 March 1958. Queenslanders took an immediate liking to the couple and their popularity grew quickly. Both

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In Australia, panel vans were a development of the Australian “ute” (utility), a variety of pickup based on a car chassis They were first offered by Holden from December 1953 in the FJ model, and by Ford Australia from May 1961, based on the XK Falcon.

Painters, electricians, and general labourers quickly found panel vans ideal for their trades, as the cargo bay offering extended capacity otherwise wasted in passenger space, and a highly customisable interior, without the bulk or extended dimensions of other longer-base vans.

Australian police forces also purchased fleets of panel vans to use in a black maria, or paddywagon, role. These were known formally as Divisional Vans and in slang as Divvy Vans.

Panel vans enjoyed tremendous popularity in Australia throughout the 1970s, but by the late 1980s, they began to slowly disappear from Australian roads as demand fell and major manufacturers slowly ceased

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World Conference On Road Safety Urged

Perth, September 4.- A world conference on road safety is to be proposed to the Commonwealth Transport Department following a Road Safety Council Convention here last week, attended by 30 delegates from all the States.

A report by the chairman, the Acting Director of Commonwealth Road Transport (Mr. T. G. Paterson) showed that Australia’s personal accident rate of killed and injured compared unfavourably with that of New Zealand and the United States.

It was decided that £10,000 should be allocated for road safety Press advertising and that the allocation for radio should be increased to £20,000.

The Queensland delegates recorded their dissent at the small amount spent in Press advertising in that State. Inadequate enforcement of traffic laws handicapped the campaign to educate motorists and pedestrians in road safety practices, it was stated.

Description source:
The Central Queensland Herald, 8 September 1949

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Shows How To Get On And Off Tram

“A section of ‘Safety Town’ at the City Hall features an exhibit designed to instruct tram patrons in the correct manner of boarding and alighting from trams,” said Mr. S. L. Quinn, general manager of the Brisbane City Council Transport Department.

“Uniformed instructors will explain methods of accident prevention, with the help of large illustrated posters showing the dangers of carelessness and too much hurry,” he added.

A full-scale model of portion of the latest streamlined tram will enable instructors to demonstrate how safety may be ensured while travelling by tram.

An interesting feature of the exhibit is the display of scale-model trams dating from the earliest days to the latest streamlined models of tram, bus and trolleybus now under the control of the Brisbane City Council’s Transport Department.

“Safety Town,” which will be opened at the City Hall on Thursday, is

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Sharp Increase In Road Toll

Brisbane, February 5.- Road accidents, deaths and injuries in Queensland showed a sharp increase in the 12 months ended June 30, 1950, over the previous year, according to a report by the Government Statistician (Mr Solomon).

Mr. Solomon said that 11,958 road accidents were reported during the 12 months period, 3958 of them causing death or other personal injury. In these accidents 202 people were killed, 1330 received serious injuries, and 3441 minor injuries.

This was 2607 more accidents than in the previous year. Thirty-three more people were killed and 754 more injured. The death or injury rate among motor cyclists in 1949-50 was much higher than in the two previous years, and more than twice the rate recorded before the war.

One motor cyclist was killed or injured during the 12 months under review for every 17 motor cycles on the register. Against

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“Let Courtesy Reign On The Queen’s Highway”

Obligation by Every Road User

On all occasions there is an obligation devolving upon every road user to “Let courtesy reign on the King’s Highway,” – “A Royal Command Performance” – but, perhaps more especially when Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visit Brisbane.

We cannot enjoy the full significance of such occasion, nor will they, if road mishaps are, unfortunately, to be allied with the beauty and splendour of it all. So the great slogan is worth the fullest adoption and practice.

That the Royal visit to our shores is not in any way accidental should be the wish of every loyal subject. Just as the Queen has travelled to see us, so will thousands of Australians be making journeys to catch a glimpse of our Queen.

Roads will be jammed with traffic. In the

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