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FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police ANZACs: Constable Patrick Joseph Devine (17 March 1886 – 3 November 1917)

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Patrick Joseph Devine, courtesy of Martina Grady. Source: Niall Brannigan, John Kirwan. Kilkenny Families in the Great War (2012).

Patrick Devine was born into a large Roman Catholic family on 17 March 1886 in Skeaghvasteen, Kilkenny, Ireland. He lived with his parents, Patrick and Elizabeth, or Eliza, his grandmother Mary, seven siblings (out of nine) and a young niece, Eliza Lowe. Patrick’s father was a ‘Sub Postmaster’ and his mother, originally from Dublin City, worked as the District Midwife. In 1901, a 14 years-old Patrick, worked at the Post Office, as a rural postman.

Census of Ireland 1901.

In 1908, on 10 August, Patrick Devine left Skeaghvasteen and joined the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). There is one record of him serving in Brawney, Athlone, county Westmeath. On 27 October 1913, he resigned from the RIC to emigrate to Australia.[i]

Royal Irish Constabulary, HO1084, NAUK.

Patrick Joseph Devine was sworn in into the Queensland Police on 11 February 1914 (Reg No 1805). Since its inception in 1863, and until 1930, Ireland was a key source of recruits for the Queensland Police. Candidates with previous service with the Irish Constabulary or any other military/law enforcement agencies were actively sought out by Australian police.[ii] The Queensland Police Recruit Register describes Patrick as 5 feet 11 and a quarter inches tall, measuring 37 across the chest, of fresh complexion with blue eyes and dark hair.

Recruit course, Brisbane Police Depot, 1913. A number of these men volunteered for War service. Some did not return. Patrick James Moynihan (1888 – 1915) extreme right front row; John (Jack) Graham (1892 – 1917) on left 3rd row & Patrick Devine (1915-1917) on left back row at top of stairs. All three served with the 9th Battalion. (PM0111 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum).

As Patrick volunteered to enlist into the Australian Imperial Force so soon after joining the QPF, his local police service record is brief. He spent his short career as a policeman in the Traffic Office at Roma Street Station. His military record shows Patrick enlisted into the AIF on 25 June 1915.  Following a competitive exam, he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant on 30 July 1915.[iii]

The Queenslander Fifth Expeditionary Number, October 24, 1914 – p. 24. JOL, SLQ.

On 21 October 1915, Lt Devine embarked on HMAT A48 Seang Bee and left Australia for Suez. He wrote home on 26 Apr 1916 to say ‘I have been promoted First Lieutenant so the next step is Captain. Please God I will be spared to get it for the sake of all at home. (signed) Paddy’.[iv] On 24 July 1916, Lt Devine, 9th Infantry Battalion AIF, was wounded in Pozieres, France. The proceedings of a medical board indicated that Patrick was suffering from shell shock. On 8 August 1916, Devine was hospitalised at the 4th London General Hospital (RAMC). He was incapacitated for 8 weeks.

On 10 October 1916, the Medical Board, Australian Military Offices, London, found that Lt Devine was still suffering from shell shock; ‘nervous, and insomniac, sleeps badly, dreams, and has no appetite.’ Four months later, on 19 February 1917, though still suffering from shell shock, Devine was found fit for general duty.[v] Later in the year, on 20th September, Patrick’s battalion ‘went into action at Polygon Wood. They were relieved on the 23rd and returned to the line at Anzac Ridge on 30th September. They were in action again in the Battle of Broodseinde and relieved Canadian troops who had captured the quagmire of Passchendaele Ridge.’[vi] On the morning of 3 November, their position was shelled, and after fierce fighting that followed, Patrick was killed in action by ‘a bullet through the head’. He died in the field hospital, Belgium.

‘Killed in Action’, NAA 3503373.

Eva Mary Devine of 4 Brighton Buildings, Terenure Rd, Dublin, was listed as the next of kin. Patrick and Eva Mary Bethel got married while he was on leave, near the end of 1916 in South Dublin.[vii] Eva Mary would have been Patrick’s sweetheart before he resigned from the RIC and left for Australia. The Constabulary had a 10-year marriage ban for policemen, so 1916 would have been the earliest opportunity for them to get married. A year later, Eva Mary was widowed, and like millions of mothers and widows, she received an envelope, shown below, notifying her of her husband’s sacrifice to the Great War.

‘Dear Madam’, NAA 3503373.

Patrick’s grave site unknown, however, DEVINE_PATRICK is listed on the memorial to the missing at Ypres (Menin) Gate.

Memorial to the missing Menin Gate, Ypres, France.

Queensland Police and the Great War Effort, is a project by Dr Anastasia Dukova, a policing historian, which connects personal, police and war service stories and histories of the Queensland Policemen who left active police duty to volunteer in the Australian Imperial Force.

[i] RIC, HO1084, NA UK.
[ii] A Dukova, A History of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Its Colonial Legacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), p. 153
[iii] NAA 3503373.
[iv] Brannigan & Kirwan, Kilkenny Families in the Great War (2012), p. 113.
[v] Ibid, pp. 11-13.
[vi] Paul Ruge, Their Glory Shall not be Blotted Out (2006).
[vii] Eva Mary Bethel, Patrick Joseph Devine, 1916, Oct-December registration quarter; Vol 2, p. 541, Irish Marriages 1845-1958, findmypast.com.au

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This information was researched and written for the Police Museum Blog by Police Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police ANZACs: Constable Patrick Joseph Devine (17 March 1886 – 3 November 1917) by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

 

 


Easter road safety stories – “Never attend another one again”

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Unfortunately Easter is a notorious time for road crashes in Queensland.

The QPS with the support of other emergency services is currently coordinating a state-wide traffic policing operation designed to reduce the number of serious injuries, fatal traffic crashes and road related crime.

At the April 5 launch of the Easter road safety campaign Commissioner Stewart said research has shown that a high police presence on major road networks during peak holiday periods provided the community with reassurance and served as a deterrent to those engaging in high-risk behaviour.

“Anyone travelling on the state’s highways can expect to encounter police during this period,” Commissioner Stewart said.

“Officers will be out in force conducting roadside testing for drugs and alcohol, as well as covert and overt speed enforcement in high-risk zones.”

QFES Assistant Commissioner Neil Gallant said that QFES members are trained to respond to traffic incidents, however it is the type of event that is avoidable.

“If people really took care on the roads, obeyed the road rules, had patience, the amount of these incidents would be far, far fewer which would be wonderful for the fire and rescue and other emergency service responders,” Assistant Commissioner Gallant said.

“It’s a job that we’re trained for, but we’d be very happy if we never, ever had to go to another one again.”

SUNDAY LECTURE – 11am April 28 – A Crash Course in Forensic Mechanics

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Have you ever wondered how police rule out or take into consideration, vehicle faults or mechanical failure when investigating serious and fatal crashes?

Garry Ryan and Simon Major from the Queensland Police Vehicle Inspection Unit will present ‘A Crash Course in Forensic Mechanics’. They will outline the Unit’s responsibility for the mechanical examination of all types of motor vehicles and associated components that may be involved in serious injury or fatal incidents.

This one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, April 28 and will be both informative and educational, and is suitable for any audience.

Lectures are held in the Ground Floor Conference Room at QPS Headquarters.

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday, April 28 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

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The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“SUNDAY LECTURE – 11am April 28 – A Crash Course in Forensic Mechanics” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police ANZACs: Inspector Arthur Albert Bock (10 September 1883-11 May 1966)

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Portrait of Arthur Albert Bock on his wedding day. Image PM0792 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Arthur Albert Bock was born on 10 September 1883 in Bendley, South Australia to Australian-born Gottlieb Reinhold and Johanne Caroline Shilling. His mother’s family Johann Gottfried and Anna Rosina Lange immigrated from Brandenburg, Prussia.[i] Bock came from a large Protestant family. He had an older brother, Ernest Theodore and 5 younger sisters (Edith Emelia, Alice Julie, Hilda Myrtle, Wilhelmina May), and a younger brother, Hurtle George. Susan Elizabeth, born in 1884, died only a few months old.

Police

Bock was appointed into the Queensland Police Force as a trial candidate on 3 May 1904 (Reg No 467, QSA File 4759), aged 21 years. The Register, describes Arthur as 5 feel 10 inches tall, with blue eyes, fair hair, and of fresh complexion. His religion is listed as ‘Church of England’ and previous calling as a ‘Labourer’.[ii] Bock was sworn in on 1 October.

Between 1904 and 1915, Constable Bock received numerous transfers. He was stationed at Roma Street, Charters Towers, Croydon, Toowoomba, Pittsworth and Oxley. In 1909, five years after joining the QPF, Bock married Annie Atkinson. They resided in Hunter Street, Indooroopilly. By June 1915, when Bock enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force, he was an experienced and competent policeman, and also a father of three young children.

Military

On 22 June 1915, aged nearly 32 years, Bock volunteered in the Australian Imperial Force. He was taken on strength of 25th Battalion, and embarked at Brisbane on HMAT Kyarra on 3 January 1916.[iii]

Kyarra, AWM HO1992.

In May 1916, Private Bock was taken on strength of 8th Battalion. In July, he was shot in action in right thigh and admitted to the General Hospital in Calais, France. Three days later, Bock embarked on Newhaven for England and was readmitted to Fifth Northern General Hospital. In November, following a four months recovery period, he proceeded back to France. A month later he received his first promotion to Temporary Corporal. In 1917 Bock joined No 4 Officers Cadet 9th Battalion

2nd Lieutenant A. A. Bock, The Queenslander Pictorial supplement to The Queenslander 1917, JOL, SLQ.

Following his promotion to 2nd Lieutenant, he was posted to General Infantry Reinforcements. A month later, he was sent back to France and then Belgium. At Westhoe Ridge he was shot again and evacuated to War Hospital, Epsom. Both of his legs were severely wounded. On 23 October 1917, Bock was promoted to Lieutenant. A week prior, on 14 October 1917, he was awarded Military Cross for his actions at Westhoe Ridge, Belgium:

HIS MAJESTY THE KING has been pleased to confer the Military Cross on the undermentioned Officer for gallantry and distinguished service in the field:

Second Lieutenant ARTHUR ALBERT BOCK

For the conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Whilst leading his platoon this officer encountered a series of concrete dug-outs. He rushed the entrance of one, and, single-handed, captured 17 prisoners. He continued to lead his platoon until severely wounded in both legs, setting a splendid example of coolness and daring to all ranks.

30 Jan 1918, Bock embarked on A14 for Australia, ‘GSW Both Thighs Old Thrombosis [thrombosis of femoral artery]’.[iv] In May 1918, Department of Defence Melbourne, recommended that Lieutenant Bock, MC 25th Battalion, be terminated from the Australian Military Forces on medical grounds.

Bock, Ernest Theodore. Field Service, NZA 29609.

Ernest Theodore, Arthur’s older brother, also volunteered to fight in the First Wold War with the New Zealand Army. He joined in June 1916 and was killed in action on 12 September 1918 in France.

After the War

Portrait of Inspector A Bock. Image PM2031 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Bock returned to Brisbane and in May 1918, resumed police duty.

Upon resuming his duties, Senior Constable Bock was first stationed at Toogoolawah, then Sandgate, Barcaldine, Longreach, Fortitude Valley and Roma Street. In the 1920s he organised and commanded a staff of plain clothes police at Roma St Headquarters. Between 1927 and 1930s, Bock rose to the rank of Inspector and was awarded numerous favourable records. In January 1927, he was awarded a favourable record for ‘good work performed in conjunction with other Police in connection with the arrest and conviction of Harry Collins; William Hy Power; etc., for the theft of £145 from QN Bank, Brisbane.[v] In 1932, Sub Inspector Bock was granted a reward of £25 by the Arson Award Agreement for good work, in conjunction with other Police in connection with the conviction of Mrs Jane Campbell for arson at Bowen Hills.[vi]

November 1939, Inspector F.M. O’Driscoll, Inspector A. Bock, Policewoman Eileen O’Donnell, Chief Inspector J.E. Toohill, Senior Sergeant H. O’Brien (president of the Police Union), Sub-Inspector J. Bookless photographed with Mr C.H. Greaves, manager of the Tivoli Theatre, at a private screening of movie “Undercover Doctor” (adapted from the book “Persons in Hiding” by J. Edgar Hoover). Image PM1480 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Inspector Bock retired from the Queensland Police on 10 September 1943.

Brisbane Courier, 9 Sep 1943, p. 4

Arthur and Annie Bock went on to have five children: Ronald Atkinson Bock, Dulcie Jean Peterson (neé Bock), Olga Ruth Lang, Lillian Edith McIver, Hurtle Arthur Bock.

Norma Morris and Dulcie Peterson (nee Bock) entering a Taxi. Donated By Dulcie Peterson. Image PM2730 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Dulcie Jean, born on 22 August 1920, joined the Queensland Police as a probationary Policewoman (19WP) in March 1946, her appointment was confirmed a year later. Until 1970s, PWs did not carry weapons or had full powers of arrest and retained a probationary status for the entire duration of employment in the force.

CIB Memo, 11 Mar 1946. AF5496, QSA.

Prior to joining the police, Dulcie served for 3 years and 10 months as a Sergeant Stenographer in the Australian Women’s Army Service during the Second World War, based out of Land Headquarters in Melbourne. She married Constable Victor Henry Peterson in 1948 and resigned from the force in August 1950.

Group of policewomen at Muriel Beresford’s wedding (married to become Muriel Bath), May 1948. L-R: Eileen F.E. Taylor (married – Todhunter); Mary Spence (married – Nesbitt); Laura Frisch; Joan McKenna; Dulcie Bock (married Peterson). Donated by Dulcie Peterson. Image PM 2729 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Arthur Albert Bock died on 11 May 1966 from cerebral haemorrhage at the Repatriation Hospital, Greenslopes.

Queensland Police and the Great War Effort, is a project by Dr Anastasia Dukova, a policing historian, which connects personal, police and war service stories and histories of the Queensland Policemen who left active police duty to volunteer in the Australian Imperial Force.

[i] Netherlands, Genealogie Online Trees Index, 1000-2015.
[ii] Register of Members of the Queensland Police, 1895-1917 and 1879-1924.
[iii] NAA B2455.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] QPG Jan 1927, QP Service History
[vi] QP Service History

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This information was researched and written for the Police Museum Blog by Police Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police ANZACs: Inspector Arthur Albert Bock (10 September 1883-11 May 1966) by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

 

Special Event – LAW WEEK 13-17 May 2019

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Law Week is an annual, national event which aims to foster a better understanding of the role law and justice plays in our society. It occurs between Monday 13 – Friday 17 May 2019.

The QPM will provide FREE presentations on how a homicide is investigated by Queensland Police and how a specific murder was solved, on two days across Law Week.

Sessions times will be on the morning of Monday May 13 (11am-12pm)* and the afternoon of Thursday May 16 (2pm-3pm)*

Book via – https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/law-crime-and-justice-trail-tickets-60232285387?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/corporate/events-seminars/law-week

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The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“Special Event – LAW WEEK 13-17 May 2019 by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Police issue urgent warning following QPS phone number used in scam

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Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Financial and Cyber Crime Group have issued a warning to Queensland residents about a scam using a Queensland Police Service phone number to legitimise a government or Australian Taxation Office (ATO) impersonation scam.

In this instance the criminals are using a practice known as caller ID spoofing where they inappropriately manipulate the telephone network to indicate the incoming call is from a different number (in this case a QPS number).

The scam starts when the criminal calls the victim impersonating a government department. They advise the victim has an outstanding fine or fee with them (for example, the ATO). While this type of scam has been doing the rounds for some time, police are concerned this version of the scam has an additional layer which may result in more members of the community falling victim.

The second part of the scam involves the criminal calling the victim from what appears to be a trusted or well-known government phone number and impersonating an employee from the organisation (in this case a police officer) to legitimise the scam.  The criminal posing as a police officer threatens you with arrest or states they will commence legal action before demanding a form of payment.

“While this may sound alarm bells and cause the public to become extra cynical when they receive a call like this, then we are 100% fine with this. We want you to be on your guard and we want you to question anyone who asks you for money.

“The biggest fault in this scam is that they ask you to pay the fee or fine in gift cards. Just know, no government agency, law enforcement or any legitimate organisation will ask you to pay them in gift cards,” Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence of the Financial and Cyber Crime Group said.

Australian Cyber Online Reporting Network (ACORN) indicates they have had 121 reports of the ATO scam in Queensland in 2019, totalling $173,000.

Police have commenced enquiries regarding this scam and the illegal use of the police number.

Members of the public can learn about scams at www.scamwatch.gov.au, mypolice.qld.gov.au R U In Control.  Scams can be reported to www.acorn.gov.au

If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.

You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.

FROM the VAULT -The battle for Spring Hill

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In 1981 Courier-Mail journalist Neil Groom interviewed 83-year-old retired Inspector Arthur Bruce Clark, affectionately known as ‘Nobby’.

Detective Acting Sergeant Arthur “Nobby” Clark, 1934.

Arthur joined the Queensland Police Force in 1919, he became a Detective Constable with the Brisbane CIB in in 1929. Across his 39 years he served at the Depot Stables, Rosewood, Cairns, Roma Street, the Brisbane CIB and Fortitude Valley as OIC. In this article ‘Nobby’ talks about his days of working in Spring Hill during its more notorious period when policing was accomplished via a bicycle.

The Battle for Spring Hill, Courier-Mail, 1981. Drawing by Mac Vines.

 

Words by Neil Groom:

The battle for Spring Hill in the late 1920s began like a commando Operation. Inspector Arthur Bock, a WW1 officer decorated for bravery in battle, summoned four of his toughest policemen at Roma Street police headquarters and told them: “We have lost possession of Spring Hill.”

The facts were that the police in Sydney in the late 1920s had cleaned out the underworld there and the crims had come flocking to Brisbane. They had dug in at Spring Hill — the thugs, the sly groggers, the prostitutes, the pimps, the gunmen. The four policemen at the “Win back the Hill” briefing were A B. “Nubby” Clark. George Muller, Frank Voigt and Les Beahan. Inspector Bock didn’t waste words. In this clean-up mission, he said, be didn’t want descriptions of men who had got away.

By present standards, the campaign by the police squad was almost amusing. They were issued with bicycles. Pedal power was one of their weapons to fight a horde of bad men. The crime fighters started their beats at 7 each night and finished at 3am. “If each of us wasn’t in a fight by the time we had tea at 1am, we felt we were slipping.” “Nobby” Clark recalled this week.

It was a red-blooded battle. It was a case of grabbing the crims, whether they resisted or not, and getting them into court. On one occasion “Nobby” made a clean sweep in a haul. He got word that four gunmen had hit the Hill with the intention of demolishing a man. “Nobby” arrested the four of them in one hit as they were sitting in a car.

Spring Hill panorama ca. 1930 (SLQ Image 6718-0001-0001)

Sprint Hill was the toughest part of the city. A citizen didn’t have to wait until night to run the risk of being clobbered and robbed. The thugs would pounce the daylight; but the nights in the narrow, meandering streets were evil. Herbert Street was notorious. There was an infamous gathering of criminals there. These days it is known as Astor Terrace. The late 1920s and early 1930s were testing years for policemen who patrolled the Hill. Many a police reputation for toughness was established by the way a young constable handled his hill beat. In the original Muller, Vogt, Clark, Behan team, “Nobby” copped the most strife … he was the smallest. “But It was good exercise,” he said. It certainly kept him in good nick, for today, at the age of 83, he is in fine shape. He sticks to a muscle straining physical fitness routine. “Nobby” was on his Hill beat from 1929 to 1931. He used to pedal his bicycle from his home at New farm to Roma Street police station, then cycle around the Hill beat. Considering that there was likely to be a scuffle or two before he finished work, it was hardly a dull life. Then, after finishing at 3am, he would have to have his court charges ready for 10am, the same day. And there was a stack of charges arising from the Spring Hill clients.

By the mid-1930s, Spring Hill had lost its notoriety. The baddies had gone, and the beat police did not face a nightly session violence. The police had won the battle of the Hill. In his years there, “Nobby” had only suffered an injured hand. The government of the day bad been relieved of a big worry. ln parliament it was revealed that graffiti in a lavatory at North Quay advised me the south: “Get your name on the roll. Register for work. Stay away from “Nobby” Clark.”

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The information in this post is taken from a 1981 Courier-Mail article, words by Neil Groom and drawings by Mac Vines. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT -The battle for Spring Hill”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

SUNDAY LECTURE – 11am on May 26 – How Brisbane fought the Spanish Flu in 1919

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The 1919 Spanish Flu epidemic was the biggest killer in history and the deadliest disaster Brisbane ever endured. The story is, of course, dramatic and sad. It’s also inspirational: not only in terms of the heroic work done by doctors and nurses but also the work of police officers to stop the spread of the disease.

Constable Victor Anders and (3rd left) and three other Constables at Coolangatta, as part of the “Queensland Police Border Patrol”, May 23rd 1919. (QPM Image PM3833a)

Matthew Wengert is a historical researcher and writer with an interest in medical history and Queensland’s colonial frontier. He will discuss his research regarding the Spanish Flu and its arrival in Australia and will talk specifically about the roles police played during the epidemic–some funny, some very grim.

Matthew received the 2018 Brisbane City Council’s Lord Mayor’s Helen Taylor Research Award for Local History and has a book out called City in Masks: How Brisbane fought the Spanish Flu”.

This one-and-a-half-hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, 26 May and will be both informative and educational, and is suitable for any audience.

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The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday, 26 May from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.


Crime and Justice Bus Tour – Saturday 29 June – 9am-3.30pm – 4 places available

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Our usual Sunday Lecture in June is being replaced with a Crime and Justice Bus Tour on Saturday, 29 June.  This tour will travel from Brisbane to Southport and back to Boggo Road Gaol. It will follow the timeline of events connected with the murder of Athol McCowan in 1952 and the arrest and incarceration of Slim Halliday.

DATE: Saturday 29 June

PICK UP & DROP OFF: Boggo Road Gaol, 21 Boggo Road (Off Annerley Road), Dutton Park

PLEASE ARRIVE: 08:45

BUS DEPARTS: 09:00 SHARP

BUS RETURNS: 15:30 (depending on the traffic)

COST: $35 per person (Covers the cost of bus hire)

FOOD: Bring a bottle of water; Morning Tea will be provided but Lunch will be at your own cost

There are 4 places still available on the bus.

Please email us at museum@police.qld.gov.au to reserve a spot, bookings will be taken on a first come, first serve basis.

Once we are booked out an email will be sent regarding payment for the tour.

 

 

 

Special Event – QUEENSLAND DAY CELEBRATIONS 3-7 June 2019

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Queensland Day is a celebration of Queensland’s birthday and its official separation from New South Wales as an independent colony on 6 June 1859. Legal aspects of our State’s history will be explored during the week around Queensland Day (Monday 3 – Friday 7 June).

Early view of Queen Street, Brisbane, c1859.
Image 14386 courtesy of the State Library of Queensland.

The Police Museum will provide guided tours of the Queensland Police Museum exhibitions spaces so visitors can learn more about how policing has changed over the last 155 years to meet the needs of our community.

These FREE tours are available on the morning of Monday June 3 (10am-11am)* and the morning of Tuesday June 4 (9am-10 am)*.

Book via – https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/law-crime-and-justice-trail-tickets-60232285387?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

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The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“Special Event: Queensland Day Celebrations 3-7 June 2019 by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT – Single officer stations

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At December 1864, in the first year of operation of the Queensland Police Force, there were 27 ordinary police stations with 151 foot and mounted officers, and 16 native police camps of 136 European officers and indigenous troopers. Twenty of the ‘ordinary police force’ stations averaged four officers each, the bigger stations like Brisbane, Ipswich, Rockhampton and Maryborough had larger staff numbers. Native police camps averaged between 7 and 17 men, large camps like Rockhampton could have up to 27 men of both officers and troopers.

Constable George Chatfield heads up a peace procession in Kalbar to celebrate the end of First World War, 1918. Kalbar Police Station, previously known as Engelsburg was opened April 25, 1899. The town name was changed to Kalbar in September, 1916. It is currently staffed by a Senior Constable. Image PM0875 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

As policing reached across the state more and more stations were opened usually in small towns of less than 300 people or in places that were growing due to the building of train lines or the discovery of gold. By December 1884, twenty years after the inauguration of the Police Force, there were 155 stations with 657 police officers and 182 indigenous troopers and trackers. There was also a growth in the number of single officer stations. In 1884, 36 stations were operated by single police officers, of these 6 were assisted in their duties by an indigenous tracker.

Constable Daniel Fitzgibbon and his wife relax on the verandah of the Laura Police residence, 1906. Laura Police Station opened in 1877 with Sub-Inspector 1/c Hervey Fitzgerald in charge. It is still a single officer station today and is staffed by a Senior Constable. Image No. PM0190 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Running a police station with one officer was a daunting task. Often there was no station building and one had to be rented or moves made to purchase something suitable. Married officers were generally not sent to single officer stations as there was generally no accommodation for them in town. However, wives who did join their husbands, found themselves looking after the station and taking enquiries, while her husband was away. Her tasks could also involve feeding and cleaning up after prisoners in the lock-up.

This highly decorated missive was presented to Sergeant Lawrence Clare by the citizens of the Esk District when he was transferred in March 1909. Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum Collection. It reads:
To
Sergeant L. J. Clare
Together with a Purse of Forty Sovereigns
From his many friends in the Esk Police District
Dear Sir
We, the residents of Esk and District, desire to approach you with the purest sentiments of congratulation at the close of your most efficient service of Ten Years as Constable and Sergeant in charge of our large District. Those who have been associated with you will long cherish your courtesy and untiring zeal in carrying out at all times your official duties with credit to yourself and the Department in which you are engaged. In presenting you with the accompanying gift we are deeply sensible that it is in no sense an adequate measure of your excellent qualities and labours; nor do we wish you to regard it in the light of a recompense but ask you to accept it as a mark of our regard. In conclusion, we sincerely wish that both yourself and your family will in future have every happiness and prosperity.
Signed for on behalf of the Subscribers.
Alex Smith, Chairman Esk Shire Council

The good will of the community was necessary if an officer was to be able to carry out his duties effectively while in town and to then to be confident that nothing untoward would happen while he was away checking the rest of his beat by horse. Communities were often loath to let an officer go when he was transferred away and often took up petitions and wrote letters to the Police Commissioner begging for the officer to remain in town. Long standing officers were often presented with gifts and highly decorated letters of thanks from their community.

The first officer to be stationed at Millaa-Millaa, Constable Daniel Dwyer, standing beside his horse, with his dog at heel, 1922. Millaa-Millaa police station opened in 1922, has always been a single officer station and is currently staffed by a Senior Constable.

MacKinlay Police Station, c1950. Somewhere along the way MacKinlay became McKinlay. The Police Station was opened in 1893 and it is currently staffed by a female Senior Constable. Image No. PM1509 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

There are still several stations run by single officers, in small communities across the state. All the photographs here are of single officer stations, the majority of which still exist today and are still run by one officer all be it in more comfortable circumstances than available in the past.

This is the very first Eromanga police residence which was built in 1894 so the police officer could bring his wife out to live with him. This photograph was taken around 1960. Eromanga Police Station was first opened on the 26 September 1891 in a two roomed cottage rented at a cost of five shillings per week, with Senior Constable Manuell in charge. At this time the township consisted of one large store owned by Mr W Paterson, two first class ‘public houses’ built of brick, and a couple of ‘humpys’. The resident population was about 20 and there was always a number of men from the opal mines and stations ‘knocking down their cheques’ at Eromanga’s public houses. Senior Constable Manuell remained in charge of Eromanga until he was instructed to close this station on the 31 December 1891, and to proceed to Thargomindah. The station reopened in 1893. It is still a single officer station and is staffed by a Senior Constable. Image No. PM1600e Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

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The story was written by Curator, Lisa Jones, from resources held in the Museum’s collections. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Single officer stations”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT – Crime Reporting

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Since 1864, the writing and typing of official crime reports has been an essential but frustrating aspect of the job for many police officers. Report writing kept officers from hours of patrolling for 106 years, before new technologies lightened the load.

Ansaphone service operators type recorded incident reports, 1978. Image PRNeg1978-SL4323d Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

In November 1970, in an effort to save officers from crime report writing, the “Ansafone” tape service recording system became active in the Brisbane Metropolitan area. This service allowed night patrol police crews to dictate by telephone, criminal offence reports received by them during the course of their patrols. The taped criminal offence reports were then typed at the Police Communication Centre and distributed in accordance with a pre-arranged process. In the first seven months of the Ansafone service a total of 700 criminal offence reports were recorded and typed.

The Ansaphone section of the Information Bureau, which was located in old Queensland Police Headquarters in Makerston Street, 1986. Image PM2880 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

By 1978 some 15,251 incident reports were handled by the four Ansafone service operators, which saved about 5,000 hours for active police patrolling. In 1981 Ansafone operators processed 394 reports per week and the service was extended to Beenleigh, Ipswich and Redcliffe. By June 1986 operators were typing 630 incident reports per week but in subsequent years the number of reports being made this way decreased. This was probably due to the outdating of equipment and the difficulty posed when trying to access filed crime reports.

In 1992, a pilot version of the database product called the Crime Reporting Information System for Police (CRISP) was successfully trialled. A modern version of ‘Ansafone”, CRISP provided quick access to crime details to all police through a central data collection system. The centralised database also allowed regional and local police to access up to date and comprehensive profiles of reported crime in their own areas. In 1993, the Information Management Section was established and by June 1994 CRISP was fully implemented in the Metropolitan South, South Eastern and Metropolitan North regions and in the State Crime Operations and Operations Support commands.

A CRISP operator enters a crime report into the system, 1995. Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

CRISP was touted as a system that would save police officers 213,000 hours of typing per annum. Between June 1993 and June 1994, the CRISP system processed an average of 575 crimes per day. By 1995, CRISP had been implemented state-wide and was staffed by 46 operators. Over the next 15 years staffing levels grew to 140 to cope with the work load. The section changed its name to the Police Assistance Centre in 2007. In that year CRISP was replaced by the next generation Queensland Police Records and Information Management Exchange system (QPrime) and the section boasted 200 skilled operators.

Police Assistance operators are highly skilled and need to be able to adapt to a constantly changing informational environment, 2010. Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Policelink is now the primary contact point for the Queensland Police Service. Policelink was introduced in 2010 as a central contact point across the state, to enhance the ability of the Queensland Police Service to respond in a professional and timely manner. The contact centre is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. By phoning 131 444, you will speak with a Policelink Client Service Officer who can assist to generate a non-urgent property incident report, provide answers to general police enquiries, among other functions.​ Policelink enhances the services the Queensland Police can provide to the State by allowing Police Officers more time to perform operational duties, improving front line response times.​  (https://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/policelink/default.htm)

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.

The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Crime Reporting”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT- Driver Training

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In 1971, due to the number of accidents involving police vehicles, a Driver Training Wing began operating, to instruct police on car and motorcycle handling and especially alternative means to high speed pursuits. In November 1983 the Driver Training Wing was transferred from the Petrie Terrace Depot to the Queensland Police Academy.

Police officer Ray Andrews on his Kawasaki 1000 tries out the Police Driver Training track at the Surfers Paradise Raceway, 1979.
Image No. PM1433 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Driver Training facilities were mobile through the 1970s and were first practiced at the Lakeside Raceway, later the Caboolture Raceway was used, followed by the Surfer’s Paradise International Raceway. In September 1975 a block of over 41 hectares at Mount Cotton was gazetted as a police centre. Stage 1 of a five-stage complex was opened in February 1983 – consisting of a small skid pan and an administration block.

A police driver in training at the Caboolture Raceway, Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum 1979.
Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The Mt Cotton centre was managed by Queensland Transport and the Queensland Police Driver Training Wing remained at the Academy. Police officers in training were taken by bus to the Mt Cotton site and the Surfer’s Paradise International Raceway. The Driver Training Wing moved from the Academy to the Mt Cotton site on July 15, 1987.

Police cars and motorbikes try out the Mt Cotton Driver Training Track at the centre’s opening in 1983.
Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The new driver training area and classrooms at the new Queensland Police Academy site at Wacol, were officially opened on 3 November 3, 2010 and are now being used by the Driver Training Unit.  The new driver training area includes: 2.5 kilometres of road circuit; a technically challenging urban simulation environment including traffic lights, roundabouts and building facades; a dedicated off-road skills circuit for both four-wheel-drive and trail-bike training; and two sealed surface, large vehicle manoeuvring areas, including controlled irrigation.

The QPS Driver Training Centre was opened in 2010.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.

The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“Driver Training”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT – Rewan: A Stud Farm for Breeding Police Horses

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At the turn of the 20th century the Queensland Police obtained its horses by purchase. In 1904 after Police Commissioner Parry-Okeden urged that the Police Department should breed its own horses, a stud farm with an area of 8.6 km2 at Woodford was established. It was used for police mares and for growing feed. Stallions were hired for £30 and between them sired 26 foals. However, this small reserve was found to be both unsuitable and inadequate and so with the cost of buying horses ever rising, the Department looked elsewhere for a larger breeding establishment.

Four policemen (not in uniform) sitting beside a small river at Rewan near Rolleston. These men were sent to the stud farm to build houses and stables, 1909.

In 1908-9 Police Commissioner Cahill reported that he had obtained “a very fine reserve at Carnarvon (now called “Rewan”) of 78 000 acres (318 km2), resumed from the Consuelo leasehold.” The Woodford mares and foals as well as two purchased stallions, ‘Libertine’ and ‘Mack’, were sent by rail to Roma and then over the range to Rewan. Improvements to the property were also carried out to make it a habitable police station and breeding establishment. Rewan was proclaimed as a stud farm for breeding police horses in April 1909.

By 1912 the first 69 Rewan bred remounts were ready for police work. At that time the property was running 400 horses and over 200 head of cattle, under the control of Senior Sergeant John Campbell, two Constables and three Indigenous Trackers. The staff were also carrying out various improvements, erecting stables, stalls, fences and yards, and cutting out prickly pear.

The Stallion “Libertine” was sent by rail from the Woodford Stud to Rewan as one of the initial breeding stock, 1910.

For the 1915 – 1916 year, only 20 foals were born from 124 breeding mares, due to the lack of grass from a two year drought. By the end of the decade, however, the situation had improved and the authorities were expressing satisfaction with the experiment. For the 1919 – 1920 year, Rewan ran five stallions, 177 mares with 70 foals at foot, and 445 other horses, worth a total of £9104. There were also over 1000 head of cattle valued at £9735.

Rewan station buildings and garden, 1910.

Rewan was plagued by a series of droughts between 1926 and 1932 and in one of these years only two foals were born. Even the successful cattle section of the station was badly affected by  the dry conditions of 1931, which killed 1046 head including 38 out of 44 bulls. Apart from the droughts and fires, it was also felt that breeding practices had deteriorated. The best mares were being sent away for remounts so that stallions were being put with poor mares.

These buildings are still on the property even though the land has changed hands a number of times. Using Police Museum resources, along with the great work of retired Detective Sergeant Tom MahonRewan, the former Queensland Police Horse Breeding Station, was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on on 31 May 2019. To read the full QHR entry click this link https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=650094

Rewan cattle on Bluegum Flat, 1910.

The press attacked Rewan for its cost in this time of depression and the Police Union asserted that a better type of horse could be purchased outside more cheaply. In 1933, Home Secretary Hanlon finally admitted that Rewan was a “distinct failure”. The property having made an overall loss of £27 000. The government decided to close it down, giving its reasons as inaccessibility and the unsuitability of Rewan horses for the work in the north.  In 1933 the Rewan stud farm for breeding police horses was closed.

The horse named “Brisbane”, selected from Rewan stock, was sent to London in the charge of Constable Fenwick Wilson (the office astride the horse) as a gift from the Queensland Government to King George V. in July, 1911.

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This information was researched by Curator Lisa Jones and sourced from the best Queensland Police Museum resources available at the time of writing. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

From the Vault – Rewan: A Stud Farm for Breeding Police Horses by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT – Foot, Hoof and Wheel

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Before motorcars or the motorcycles were in general use, police officers employed other means of getting from A to B.

Walking the beat was part of a Police Officer’s rostered duty. The 1869 Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force outlines what was expected of a Constable out on his beat. “It is indispensably necessary that he should make himself perfectly acquainted with all the parts of his beat or section, with streets, thoroughfares, courts and houses” and goes on to say “He will pay particular attention to all public-houses within his beat, reporting the hour at which each is closed, and whether they appear to be conducted in an orderly manner”. The 1876 Manual of Police Regulations was even more specific and instructed police to remove pieces of orange peel whenever they were seen on the pavement because of the frequent accidents which occurred when people slipped on the offending peel!

A police officer walking his beat crosses Queen Street, Brisbane, c1900. Image No. PM0396 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In 1886 camels were introduced as an excellent transport option for stations such as Birdsville and Bedourie. They continued to be used into the 1930s.

Constable Vincent Rafter on a police camel at Bedourie, 1930. Image No. PM1570 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In 1896 Police Commissioner Parry-Okeden introduced the bicycle as a legitimate means of police transport. Bicycles were most useful in regional towns which were too busy for horses but which were too large for walking to be the most efficient way of getting around. Although we are not exactly sure of the first used, later manufacturers were Massey Harris, B.S.A and Allday & Onions. Bicycles as a means of transport went out of favour in the late 1940s.

Bicycles were first introduced to the Queensland Police in 1896. In this 1896 studio shot, Constable Patrick Duffy sits astride his police bicycle. Image No. PM0128 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Horses remained as a popular transport choice in the smaller and more remote country areas well into the 1960s.

Constable Charles Taylor and troop horse “Hawthorn” in front of the Gatton police station, March 17, 1934. Image No. PM0115 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information was researched by Curator Lisa Jones and sourced from the best Queensland Police Museum resources available at the time of writing. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Foot, Hoof and Wheel”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode


Sunday Lecture Series – 28 July – The Fitzgerald Inquiry and Report: 30 years on

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The Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct (the Fitzgerald Inquiry; 1987–1989) was established in response to a series of articles on high-level police corruption in The Courier-Mail by reporter Phil Dickie, followed by a Four Corners television report, aired on 11 May 1987, entitled “The Moonlight State” with reporter Chris Masters. Both reports highlighted prostitution, gambling and possible police corruption. With Queensland’s Premier of 18 years, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, out of the state, his deputy Bill Gunn ordered a commission of inquiry the day after the television report was broadcast; on Tuesday 12 May 1987.

Fitzgerald Inquiry Report

The handing down of the Fitzgerald Report on 3 July 1989 was one of the most defining moments in Queensland’s political, administrative and policing history. The reports were printed under armed guard at the Government Printer, South Brisbane. They were collected from there by two heavily armed Queensland Police, who conveyed them to the assembled media representatives in the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. Thirty years have passed since that memorable day, and there are now opportunities to reflect on the Fitzgerald legacy, to recount some experiences of the police working for Fitzgerald, and even to recall some of the “lighter moments” of the two-year inquiry.

The four presenters are all experts in their various fields and have vivid recollections of the Inquiry.  As well as these four, we expect to have other former high-profile identities from the Fitzgerald era.  After the final presenter today, these other personalities will be invited to form part of a larger “Fitzgerald” panel, to share their experiences and take questions from the floor.  30 years might have passed, but the interest remains.

This whole day of presentations will start at 9.30am and finish at 3pm on Sunday, 28 July and will be both informative and educational, and suitable for a general audience.

Limited Seating Available, Bookings are Essential,  please email  museum@police.qld.gov.au to secure a seat- RSVP by COB 23 July.

0930 – 1000 MORNING TEA
1000 – 1015 Introduction Professor Mark Finnane of Griffith University
1015 – 1100 Matt Condon OAM The allegations leading up to and the establishment of the Inquiry. The role of the Courier-Mail during the Inquiry and publication of the Report.
1100 – 1145 Mr Barry Krosch The Inquiry and Report: Recollections of a kid from Kingaroy. (Including a few of the lighter moments)
1145 – 1230 Mr. Alan MacSporran QC The establishment of CJC, CMC and now the CCC. Current Roles and Objectives.
1230 – 1330 LUNCH
1330 – 1415 Mr. Terry O’Gorman The Fitzgerald reforms 30 years on – complaints against police, the CCC and the role of Parliament. Further changes that are needed to prevent backsliding.
1415 – 1430 Professor Mark Finnane Summing Up
1430 – 1500 Panel Presentation A panel consisting of the four presenters and any other former high profile “Fitzgerald” identities, who will share their experiences and take questions from the floor.

Limited Seating Available, Bookings are Essential,  please email  museum@police.qld.gov.au to secure a seat- RSVP by COB 23 July.

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums. The Police Museum will open Sunday, 28 July from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

FROM the VAULT – Police Station Identification – A Sign of the Times

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This cast iron Queensland Police Station Badge was use as a station identifier between 1911 and 1958. Image Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

During the 19th century, police stations were not identified in any way, so if you wanted to find one you needed some luck or local knowledge. In 1907, Police Commissioner William Cahill and the Deputy Queensland Government Architect, designed the Queensland Police Station Badge based on the police cap badge of the time.

In 1911, 300 cast iron badges, each weighing 17 pounds (7kgs) and costing 4 shillings and 10 pence, were manufactured for the Police Department by Harvey & Son, Globe Iron Works, Brisbane and distributed as identification badges to every Police Station in the State.

On November 11, 1958 because of complaints that police stations were not readily identifiable, the Department of Works was asked to supply conspicuous illuminated signs showing POLICE in black letters on a white background. On May 5, 1959, a sample illuminated sign was erected at Holland Park Police Station and with that success, an order was placed with Albert Smith and Son to manufacture these signs.

 

 

Blackbutt Police Station, 1912. Note the station badge attached to the peak of the right hand tent. Image No. PM0096 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Cairns Police Station, 1948. Note the station badge above and to the left of the entry. Image No. PM0749 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Over the next decade the illuminated signs were progressively installed at stations and the old style cast iron badges were returned to the Police Depot. Sometime in the late 1960s the illuminated word POLICE, was produced in white letters on a black background, and in the mid 1980s a blue light was added to the top for more effect.

Original plan drawing for the first illuminated POLICE sign, dated November 26, 1958. Image Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Mundubbera Police Station, c1985. Note the illuminated sign with blue light. Image Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information was researched by Curator Lisa Jones and sourced from the best Queensland Police Museum resources available at the time of writing. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Police Station Identification – A Sign of the Times”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT: 3…2…1 Lift Off!

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Sergeant Edward Creedy on his horse outside Newmarket State School, 1930. PM0729 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

From time to time we find images in the Queensland Police Museum collection which peak our interest. A number of such images were donated to us in 1988 and have in common a particular police officer by the name of Edward Michael Creedy.

Newmarket Police Station, 1938. PM0727 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Constable Edward Creedy was born at Grandchester in the Laidley Valley in 1881. Between 1901 and 1902 he served as a member of the Imperial Bushmen during the Boer war before joining the Queensland police on December 13, 1902. Creedy served at  eight police stations and travelled as far afield as Thargomindah. In 1906, while serving in Charleville, he met and married Ethel Nethercote, the daughter of Inspector Nethercote. They had two sons James and John. Acting Sergeant Creedy was transferred to the Newmarket Police Station in March 1921 and remained at this station until his retirement as a Sergeant in November 1940, just shy of his 60th birthday.

Ethel Creedy, wife of Sergeant Edward Creedy stands on the front stairs of the Newmarket Police Station, May 1937. As the daughter of Inspector Nethercote, who served for 32 years, Ethel would have been quite used to moving from town to town with her husband as he was transferred around the state. PM0724 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

This selection of images gives you some idea of the varied policing duties encountered by Edward Creedy during his 19 years in the Newmarket District.

The first tram to the Grange, c1940. Sergeant Edward Creedy watches the festivities, he is facing away from camera in the bottom right hand corner of the image. These people are on the back of the tram: Mr Muirhead, President of the Progress Association; Alderman Lanham, Brisbane City Council; William Jolly, Lord Mayor; James Kerr MLA. PM0728 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

…3 – Sergeant Edward Creedy, on right, poses with another member of the Australian Rocket Society at Enoggera Rifle Range with the rocket to be tested in the launch demonstration held on September 24, 1936. Image No PM0726 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

… 2 – Sergeant Edward Creedy, on right, with a member of the Australian Rocket Society ready to launch the rocket at the Enoggera Rifle Range on September 24,1936. Image No PM0725 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum. Image No PM0725 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

… 1 – Sergeant Edward Creedy, on left, stands alongside a member of the Australian Rocket Society at the landing site of the launched rocket which travelled 300 yards along the Enoggera Rifle Range, on September 24, 1936. Image No PM0723 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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The information in this post was written by Curator, Lisa Jones, from resources held in Police Museum collections. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT: 3…2…1 Lift Off!”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT: Crocodile Attack, 1932

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The snared crocodile, thought to be the one that took the little Betty Doherty, is trapped and taken to Halifax by motor lorry so that its stomach contents can be examined for remains of the child. Constable George Schnitzerling stands at the crocodile’s head and Constable Jens Fredericksen stands at the tail, January 17, 1932. Image No PM1455 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

On Tuesday January 5, 1932, four-year-old Betty Doherty was taken by 4 meter crocodile as she and her four siblings were playing near their home on the banks of the Seymour River, about 12 kilometers east of Halifax.

Newspaper accounts say that the Doherty children were playing on the banks of the river near their home, when the crocodile suddenly appeared. 12 year old John Doherty carried one child to safety, and was carrying Betty from the danger zone when the reptile grasped the child’s legs in its jaws, and tore her from her brother’s grasp. John ran after Betty and caught her by the shoulders and bravely tried to save her, but the crocodile was too strong and hauled the baby into the water and too her beneath the surface. The distraught boy ran home and to tell his father of the terrible event.

Mr. Doherty immediately informed the Halifax police of the tragedy, and officers Acting Sergeant Frank Conaty along with Constables George Schnitzerling; Jens Fredericksen and Arnold Still, made an extensive search of the water and banks on the day of the crocodile attack and for several days afterwards, but failed to find any trace of the child.

The hunters who snared the crocodile, demonstrate the size of the beast, January 17, 1932. Image No PM1457 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

A week after the attack, hunters Arthur Shaw, Bertie Carr and Jack Taylor, were hired to lay three snares along the river bank. On January 17, the crocodile believed to have taken Betty Doherty, was trapped about 100 yards south of the scene of the tragedy. Three Halifax police officers and the hunters took the crocodile by motor lorry to Halifax so that the stomach contents could be examined. No human remains were found in the crocodile’s stomach and the body of Betty Doherty was never found.

Constable George Schnitzerling, 2nd from left, with the three hunters, Arthur Shaw (1st left), Bertie Carr (3rd left) and Jack Taylor (right), whose snares captured the crocodile, January 17, 1932. Image No PM1476 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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The information in this post was written by Curator, Lisa Jones, from resources held in Police Museum collections. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT: Crocodile Attack, 1932”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

FROM the VAULT: Real People…..

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The Police Museum’s image collection includes many interesting police related images. Today we show you five of the Curator’s favourites, in chronological order.

A SCRUFFY BUNCH
Queensland Police officers, c1864.
Image PM1946 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

WATER RATS
Brisbane Water Police, c1875
Seated: Henry Roughsedge, Henry Ross, George Burge
Standing: Henry Bycroft, Ambrose Taylor, James Wassell, Mathew Henning Anderson & William Henry Wardle
Image No. PM0001 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

ONE IN, ALL IN
A police officer, his wife and child, with the station tracker, standing outside a typical country police station, c1910
Image No. PM0618 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

SPOT THE POLICE OFFICERS
Brisbane Victory in the Pacific Day (VP) celebrations, August 15, 1945
Image No. PM2137 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

SHOW OFF
Constable 1/c Bill English demonstrates the new reflector gauntlets which were used for directing traffic at night, 1958.
Image No. PM1072 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

These images come from the Police Museum collection. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au.

“FROM the VAULT: Real People…”  by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

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