The Queensland Police Museum conducts and facilitates research for the members of the Queensland Police Service, other organisations and the public. Family history research and the desire to know more about your great grandfather or grandfather/mother represents a large part of our work. Police officers serving in small towns and realising there is an upcoming anniversary are keen to contribute to the celebrations by presenting a display or information regarding the policing history of the town. We receive all sorts of questions regarding various aspects of Queensland Police history. Just as we think we have heard every possible question an unusual one will pop up, that will make us say, that’s different. We use a wide range of resources to answer all these queries, and the Police District Annual Reports is one of those.
The following are some excerpts from the Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports 1909-1959.
1911: “One serious crime took place during the year, that of a murder of an Afghan in the bush and subsequent burning of the body, for which a white man was arrested, convicted upon circumstantial evidence and sentenced to death, which was, however commuted to imprisonment for life”.
1912: “A return of criminal statistics is forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Branch, monthly, while fingerprints are sent to that Branch of offenders or in custody for any serious offence. The records of criminals are applied for and supplied by the Criminal Investigation Branch, which often enables the police to present the records of southern criminals committing offences in the North”.
1913: New police Stations were opened at Quamby and MacGregor,
1917: “It is a practice of many stations in this District not to brand all their cattle till they are from eighteen months to two years old, this is an inducement to cattle thieves as when once such cattle are taken off their run they cannot be identified. Owing to the war stockmen in this District are very scarce and station owners cannot get them”.
1919: Two new police stations opened at Dajarra and Julia Creek.
1920: “The graziers and pastoralists of the Cloncurry district have formed an Association Camp with the idea of preventing cattle stealing and restoring stray cattle to their rightful owners. The Association is yet in its infancy and I cannot say that its inauguration will mean much towards really suppressing the class of offence which is its declared intention to suppress”.
1922: Three police stations from the Normanton District were added to the Cloncurry District on the 01.10.1921. They are Burketown, Gregory Downs and Turn-off Lagoon Stations.
1925: “Mount Isa Police Station was opened on the 07.05.1924, on a silver-lead field, 65 miles north-west of Duchess the nearest rail-head on the Camooweal Road. The population of Mount Isa is approximately 350 and promises to be a good Field”.
PM2221d Mr. E. A. Jones and an unknown Mount Isa police officer, 1924.
1927: “During the year a Motor Cycle and Side Car “Red Indian” was purchased and attached to Cloncurry Station, being used for general patrol work in cases of urgency”.
1929: “Martini-Henry Carbine Rifles are in use in this District, with the exception of Cloncurry, where 5 short L-E rifles are in use, and at Julia Creek and Duchess where 2 short L-E rifles, and 1 short L-E rifle, respectively, are in use. A number of the New Pattern Webley Pistols are also in use”.
“During the year the station at Mount Cuthbert was closed and the buildings thereat re-erected at Kajabbi, which was opened during the year”.
1932: “One offender was arrested at Dobbyn for blowing up the railway line with explosives and committed for trial, but no true bill was filed, this and another case of intimidation, assaulting the Police and stealing a Police Service Revolver were in connection with the Dobbyn Strike”.
1933: “On the 30th June 1933 there were 43 troophorses in the District. Some of these are very old and only fit for light work or short patrols. Additional horses are required. The Department has been negotiating for the purchase of 20 head of young horses from Mr. Carrington of Planet Downs and it is expected that the deal will be finalised within the next few weeks. Horses are frequently borrowed from Station owners to enable the Police to carry out long patrols and up to the present there has been no difficulty in obtaining the use of horses”.
1935: “One man stands committed for trial for stealing £878 in year 1930 at Cloncurry. He was arrested at Sydney, New South Wales, and subsequently remanded to Cloncurry”.
1938: During the year repairs were effected at Burketown and Duchess and the old Gilliat Police Station was removed to and re-erected at Cloncurry, where it is used as a residence for a married constable. New barracks are under construction at Mount Isa and plans and specifications have been drawn up for a new Sergeant’s residence at Camooweal”.
1940: “A Ford V8 motor utility is attached to this District Headquarters it Reg. No. being Q217-819. It was purchased in 1936 and on the 30th June last had travelled 32,529 miles. It is not suited for work on the rough roads in this District and is frequently undergoing repairs and is no longer suitable for the work required of it here. I have recommended that it be transferred to Mount Isa, where it would be required only for town work and short country trips, and that a utility with better road clearance be sent there”.
1941: “On 26.06.41 a party of Mornington Island Natives, including one “Cripple Jack”, landed on Allen Island and were attacked by the Natives thereon. Cripple Jack subsequently died of spear wounds received. The matter has been investigated by the Cloncurry Police and two Allan Island male natives are at present under arrest and will eventually appear before the Police Court at Burketown”.
PM1505 Burketown Police Station, c1950.
“An International utility is attached to this District Headquarters, its registered number being Q338-783. It was purchased on 07.05.41 and arrived at Cloncurry on 20.05.41. It is suitable for the District and is giving good service. Ford V8 utility, No. Q217-819, formerly attached to Cloncurry was traded-in on the International on 20.05.41”.
1942: “At Mount Isa there are 3,500 American Negroes camped as well as Members of the A.I.F. and Militia. The strength of the Station has been increased by two men and a Detective has been applied for. Camooweal is a two man Station where the principal duty is stock work. It is on the main route from Mount Isa to the Northern Territory and is a stopping place for Military convoys, which renders it necessary for the two men to remain in the town at all times”.
PM0489 Constable Allen Blumke preparing police vehicle for Cloncurry District Inspection, c1947.
1949: “There are two motor vehicles in the District; Dodge Utility, Q412-775 at Cloncurry, and Ford Utility, Q361-156 at Mount Isa; both are in good condition”.
PM0518 Sub-Inspector William Gallagher spent the last few months of his career at Cloncurry before retiring on the 16.07.1949.
1952: “Work is on the increase throughout the District, particularly at Mount Isa, the population of which is growing steadily and is now estimated at 9000 persons. Mt. Isa Mines Ltd are expanding rapidly, consequently are employing more and more persons daily, many of whom are new Australians”.
1953: “There is one motor cycle in this District and this machine is attached to Mount Isa Station. It is a B.S.A. “Golden Flash” motor cycle, Regd. No. Q76-323… It is used mainly for Traffic and Inquiry duties”.
1955: “Mount Isa Mines Limited have just completed 800 new homes, and have now started to erect the first of another 800 dwellings along the Barkly Highway. This will give an idea how the town of Mount Isa is developing through the prosperity of the mining industry”.
1956: “In view of the rapid progress and development taking place at Mary Kathleen in tapping the enormous deposits of uranium ore there, it is considered that it is necessary to station a member of the Force at this town”.
1958: “The Flying Doctor Service operates in this District and is a great boon to all people concerned. Another most welcome innovation as far as this District is concerned is the forming of a Search and Rescue Organisation in close liaison with the officials of the Department of Civil Aviation, such Organisation to have its headquarters at Cloncurry. The organization is not yet operating, however, the groundwork in relation to the formation of same is at present in the process of being done”.
1959: “During the year under review a vehicle was replaced at Cloncurry, Mount Isa and Mary Kathleen by Holden Utilities and at Bedourie by a Willys Jeep”.
PM1503 Camooweal Police Station, c1950
The complete Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports are available for subscribers to view by emailing us at museum@police.qld.gov.au. There are four pdfs: 1906-1917 size is 11MB; 1918-1934 size is 12MB; 1935-1952 size is 13MB; 1953-1959 size is 8.5MB
This information has been written by Assistant Curator Virginia Gordon from the best Police Museum resources available.
The Police Museum is open from 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: Policing Cloncurry 1909-1959” 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