- Main Roads Department Vincent HRD motor cycle and side car for carrying projector, equipment etc for school lectures, is presented by the Markwell Brothers to the Road Safety Council for use by Police lecturers for commuting to and from schools, c1956. Left to right: Fred Markwell, Chief Inspector Fred Palethorpe, Constable Bill English, Jack Duggan, Constable Eric Newman, Constable Tom Laurie, Police Commissioner Patrick Glynn and Sergeant Banjo Paterson.
The Queensland Road Safety Council was founded on 4 July 1947 to co-ordinate the promotion of road safety activities. Queensland Police started Road Safety school lecturing in 1952. and the Main Roads Department gave the Police Department two road safety Austin A40s so that officers could travel to schools to deliver these lectures. In 1956 a Vincent HRD motorcycle was also given to the department. The side car was used to carry the projector and other equipment for school visits. In 1961 the Road Safety Bicycle Brake Testing Lane was launched and taken to schools to promote bicycle safety.
Senior Constables Bill Dangerfield (left) and Bill English Police (right) entertain children at the Aspley Kindergarden with the Road Safety puppets. The puppets were used as part of a Children’s Road Safety campaign, ca. 1958.
Two Queensland Police officers in particular, Bill English and Bill Dangerfield, spent about a decade on the Road Safety lecturing circuit. They also ran films, demonstrated road safety tips with the help of Road Safety Puppet Theatre, taught children how to cross the road safely and how to ride a bike and to give the correct hand signals for stopping and turning. Bill English was also well known in Brisbane as the “whistling cop” for his prowess at directing traffic with his shrill whistle!
Senior Const Bill English gives a road safety lecture to children at a Toowoomba school on September 9, 1959.
Senior Constable English gives a practical, outdoor lesson on the correct use of a Zebra Crossing outside Ironside State School on December 12, 1961.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum – Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday 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.
“Look Left & Right: Road Safety Lecturing in the 1950s and 1960s”, 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… Continue reading