A police officer is faced with many challenging situations in his/her career, and history shows the principals of policing have remained stable: to reduce crime and keep the community safe. So it was in 1923 when the circus came to town. The grand Ringmaster, colourful clowns, athletic acrobats, a music band, and a large menagerie of animals was transported to Brisbane by rail. Wirth’s Brothers Circus owned 13 elephants and their strongest named “Cardie” could move railway carriages with his immense bulk. Cardie had been with the circus for 25 years, was a much loved and talented member of the performing troop, and it appeared had formed a solid friendship with his keeper. The same could not be said for the relationship between the elephant and trainer, as during one Friday night performance, Cardie savaged the man. The circus owners decided it was best to have the animal destroyed, and turned to the local police for assistance.
Constable Bowring James (Ben) Hall was the first ever Main Roads Police Officer, he was also a crack shot, with prior hunting experience, and was one of only two people prepared for the job. Constable James Egan was the other officer entrusted with the grisly task. On Sunday morning with Cardie being ridden by his keeper, and accompanied by a procession of curious locals, the jumbo elephant ambled over Victoria Bridge, through Brisbane city and meandered north towards Kedron Brook, Alderley.
“Cardie” the elephant, destroyed after savaging his trainer, 1923.
Image No. PM1296 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
The deed was completed quickly and efficiently on the bank of the waterway, watched by the large crowd. The image below captures the moments after the shooting. Constable James Egan stands near the head of the great beast holding his rifle, Constable Ben Hall stands near the rump, also holding his rifle. It is a sad story but at least most of the crowd had the decency to remove their hats in honour of Cardie.
From city circus dilemmas to the isolation of a far western Queensland town, even by today’s standards Birdsville is a long way from anywhere. Police Commissioner David T. Seymour’s 1885 Police Report to the Honourable Colonial Secretary reads “…the continuance of the drought has been the cause of the expenditure for forage during the year far exceeding the sum voted, although I have done my utmost to keep down expenses…camels purchased during the year are at Birdsville, under the care of the police…” The report reveals camel trials in South Australia had proven effective, hence the investment for Queensland Police.
Camels resting outside a storage building at the Birdsville Police Station, 1925.
Image No. PM1057 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
The Birdsville Police Station soon received 6 camels from India, and together with their team of horses, heavy work was achieved around the station and the emerging town. With its utter isolation, and hot dry conditions for much of the year, the camels were used as a method of transportation for people, building materials and supplies. Documentation indicates camels (offspring from the original herd) were still in use by Birdsville Police in 1925. That same year Noccundra Police Station, approximately 145 kms west of Thargomindah, obtained 3 camels for their use.
Chaotic traffic duty in Cloncurry! This team of camels collectively transported 10 tons of ore through Cloncurry, c1920.
Image No. PM0671 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
If you love looking at old photographs, we have recently published a commemorative book titled “Policing Queensland 1864-2014: 150 Years”. Click on this link for the ordering process: QP150 Commemorative Book
__________________
The information above has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available. The article was written by Police Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.
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. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT – Jumbo Policing” 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