Amazingly no-one was seriously injured when a tram, truck and car collided near the Woolloongabba Post Office on 1 February 1949. Here’s how the accident was described in the Telegraph.
Collision at the ‘Gabba.Collision at the Gabba in 1949. (The Telegraph, 1 February 1949)
It is understood that a small car driven by William Stewart, of 67 Oxlade Drive New Farm was pulling out from the kerb behind a stationary bus.
As the small car drove between an inbound Holland Park tram and the bus, a heavy truck, driven by Joseph Dennis of Slacks Creek came up from behind the small car. It struck the car violently and rebounded on to the front cabin of the tram. As the crash appeared inevitable women screamed.
Although the car was badly damaged the driver had a remarkable escape. He received only a severe shaking. The tram and truck received only superficial damage.
With the current national focus on childcare and kindergartens, let’s look at some of the earliest kindergartens in our areas.
The Creche and Kindergarten Association (C&K) is a well-known and highly regarded not for profit organisation which was set up in 1907. Mary Josephine Bedford, long-time partner of Dr Lilian Cooper of Kangaroo Point, was the driving force behind setting up the C&K. Association in 1907 and the Playground Association in Brisbane, with a special focus on providing supervised play for children in poorer areas.
Small children seated at a table in the Woolloongabba Kindergarten centre. Two women are supervising the children. (SLQ 44263).Children working outdoors at a bench in the grounds of the Fiveways Kindergarten on Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane. The principal was Miss Lucy Morris. (SLQ 86203).
DANCING DICKIE DANIELLS (Sergeant Richard Daniells) was a well-known policeman who regularly directed traffic at the Fiveways in the 1960s.
The Dancing Policeman
“The art of directing traffic has been an integral part of police training since the 1920s. A number of officers took to the task with great flair. DANCING DICKIE DANIELLS was well known for his flamboyant style. Many people remember seeing him on Brisbane Streets, dancing his way around the traffic points.”
(Source: QPS media)
He became a legend among commuters. Here are some comments about him:
Sue H:People used to go to the Fiveways just to watch him. He was fantastic.
Joyce G: My husband had a BSA Road Rocket when we were dating and he used to go through his go signals with a bit of throttle and he would yell out —Good on you mate ” he was fantastic on the Point Duty he sure got the traffic through.
Greg T: Dancing Dickie also “danced” on the corner of Gipps and Ann sts. Northern end of the Story Bridge….
Ray T: We saw him here, we saw him there, we saw him almost everywhere!
Sandi H: I remember him very well!! Used to look out for him every time my bus passed through Woolloongabba every morning and early evening. He certainly controlled the five corners expertly and was a real joy to watch! Traffic lights now, how boring!
Ray G:When I first started work in 1951 I used to ride my push bike into the city, as a lot of teenagers did. When it was Logan Road’s turn to go, Sgt.Dickie Daniels would say ” Okay boys, see who is first to the next corner”, and we would pedal like blazes and make a race of it; and when he was on duty on the city end of the Victoria Bridge he would do the same and we would race to be first into Elizabeth St.
Marie A:He knew most people as they drove past yes, he is a legend.
Pip C:I remember him well. I loved watching him. What happened to the dear man?
Sergeant Richard Daniells, better known as Dancing Dickie Daniells, was a Brisbane traffic policeman whose whistling, pointing and pirouetting at major city intersections, including the Fiveways at Woolloongabba, entertained motorists and pedestrians in the 1960s.
The art of directing traffic has been an integral part of police training since the 1920s. A number of officers took to the task with great flair. Dancing Dickie Daniells was well known for his flamboyant style. Many people remember seeing him on Brisbane Streets, dancing his way around the traffic points. https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/museum/2013/03/26/from-the-vault-the-art-of-directing-traffic/
Carriages are lined up outside W.G. Ison’s Stanley Coach Works and Shoeing Forge in 12 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba ca. 1902. The brick building on the left is the Princess Theatre.(SLQ #39137).
An advertisement for Ison’s coach works at 12 Annerley Rd, Woolloongabba, (then part of South Brisbane) published in Qld Country Life, 1 Aug 1905.
From old-fashioned timber house to iconic apartment block with panoramic roof-top views. Wilbar Flats is a good example of what can be done with an old, tired timber house in a good location.When the Wilson family home on the corner of Hawthorne and Fleurs Streets started to show its age in late 1939 the choice was clear: renovate, build something cost-effective or move. They decided on the first option and employed architect Edward J.A. Weller to design a building that would take advantage of their excellent location, be visually attractive but also produce an income.
The outcome was impressive: A new brick building with distinctive curved front and containing two two-bedroom flats was attached to the original home which was turned into two modern flats.
“Simplicity is the keynote in external and internal design – it ensures relative agelessness. where the old building has been made to worthily take its place beside the modern addition, by the simple expedient of removing such remnants of over-decoration as remained after the fusion of the buildings”. (The Truth, 14 April 1940, page 28).
The article from The Truth, 14 April 1940, page 28 gives details of the transformation and colour scheme chosen.A destructive super-storm on 27 November 2014 which affected large areas of Woolloongabba required the building to be vacated for a while and major repairs carried out. Since then the iconic building once again dominates the streetscape.
Robert Lenehan’s pharmacy at Clarence Corner in 1915. A National Bank of Australasia Ltd building is on the left.
Another Clarence Corner success story. Robert Lenehan was a highly regarded chemist located at 582 Stanley Street. He bought his first chemist shop from Thomason Chater Ltd in 1908. The building was later demolished and replaced with the Lenehan Building.
Robert Lenehan’s two-storey timber pharmacy at Clarence Corner in 1929.
The two-storey building is situated on a corner at the Fiveways. A wide verandah covers the footpath and advertising signs cover the edges of the verandah roof. One wall above the verandah advertises the Fiveways Pharmacy and also the Clarence, opposite Annerley Road. There are several people on the footpath including a young boy and two small children.
Robert Lenehan was highly regarded as a businessman and member of the local community. He built up a successful pharmacy business and was on the Pharmacy Board for some years. He also had an avid interest in sailing, bowls and the Masonic Lodge. He lived in a residence at the corner of Vulture and King Streets.
His death notice in the Brisbane Courier, 20 February 1932 clearly outlines his many achievements.
It seems that unseasonal weather conditions started a long time ago. Westerly winds and temperatures of 11 degrees Celsius resulted in snow in the Gabba, South Brisbane and parts of the city.
Here’s a news item from the Melbourne Argus with the details.
Trams used to be an important means of transport in Brisbane. The first tram rolled along tracks from Logan Road at Woolloongabba to the southern end of the Victoria Bridge on June 21, 1897. The Brisbane Tramways Company started with 20 trams and expanded to almost 200 more modern trams and trolley buses.
With the rise of cars and a massive fire that gutted a major depot, tram patronage declined. Trams were gradually replaced by the more economical motorised buses. The last trams ran in April 1969. Today many people look back on the tram era with nostalgia and regret.
Here’s a summary of trams in Brisbane:
Overview of trams in Brisbane.
The first trams in 1885 were pulled by horses. They were replaced by electric trams in June 1897.
Horse-drawn tram in Woolloongabba.
Strap hangers on a crowded tram in 1937.
Crowds of people turn out in the streets of Brisbane to farewell the military contingent 1914.
Ian Gall cartoon captioned Lady with a Punch recruiting female tram conductors during WWII.
Tram covering the route from Woolloongabba to Breakfast Creek in 1886.
Accidents did happen! fortunately this one had a good outcome.
