Backward Glance - Disaster Management
The Sunshine Coast emergency services have come a long way when responding to crisis situations.
If it’s a severe weather event, fire, accident, medical or marine incident, there are emergency service workers, vital equipment and well planned strategies in place to assist.
The region has suffered many disasters and emergencies in the past, including fires, floods, cyclones and accidents.
On the night of January 5, 1924, a devastating fire occurred in Nambour’s Currie Street.
Seventeen businesses, housed in wooden buildings, were destroyed.
The businesses, some with a residence attached, relied on gravity-fed water tanks on stands behind the shops.
Even though Petrie Creek was close by with a ready water supply, there was no fire brigade at the time and fire quickly engulfed the timber buildings.
Nambour’s Fire Brigade was established in 1948 and the town’s first mains water supply was installed in 1959.
The first Caloundra Fire Board was constituted on January 15, 1964.
The need for a District Fire Brigade Board was advocated by the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce in 1954 but it was not until December 1963 that approval was eventually given for a Board to be established.
The approval came in preparation for the completion of the water reticulation scheme for Caloundra in 1964.
The task of the Board was to administer a fire fighting service covering most of the Landsborough Shire.
The operating cost of the brigade was met with contributions from insurance companies, the Queensland Government and Landsborough Shire Council.
In February 1954, an un-named tropical cyclone caused the loss of two lives, wide-spread flooding and structural damage to many buildings in the Sunshine Coast region.
Cyclones hit the region in the early months of 1954, 1955 and 1956 creating flooding, landslides in the hinterland and erosion on the beaches, due to large seas.
Banana plantations and fruit farms experienced extensive damage with many wiped out due to the high winds and flooding caused by the 1954 cyclone.
Queensland Ambulance Services, including Nambour, were initially operated in an honorary capacity.
Nambour had a litter, a type of handheld stretcher for emergency transport, which was housed in a shed at the railway station.
In November 1922, the Ambulance Committee purchased a residence in Howard Street to accommodate the superintendent, a garage and casualty room as well.
Over the years, financial assistance for essential services improved with regular government funding.
In earlier times, communities and service clubs assisted when they could.
Service clubs organised fundraising activities in the district, recognising the important role ambulance services played in the community.
In 1963 Nambour’s Quota Club presented a cheque for 100 pounds ($200) covering the cost of sirens for the Nambour ambulance vehicles.
Nambour’s Currie Street was once the busy Bruce Highway, so sirens were very important when alerting traffic that an ambulance was coming through.
Nambour Ambulance was one of the best equipped in Queensland at the time.
In June 1956, the Ambulance Committee purchased property on the corner of Howard and William streets which adjoined the ambulance station.
This enabled expansion of the Ambulance Centre and on August 23, 1958 a new building was officially opened.
As the region grew the Ambulance Centre was updated and renovated in 1976 and again in 1990.
It was relocated to a new facility in Rigby Street, Nambour in 2001.
Always ready to lend a hand for an important cause, the Maroochydore Apex Club donated $8000 in March, 1974 which assisted in financing a built-on for a one-tonne Holden chassis for ambulance purposes in Maroochydore.
Nambour district’s first police station was established at Woombye in 1874, near Gympie Road.
There were a few rowdy types around, some making their way to and from the Gympie goldfields, as well as the railway workers building the North Coast Railway Line.
Nambour began to grow once the railway line was opened, and in 1898 the Court House and stables for police horses were relocated from Woombye to Currie Street, Nambour.
A house was rented from G.L. Bury to use as the police station.
In 1910, a police station was built on the present site in Currie Street.
This remained in use until it was replaced by a new police station and residence on November 27, 1964.
Boating enthusiasts enjoy the Sunshine Coast local waterways but sometimes dangerous conditions can create emergency situations.
Mooloolaba's Volunteer Coast Guard helps those in distress, they’re some of the busiest volunteer coast guards in South East Queensland.
The volunteer coast guard provides assistance to boats in distress and is active in search and rescue missions, coordinating with relevant authorities, such as the Queensland Water Police.
The Mooloolaba Coast Guard building, situated on Parkyn Parade, provides direct water access to the Mooloolah River and the Pacific Ocean for fast response times during marine emergencies.
Marine disasters have also occurred nearby.
On October 29, 1981, Anro Asia, a 213 metre container ship, ran aground near the northern tip of Bribie Island while attempting to navigate into Moreton Bay via the International North West Shipping Channel.
Two Chinook helicopters, from the RAAF base at Williamstown, lifted about 50 containers in preparation for an attempt to refloat the ship which was stuck on a rock shelf not far off Caloundra.
The vessel sustained damage to several double-bottom tanks and nearly 100 tonnes of bunker fuel was released into the sea.
Some oil reached the coastline, resulting in a large clean-up operation.
Fortunately the Anro Asia was refloated on November 6, 1981.
Some of this district’s early history of natural disasters has enabled understanding of what is required to be prepared and keep the community safe in emergency situations.
Today the Sunshine Coast has well equipped disaster management services with trained staff and volunteers to help through difficult and dangerous times.
We now have better equipped fire brigades, ambulances and rescue helicopters with highly-trained life saving personnel.
We also depend on new technologies, and of course, the police force is always on-call in times of need.
Volunteer groups, such as the Rural Fire Brigade and the State Emergency Service (SES), train regularly, learning new skills and techniques and new volunteers are always welcome.
This year Sunshine Coast Council's Disaster Management Team are taking an active role in educating local students about being prepared for disasters and learning how to help prepare their household and local community.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority is using council's Disaster Management Schools Program as a case study for the Get Ready Queensland Program.
It is an important time to be prepared, take the time to clean up your yard, check your home is well-prepared and make sure you have a plan and emergency kit ready.
Due to the popularity of social media in recent times, the community can now to stay up-to-date by following emergency management organisations.
It is important to engage, be alert and have an emergency plan during the fire and storm season.
Thanks to Sunshine Coast Council’s Heritage Library Officers for the words and Picture Sunshine Coast for the images.
Image details
Hero Image: Fireman inspecting the burnt interior of the Woolworths Variety Store, Currie Street, Nambour, January 1986. Eighteen firemen in four fire engines from the Nambour and Maroochydore Depots took nearly two hours to control the blaze.
Image 1: Damage to Cornmeal Creek Bridge during floods at Maroochydore, late 1930s
Image 2: Foam covering Alexandra Parade and the foreshore adjacent to Alexandra Surf Life Saving club during cyclonic weather, 1954
Image 3: Official opening of the Q.A.T.B. Station in Howard Street, Nambour, 23 August 1958
Image 4: Quota Club of Nambour discussing their presentation to the Nambour Ambulance Centre, 14 November 1963.
Image 5:Firefighters hosing the remains of the Commercial Hotel, Currie Street, Nambour, 1966
Image 6: Fire in the Nambour Maroochy Shire Hall, 25 April 1948
Image 7: Group including Police Sergeant Tom McCosker from Landsborough Station after the rescue of climbers from Mount Beerwah, ca 1940
Image 8:Hunchy residents assisting Jim Owen after his truck ran off Hunchy Road at Len's Gully, Hunchy, ca 1935
Image 9: Train accident on the Nambour North Coast Line, ca 1920