Childers Ambulance Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Childers Ambulance Station |
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Former Childers Ambulance Station, 1998
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| Location | 69 Churchill Street, Childers, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Leonard Kempster |
| Official name: Childers QATB (former), Childers Ambulance Centre, Isis District Centre QATB | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600621 |
| Significant period | 1924 (fabric) 1920s-1990s (historical) |
| Significant components | residential accommodation - superintendent's house/quarters, ambulance bay |
| Builders | Queensland Department of Public Works |
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The Childers Ambulance Station is a special old building in Childers, Queensland, Australia. It used to be where ambulances were kept and where the ambulance superintendent lived. It was built in 1924 by the Queensland Department of Public Works and designed by Leonard Kempster. Today, it's recognized as an important historical site and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
How Ambulance Services Started
The idea for the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (QATB) began in Brisbane way back in 1892. A man named Seymour Warrian from the Army Medical Corps saw someone get hurt. He realized they needed a better way to get to the hospital without making their injuries worse.
So, the QATB was created. Its goal was to give first aid and safe transport to people who were sick or injured. At first, people paid for this service themselves. But it was so important that the government started helping out from 1895. They even helped build ambulance stations.
By the early 1900s, ambulance services were expanding to towns all over Queensland. By 1921, there was a standard plan for ambulance buildings. These plans usually included:
- A space for ambulances with easy street access.
- A room for treating patients.
- A meeting room.
- A sleeping room for ambulance workers.
- Living quarters for the superintendent, usually on an upper floor.
The Childers ambulance station was a bit different. The superintendent's home was on the ground level, just behind the station. This might have been done so the building matched the nearby court house and post office.
Childers: A Growing Town
By the 1920s, Childers was a busy center for growing and processing sugar. The area first developed with logging in the 1870s. Then, it became a farming area. The town of Childers grew around the railway line that arrived in 1887. This railway helped transport timber and later, sugar.
The railway also helped the sugar industry grow in the late 1880s. Large sugar mills were built, and Childers became a thriving town. Between 1891 and 1900, the population grew from 91 to 4000 people! In 1903, Childers became the main town for the Isis Shire.
Ambulance Services in Childers
Childers had its first official hospital in 1899. Hospital committee members would help transport patients when needed. In 1920, a local man named James Rushton started an ambulance service. He bought a garage, changed his Ford Model T car, and began helping people. He was key in forming a QATB committee in Childers.
The 1920s was a time when people became more aware of health issues. This was partly due to widespread health concerns around 1919-1920. The current hospital in Childers was built in 1929. But the ambulance station was built earlier, in 1924.
The Building's Design and Changes
The original plans for the ambulance station showed several rooms:
- A plant room for the ambulance and its equipment.
- A casualty room for patients.
- A room for ambulance workers.
- A board room for meetings.
- A room for the superintendent.
The building was low to the ground, allowing vehicles to easily enter from Randall Street. People could walk in through a porch with seats from Churchill Street. The superintendent's home was connected to the station through the casualty room.
Over the years, only small changes have been made. These include:
- An addition to the plant room on the northern side.
- The old garage doors were replaced with a roller door.
- The timber picket fence was replaced with a wire fence.
In 1986, the QATB became part of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. The QATB was officially ended on June 30, 1991. The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) then took over. QAS built a new station next door in 1999. The old station was then sold. Today, it serves as the Childers Neighbourhood Centre.
What the Building Looks Like
The old QATB building is on the northern side of Childers' main street, Churchill Street. It's on the corner of Randall Street. It's part of a group of government buildings, with the Childers Court House next door and the Childers Post Office nearby.
The building is actually two connected single-story buildings. One part was the home, and the other was the station and offices. Both buildings have special roofs called gambrel roofs. The ambulance station is on the corner and right by the street. The home is set a bit back and to one side.
The station has a roller door that opens to McIlwraith Street. On the other side, the roof extends over an entrance porch. The building is simple in its design. It has sash windows that are shaded by sunhoods. A small gable facing Churchill Street has a sign that says "Ambulance."
The home part has a gabled roof that extends over a sleeping verandah on the eastern side. There's a part that sticks out at the front with three casement windows. The main entrance on the east side has been made wider and now has a ramp. A line of narrow, decorative casement windows with pink and green glass runs along the front wall next to the entrance. It also goes down the eastern side of the house, where the entrance and sleeping verandah used to be. A smaller skillion roof at the back covers a laundry area.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The former Childers Ambulance Station was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. It met several important requirements:
The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. This building shows how ambulance services grew in Queensland. It also highlights Childers' importance as a busy sugar-growing town. It shows how the government supported both the ambulance service and growing farming areas.
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. It's a great example of an ambulance station and home from the period between the two World Wars. It shows the high quality of design and construction by the Public Works Department back then.
The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. Because of its important spot on Childers' main street, and its size, shape, and materials, the old ambulance station adds a lot to the town's look and feel.
The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This building has a strong connection with the people of the Childers area. It was an important community facility and is linked to the valuable work of the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade.
