Gympie Ambulance Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gympie Ambulance Station |
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Former Gympie Ambulance Station, 2009
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| Location | 17 Crown Road, Gympie, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1904 |
| Official name: Gympie Ambulance Station (former) | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 16 September 2011 |
| Reference no. | 602794 |
| Significant period | 1904-1955 |
| Significant components | ambulance/first aid centre |
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The Gympie Ambulance Station is a historic building located at 17 Crown Road in Gympie, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1904 and used as an ambulance station for many years. Today, it is recognized as an important part of Queensland's history and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This building shows how ambulance services grew and changed in Queensland.
Contents
History of Ambulance Services in Gympie
Gympie started as a gold mining town in October 1867. Gold was discovered by James Nash near the Mary River. This discovery helped Queensland's economy a lot. Soon, thousands of people came to Gympie looking for gold.
The town grew quickly, but it had an unusual layout. Roads followed the hills and valleys instead of a straight grid pattern. Over time, the first simple buildings were replaced with stronger, more permanent ones.
Gold mining was very important to Gympie. From 1901 to 1906, the goldfield was at its busiest. However, by 1925, most of the big mines had closed down.
How Ambulance Services Began
Ambulance services in Queensland started in the 1890s. People realized there wasn't enough help for accident victims. In 1892, the City Ambulance Transport Brigade began in Brisbane. Later, it became the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (QATB) in 1902. Their goal was to give first aid and take sick or injured people to the hospital.
Many towns, especially gold mining areas like Gympie, quickly set up their own ambulance services. This was because mining work could be dangerous. Gympie started its first ambulance service in 1890. It was part of a volunteer group called the Wide Bay Gympie Ambulance Corps.
In 1902, after the corps disbanded, people in Gympie decided to form their own ambulance brigade. They held a public meeting and started collecting money. By the end of September 1902, Superintendent Fred Roffe had already helped his first patient.
Building the First Station
At first, the ambulance service operated from a room in a hotel. Later, they moved to the Gympie Fire Station. They had one first aid kit and a stretcher. Soon, they had 16 volunteer helpers and four stretchers.
In 1903, the Gympie Brigade started getting money from the government. This money matched what the community donated. By early 1904, the Gympie Ambulance Transport Brigade (GATB) bought land on Crown Road. They planned to build their own ambulance station and a house for the superintendent.
The new station was officially opened on May 18, 1904. It was a simple timber building with an office, a lecture room, and a room for equipment. The superintendent's house was right next to it. The station was built close to the big gold mines. This was important because many miners needed help due to accidents.
Growing and Changing Services
In its first year at the new station, the GATB helped 655 patients. They took patients home, to a doctor, or to the hospital. They also helped people who arrived by train from nearby towns. The demand for their services grew steadily.
Early ambulance helpers walked or ran to emergencies, carrying patients on stretchers. By 1912, they started using a horse and sulky (a light cart) to travel. This made it easier to get to calls. In 1917, the brigade bought its first motor ambulance car. By 1920, they had a second car, and the horse and sulky were no longer needed.
In 1920-21, they replaced the superintendent's house with a new cottage. In 1922, they added an extension to the station building to make more space for their cars. By 1924, they also built a new shed for maintenance.
In 1923, the Gympie Brigade joined the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (QATB). This meant staff could get more training in Brisbane. Lewis Dean became the new Superintendent in 1921 and stayed in the job until 1969. The wives of the Superintendents also played a big role. They answered phone calls and gave basic first aid when people came to the station.
Moving to a New Location
By 1941, people started asking for a more modern ambulance station. In 1943, they thought about building a new one on the same Crown Road site. However, they didn't have enough money. So, they started a fund to build a new station elsewhere.
In 1955, the brigade bought new land on Nash Street in Gympie's main business area. They planned to build a new station and residence there. The new Gympie Ambulance Station opened in 1959. This meant the original station on Crown Road was no longer used for ambulance services after 55 years. By then, the Gympie Ambulance service had helped over 11,000 patients and traveled more than 1.85 million kilometers.
Since 1959, the old station building and house have been used as homes. The Bowen family has lived there since 1987. Some parts of the building have been changed over the years. For example, the front doors were rebuilt, and a front awning was added back in 2002 for the ambulance service's 100th birthday.
The former Gympie Ambulance Station is one of the oldest surviving ambulance stations from this early period in Queensland. Only two others, in Charters Towers (1903) and Ravenswood (1904), are still known to exist.
What the Station Looks Like
The former Gympie Ambulance Station complex includes the ambulance station building, a garage, and the superintendent's house. It's located on a corner where Crown Road and Stanley Street meet in a quiet part of Gympie.
The Ambulance Station Building
The ambulance station is made of timber. It has a main roof that slopes down on two sides (a gabled roof) and a smaller roof on the south side. A large awning covers the wide front doors that face Crown Road. A concrete driveway leads from the building to the street.
The main part of the station is a big garage space. There are smaller rooms at the back and on the south side. The roofs are covered with new metal sheeting. The front of the building has wide doors that open outwards. These doors allowed ambulances to quickly drive out onto the street. There's also a round vent and a decorative piece (finial) on the front.
The outside walls are covered with timber boards. Windows along the side have new timber awnings. A door on the upper level leads to a staircase that goes down to the lower level. The back of the building has a temporary balcony. The lower part of the building, where the ground slopes away, has been enclosed with concrete blocks.
Inside the garage, the ceiling is partly lined with timber boards. The floor is mostly timber, but the areas where vehicles parked have unsealed hardwood boards. There's a large archway leading to the side annex.
The Maintenance Shed
The old maintenance shed is also a timber building with a gabled roof. It's covered in weatherboards and has a metal roof. There's a decorative metal vent on top. It has a small door on one side and two large doors that open to the street. Inside, the walls and ceilings are not lined, and the floor is concrete.
The Superintendent's Residence
The former superintendent's house is a timber cottage with a pyramid-shaped roof. It has verandahs (porches) on the east and north sides. Over the years, some parts of the house have been changed. For example, part of the verandah has been enclosed, and new rooms have been added. The house's importance comes from its connection to the ambulance station next door.
The buildings are surrounded by a green garden with trees.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The former Gympie Ambulance Station was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on September 16, 2011. This means it's recognized as an important historical place.
Showing Queensland's History
- Ambulance Services: The station shows how ambulance services grew in Queensland. It's one of the oldest purpose-built ambulance stations still around from the early 1900s. Only two others from this time are known to exist.
- Changes Over Time: The additions made to the building between 1904 and 1959 (like the annex, maintenance shed, and back extensions) show how ambulance services changed. They show the move from using people on foot to using horses, and then to motor vehicles. They also show how the demand for services grew.
- Mining Town Influence: The station's location near the gold mines shows how important mining was in setting up ambulance services in Gympie. It was placed to easily reach both the town center and the mining areas where accidents often happened.
Showing What Ambulance Stations Were Like
- Original Design: The former Gympie Ambulance Station is the oldest known timber building of its kind. Its design, with large front entrances for quick access and rooms for staff, shows what early ambulance stations were like.
- Adapting to Needs: The changes made to the building over time, like the annex and the separate superintendent's house, show how ambulance stations adapted to new needs as services grew and vehicles changed.
