Past Hardships

We take for granted that if we are seriously ill or injured an ambulance will be available to transport us to hospital, but spare a thought for our local early settlers who often lived and worked in remote locations in the days before the ambulance service. When a medical emergency occurred, they were taken to the Ipswich Hospital by any available means.

In the second half of the 19th century there were many reports of shocking accidents and unbelievable stoicism. When a farmer clearing scrub at Pine Mountain was bitten by a black snake, his neighbour cut the wound and applied salt, but unsurprisingly the man became ill anyway. He rode his horse in to the hospital, but died that evening.

At Normanby Station a man had his leg smashed and almost severed when he fell from a bullock dray heavily laden with wool and its wheels passed over him. He was brought in to hospital by horse dray 'without bedding or bandage'. Stimulants were administered on his arrival before he could be moved from the dray. In a land-clearing accident at the Rosewood Scrub a young man was badly injured when a tree fell on him, breaking his leg in two places and 'driving a large stake into his breast right through to his back'. Close to death, he made the journey to the Ipswich Hospital by train.

Near Walloon a farmer sustained a large gash to his head 'laying his scalp bare' when he fell from his horse. He was He was carried to the Rosewood Hotel, then to the railway station by spring cart, and on to Ipswich by train where he was taken to hospital by a police constable.

Two other incidents at Walloon involved children. A 9 month old girl was badly burnt when she crawled into a fire. In what must have been a terrible ordeal she was brought to hospital by train. A 10 year old girl bitten by a snake was given several glasses of brandy then she was also transported to Ipswich by train. Medical staff observed that she appeared drunk on her arrival at the hospital and had lost all muscular power. Several doses of ammonia were administered by the doctor and 'for two hours ‘did Science closely conflict with the Destroyer' before the child rallied.

Patients were often close to death on arrival at the hospital, but some, like the 53 year old man suffering from chronic disease of the chest, did not survive the trip. He died on the road between Eskdale and Ipswich and was buried close to the cross roads at the Brisbane River.

Doctors sometimes travelled to the ill or injured, as in the case of a stockman at Grantham Station who fell from his horse and sustained serious injuries. When summoned by telegram, Dr Dorsey caught the train from Ipswich to administer aid to the injured man.

Hats off to our courageous early settlers, and the dedicated doctors and nurses who did what they could with primitive methods, medications and equipment.