The Fraser Coast Ambulance Service - started in 1897 in Maryborough

The Maryborough Ambulance Transport Brigade was formed in 1897 and operated from the store of a local chemist named Field Evans Smith.  Original photograph Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society.

In 1897, the members of the Medical Staff Corps decided, due to numerous calls for their service to form a Local Ambulance Transport Brigade.They relied completely on public subscriptions and donations. In their first year they attended 26 cases mostly from the country. The first annual meeting can be found here 
The annual report of the year ended April 1902 reported 46 cases and 113 cases of transport in Maryborough and 41 cases from the Pialba Branch.
The Maryborough Branch was overseen by Super Intendent F.E. Smith a well known local chemist and Deputy Superintendent Bearkly and the Pialba Branch was overseen by Superintendent W.H. Brown.

Gathering of Hervey Bay Ambulance superintendents many decades later. The Ambulance service at Hervey Bay had expanded considerably by this time. There were now many SuperIntendents having started with one SuperIntendent W.H. Brown in 1902. This image is part of the Fraser Coast Library Christiansen Collection.

This article in Trove found here also talks of the intention to have an Ambulance Service run out of Biggenden and the need for police to be trained in first aid. They continued to grow and eventually started services at Howard, Miva, Tiaro, Bauple and Kingaroy.

Ambulance Bearer Edwin (Ted) Simpson

Ambulance Bearer George Tregea

Ambulance Bearer Christoper (Gus) Loose

Were any of your relatives paramedics?

The Maryborough Ambulance Transport Brigade operated from Field Evans Smith's chemist store. The service outgrew these premises and in 1913 calls for a new building were made. The information in the Chronicle regarding this can be found here

The Lovell Children with a stretcher, 1914.

On the 14th August, 1915 the new ambulance building was opened in Adelaide Street by Mayor Alderman J. Blackley. A motto inscribed around a large cross Ever Ready for Love and Life  drew considerable interest found here

The second ambulance building located in Adelaide Street.

In 1932 the Ambulance Service was moved to newly erected premises at the Maryborough Hospital and has remained there since. The Ambulance Service came under the control of the Hospital Board and the old premises became used for transportation of sick patients. The Chronicle article detailing this can be found here 

Maryborough's First Ambulance Vehicle

Can you imagine being taken to hospital on a horse and cart?

Tags #Maryborough #Pialba #ambulance #stretchers #hospital #biggenden 

Source: Trove Digitised Newspapers http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/?q=