Monday, 14 October 2024
We had a great roll up of forty-three (43) for this event.
After checking in etc. we set off for our first stop of the day at Orleigh Park, West End, Brisbane where we met up with our guide Jack Sim & had smoko. After smoko Jack provided us with an overview of The Bloody Brisbane Crime Coach Tour & then joined us in our coach to conduct the tour.
During the tour Jack provided us with the known/recorded history of the crimes committed at the sites we visited Viz. The Tower Mill; 157 Wickham Terrace; 117 Wickham Terrace; Thomas & Carberry Streets the Grange; the corner of Amelia Street & St. Pauls Terrace, along with the back of the West End Sailing Club on the Brisbane River. All the murders committed were horrific, but two that stood out for me were the Vampire Killers & Whiskey Au Go Go.
The Whisky Au Go Go was all over the news when it happened in 1973, & l remember it vividly as we were living in Mackay at the time. Allegedly, a crime syndicate was running all the Night Clubs i.e. Putting the heavies on them to cough up 15% of their takings for protection or get burnt out. Unfortunately, the Whisky Au Go Go was one club that didn’t cough up, & the resultant fire-bombing was compounded by the lack of fire escapes (one only – the way they came in) for the people in a attendance to escape, thus such a horrific loss of life (15) occurred (both men & women).
In the case on the Vampire Killing, an unfortunate man with a fair load onboard, after being out with his mates, was enticed into a car by four women, only to be brutally murdered so they could drink his blood – This one was too horrific to even get your mind around.
Please refer to the attached PDF (below) for a synopsis of the tour by Jack Sim, our Tour Guide.
On completion of the guided tour, we dropped Jack off back at West End & then travelled onto the Paddo Tavern for lunch.
After lunch we acknowledged & celebrated birthdays falling in October in our usual manner (with a birthday cake etc.) Viz. Rod Anderson, Michael Bermingham, John Doidge, Kevin Lipp, Afdrian Meston, Neville Page, Graham Riethmuller, Guy Roberts, Kerry Shine & Jim Stein.
In closing, special thanks to those who contributed to making this another
safe & enjoyable event/outing for all attendees, including:
- Peter Taylor & Jack Sim – For organising this event.
- Staff at the Paddo – For providing us with a great lunch along with an even better venue i.e. A room of our own which was very private & less noisy.
- Jack Sim – For his very interesting & informative guided tour – Many members commented to me on how Jack was able to provide us with so much historical Information with out any notes or prompts etc. – Great Memory along with the ability to not lose his track during interruptions for questions.
- Bob Whittaker & Roger Britton – For being on duty as our trusty first-aid officers.
- Peter Thompson – For his usual gig as our coach doorman ensuring all members got on & off the coach safely at each stop.
- Russell Mauch & Warwick Dingle – For looking after our finances & name badges; & Russell for receipting & banking our surplus cash; Russell & Warwick for assisting the kitchen staff with the timely delivery of meals along with cutting up & serving of the birthday cake.
- Ron Lewis, Lindsay Reis & Eric Canning – For looking after our hydration & hygiene requirements with bottled water & hand wash respectively, along with loading & unloading of the coach, as required.
- Warwick- For his usual gig as head counter ensuring we do not leave anybody behind at each stop.
- Jan Neal – For making our birthday cake.
- Nick Peters – For transporting us to & from Brisbane safely. We were fortunate enough to have a driver with Nick’s ability & experience when it came to travelling in & out of some very narrow & tight suburban streets in a fifty-two-seater coach – Well done once again Nick.
Dick Neal
10 November 2024
