Key Stanthorpe events, 1945:
January 5
• Pte J. H. Hodgson Killed In Action (Formerly a member of the Border Post Staff, age 24. Brother of Mr. Percy Ezzy)
• Lt T Oldfield Killed in Action
• Five Stanthorpe Boys Wounded in Action: Private L. Goodyear; Pte D. O’Keefe; Pte R. Hoult, Sgt. M. Brunkhorst; Sgt. O. Wren
January 26
• Christmas on Bougainville – Adventures of F/Lieutenant G Cory: “This is the strange tale of a couple of flying Santa Clauses who went out on Christmas Day with a plane load of presents for Australian troops and crash landed into a fortnight of adventure. From the moment their Wirraway hit a mountain at dinner time on Christmas Day, scores of their RAAF and Army friends on Bougainville Island followed their progress through the Jap infested jungle, across razor backs and down streams, until they reached home with sore feet and their story.”
• Special Military Court in Stanthorpe – Two Prisoners of War Involved: Two Italian war prisoners appeared before a special Military Court on Wednesday to answer charges arising from alleged incidents at a farm at Ballandean, where they were employed.
January 30
• Pte C.D. Ridgewell Killed in Action
• Glen Aplin Should Have Winery – A far-seeing grower writes: “If changing times should alter the balance of fruit growing in the southern area, it would perhaps be safe to forecast a decline in stone fruit production and a compensating increase in the production of grapes. It is likely that the Southern District will become principally a grape-producing area and in time saturation must be reached. It would be wise to regard grape growing as a business rather than a recreation and as a business proposition to consider the establishment of a winery and distillery at Glen Aplin to be owned and controlled by growers.”
February 6
• Bush Service from Wallangarra to Brisbane Refused
• Mr. N. Crisp A Councillor: Mr. N Crips was appointed to fill the vacancy in No 1 Division caused by the resignation of H.E. Lyons.
February 16
• F.Lieut. George Anderson killed in Action
• Proposed New Church of England
February 27
• Burma Bomber Saved by Rubber Tube – Pilot was W/O T. De Nett of Stanthorpe: “When an RAF Liberator flown by Warrant Officer Trevor De Nett, of Pikedale Road, Stanthorpe, Qld, was damaged by anti-aircraft fire during a low-level attack on a bridge on the Burma Siam railway, it was brought home without further damage because of the resourcefulness of the flight engineers.”
• Permit Refused for COD Cold Store: The Chairman of the DSGC has been informed by the COD that they have been refused a permit by the Department of War Organisation of Industry to build a cold store at Applethorpe.
• Country Party branch formed at Inglewood
March 2
• Editorial, The Applethorpe Cold Store: “The Department of War Organisation of Industry has refused the COD a permit to build the
proposed Cold Store at Applethorpe.”
March 6
• Council Agrees to Survey for Swimming Pool: “In response to a request from the President of the National Fitness Association (Dr. H Masel), the Shire Council agreed to give every assistance to the Engineer who would be invited to Stanthorpe to survey the different sites for a swimming pool.”
March 9
• Where Did the Name Ballandean Originate? The Chairman, Cr. Ferris said he was always under the impression that it was named after
a man named Ball and another named Dean.
April 3
• Another Robbery in Stanthorpe: “Thieving is now so prevalent in Stanthorpe that the residents are becoming alarmed and it is unsafe for people to leave their homes unattended.”
• Cpl. K. Thompson Wounded
• Pt. W.D. Moss Wounded
April 6
• Pte N Butler in Brush With Japs
April 10
• Royal Navy Personnel Will Be Invited to Stanthorpe
• Pte Cyril McLady Wounded
• At the Council meeting on Friday last Sun Pictures wrote asking the Council to grant a license for the screening of pictures in the town of Stanthorpe.
• Pte. R. M. Nixon Wounded
• Mail Train will now run six days a week
May 4
• War May End Today
May 8
• PEACE IN EUROPE – Germans Surrender Unconditionally, Churchill will Speak Tonight. How London Received the News
May 11
• VE Day In Stanthorpe: “The victory in Europe was celebrated in Stanthorpe with a feeling of restraint. Special services were held in all Churches and people attended in large numbers to thank God for this great deliverance from tyranny and oppression.”
• Churchill on Top of Bus – Crowd Goes Mad
May 15
• 30 British Naval Men to be Invited to Stanthorpe
May 22
• When completed, the Cold Store and Packing house in the course of erection at Applethorpe will be one of the most modern in Queensland. It is being erected by Mr A. R. Barlow and will be ready to operate next season. Mr Barlow has for a long time realised the necessity of having cold stores in the district to assist in the marketing of the fruit produced in the Granite Belt and some years ago, he erected a small cold store on his orchard at Applethorpe as an experiment. So successful was this venture that Mr Barlow decided to build a large cold store at the Applethorpe Siding and to extend the facilities to growers who were anxious to hold their fruit when the market is oversupplied.
• Members of British Fleet Air Arm Spending Leave in Stanthorpe
June 1
• Government to be asked to finance Post War Plans for Stanthorpe
• Water Supply: “A special meeting of the Stanthorpe Shire Council was held on Tuesday last to consider post-war reconstruction plans for Stanthorpe and district. It was decided to ask the State Government to finance a water supply for Stanthorpe and to provide for the extension of The Warwick Town Council and other interested Shires are to be requested to make a joint request for the linking by rail of Maryvale and Mt. Edwards. This would provide an additional railway for the carriage of produce to the Brisbane market from the Stanthorpe district. The bituminising of sections of all main roads is included in the plans, as also is the establishment of a TB Sanatorium in Stanthorpe.”
Statement of Cr. Ferris: Possible projects for absorbing post-war unemployment: Hall, new Maternity Hospital, extensions to General Hospital, 3 new police residences; TB Sanatorium, Science Laboratory, Cold Stores for Fruit, bitumenising Stanthorpe Inglewood, Stanthorpe-Texas, Stanthorpe-Amiens, Stanthorpe-Eukey, and Thulimbah-Pozieres roads; Broadwater the Bridge, the linking up of the Maryvale-Mt. Edwards railway line, first-class aerodrome at Stanthorpe, Town Water Supply and extension of electricity throughout the
New Shire district.
• CWA Educational hostel: “Permission has been granted the Stanthorpe branch of the CWA by headquarters to purchase the property known as Hawker’s Guest House for the purpose of providing a hostel for children from the country areas in the Granite Belt, who wish to attend Stanthorpe Schools.
• Water Supply at Wallangarra: At the special meeting of the Stanthorpe Shire Council, Cr. Hickling submitted the following: “At the conclusion of hostilities the water supply now in use by military personnel would be suitable for a supply for Wallangarra, even allowing for any military personnel who are likely to be retained in Wallangarra.”
June 22
• Stanthorpe’s Population: According to figures prepared by the Government Statistician, the estimated population of the Stanthorpe Local Authority is 7,362. The estimated population of Warwick City Council’s area was 7,000 at 31st December.
July 6
• Death of Australia’s Prime Minister
July 10
• Swimming Pool for Stanthorpe – Engineers Report: “The vexed question of a water supply for Stanthorpe again came up for discussion at the Council meeting on Friday.”
• Enlistments from Stanthorpe and District Council to Borrow £2000 for Electricity Undertaking: “It was decided to borrow £2000 to cover the necessary reconditioning of the plant at the Power House and for the extension of electricity to Applethorpe.”
July 31
• CWA Decide to Purchase Building for Hostel
August 3
• Heavy Falls of Snow in New South Wales. Light falls were also reported at Wallangarra and parts of this district on Wednesday.
August 7
• WASHINGTON, MONDAY (AAP): “Whitehouse announced the first atomic bomb has been dropped on Japan. It produced 2,000 times more blast than the largest bomb previously used.”
August 10
• At Council Meeting: Town Planning Committee Formed Messrs N. Crisp, J. Hill and W.E. Whitehead will form a town planning committee to report on public utilities and any other proposals
August 14
• The news of peace negotiations was received joyfully by residents of the district and according to the decision reached at a public meeting held in the Shire Hall on Saturday night last, a procession and sports, which were followed by a street carnival in the main street of Stanthorpe last night, were organised. Despite a cold wind that harassed the district during the day, the wonderful excitement at the suddenness of the dramatic announcement and the realisation of what it meant to the peace-loving nations of the world was given vent and the street at night was the scene of community singing and rings of dancers dancing the Hokey-Pokey, and other popular dances, while confetti and paper streamers were strewn wildly about.
August 17
• Japan Accepts Terms of Potsdam Declaration
THE WAR IS OVER, How Stanthorpe Received the News: “Stanthorpe received the news with warm excitement. People gathered in the main street, where they heard Mr Chifley’s speech broadcast over loudspeakers by Mr John Hannon. Smiles on every face betrayed the pleasure felt when they heard the glad news that the world was at peace again after all the suffering and misery of the past six years. The holidays which had been proclaimed by the Federal Government has come into operation, the Post Office and all business closed their premises and a real spirit of satisfaction and joviality prevailed. People did not give vent to their feelings in an outward manner by singing of popular airs or shouting but seemed to reserve their energy for the official celebration when they would let themselves go. Flags of the Allied nations were in evidence everywhere and flown from flagpoles throughout the town.”
• Canberra: “The great majority of Australia’s fighting forces, which now number between 600,000 and 700,000, are expected to be released into civilian life within 12 months. The discharge will be deferred for varying periods.”
August 21
• Victory Celebrations: Stanthorpe in Festival Mood: “Stanthorpe’s peace celebrations reached their climax on Thursday when following the
morning thanksgiving services in the various churches, record crowds witness the largest and most colourful procession every held in the town.”
November 2
• Control of Insect Pests – Use of DDT, Lecture by Dr Paul Mitchell to a conference of health inspectors: “DDT is one of the war’s greatest contributions to the future health of those people who were previously exposed to the ravages of insect-borne diseases, eg malaria, yellow fever, typhus and plague on agricultural crops, the permissible amounts of DDT remaining as residue have not yet been determined so that DDT dusts and more particularly sprays, should be used with great caution.”
• Stanthorpe Parents Speak With Son in England: “A unique happening occurred in Stanthorpe last week when Mr and Mrs M. Landy had a
telephone conversation with their son Flight/Lieut, Tom Landy, who is still in England.
• Pte. Michael James Crooks – Died in POW Camp
November 9
• Old Identity of Stanthorpe Honoured: “Mrs Connelly is visiting the scenes of her childhood days after an absence of 70 years. Mrs Connelly’s father was amongst the first pupils to attend the first State school here, the schoolmaster then being Mr Walker – “I’ve had no trouble picking out the old landmarks of 70 years ago, but I had expected Stanthorpe to have grown much more and to have had a decent water supply”.
November 12
• Ballandean Woman Killed by Lightning (Beryl Elizabeth Curr)
• Trucking Yards in Wallangarra: “A conference of the Queensland and NSW Railway Authorities, the Stanthorpe Shire Council and Mr Hilton MLA will be held at Wallangarra tomorrow with the object of trying to arrive at some finality for the location of the trucking yards at that centre.”
December 4
• Severnlea Methodist Church
• DSGC Wants Cold Store at Thulimbah: “By five votes to three, the DSGC at its meeting on Wednesday last store at Thulimbah and not at Applethorpe as originally planned.
December 7
• Cold Store to be built at Thulimbah
• Mr E. Donaldson reported on the arrangements made for trial consignments of fruit and vegetables to the North in iced wagons.
December 14
• Stanthorpe Hospital – Acute Shortage of Domestic Staff: “For some weeks past, casuals have had to be relied upon to keep the service going. One person is charged with the responsibility of cooking for over 100 people each day.”
