railmotors

Rail ambulance at Roma, ca. 1921

from State Library of Queensland

• Vesna Verencevic said:

  Prior to the formation of the QATB service in Roma, Mr A.C. Hoskins carried out the work of transporting patients to the hospital. He commenced this work in an honorary capacity in 1903. Dr A.A. Doyle then became interested and was responsible for the firsthand litter, which was purchased from public subscriptions. In the work of transportation, Mr Hoskins was assisted by members of the Fire Brigade, namely J.H.D. Grant, J.W. Sparks, Mat Reid, J.J. Graham and Chas Moore. In those days the litter was housed at the Fire Station which was then in the main portion of the town. Transportation was over very rough roads, and the pushing of the litter up the hospital hill was no mean effort. Mr Hoskins gained his First Aid Certificate in 1910 and continued his good work in an honorary capacity until the inauguration of the Ambulance as a Branch Centre of the QATB in October 1915. In November 1913, the QATB Toowoomba Committee established a Sub-Centre in Roma and appointed Mr J.J. Harland as Officer-in-Charge with the rank of Deputy Superintendent. The first important business to occupy the Committee’s attention was the proposal to purchase a motor ambulance, and Mr. H.A. Watson, on behalf of the Wallumbilla residents, guaranteed £50 towards this project. In April 1916, the Ford car was delivered and proved a boon to the service. The report for the month of May showed the car had traveled 57 miles in that month. In 1921, a rail car was purchased to enable patients to be brought in from places on the Injune line during wet weather. The rail ambulance carried two lengths of the line which were placed on the tracks for the car to run onto and then turned to face the way home to Roma. Source: www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/docs/history/Roma.pdf