Redland Bay Tragedy

[Chris KC]

I stumbled across these photos on the web and felt they might interest forum members - despite the sad tale they tell.
I've been in touch with their owner, Mrs. Joy Neeson, and she was happy for them to be shared.
Herbert died 20 years before she was born, thus they never met. 
Joy still lives at Redland Bay, just south of Brisbane, only 5 minutes from the site of the accident.

Joy wrote: "He was my grandfather's little brother. Their father Esau Bloomer was the first Blacksmith in Redland Bay. He was a blacksmith, wheelwright and wagon builder. Being a wagon builder, he also became the maker of coffins when there was a local death, and he would have made the coffin for his son".

I'll let the pictures & news cutting speak for themselves.

   

   


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Herbert's car at the scene of the accident.
   

The car after it was brought home.
   

[Peter Naulls]

Thank you for sharing that Chris. It's easy to take our road safety standards for granted. In the days prior to kerbs, white lines and street lighting, accidents like this were all too common. I'm sure Brisbane roads are no different to British ones in that regard.

An unusual body on the Seven, perhaps built by the blacksmith himself?

[Nick Salmon]

A very sad tale. The detail in the newspaper report would cause many today to have an attack of the vapours. 

Pethaps if reports of events today in the Middle East and Eastern Europe etc had a similar level of detail, the reality of war would be less shrugged off...

[Andy Bennett]

Nick: sadly I think the problem is the reverse. We are so used to seeing graphic news reports showing children being dragged out from under bombed buildings covered in blood that we are sadly de-sensitised to the whole thing. That and the feeling that there is nothing we can do about it with the leaders we have leads one to turn away.
I am also reminded of the US road safety Signal 30 and Red Asphalt films of the 50s onwards. I was pointed at them a while ago, watched about 10 minutes and that was enough. Perhaps at 17 they would show teenagers that we are not immortal.