The demolition of the Townsville radio telegraph mast.
The Townsville Daily Bulletin
24 February 1948.
The 280-feet high mast which stood at the coastal radio station in Victoria Park, South Townsville for 30 years was demolished on Monday morning. It had not been in use for some time and the Overseas Telecommunications Corporation decided on its demolition.
The mast had a history. When the Australian naval forces raided the Rabaul area of New Britain in August, 1914 on the outbreak of war with Germany, the radio station at Bitapaka was one of the first objectives. The Germans were using a 150 feet mast, but had assembled material for the installation of a high-powered station, which involved the erection of four other masts, each of 250 feet.
When the Australians reached Bitapaka, the Germans had cut down the 150-feet mast and this, and the fact that portion of the other material had been hidden or destroyed, caused an abandonment of the German plan. Instead, a single mast of 318 feet was built and from the material left, one mast and a set of guys were shipped to Townsville in 1917 and the mast was erected here.
The work in New Guinea and the re-erection of the mast in Townsville in 1917 was supervised by Mr. A. S. McDonald, now Chief Engineer of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission. The Townsville mast was a triangular tubular steel structure with 10 feet sides. Its pointed base stood on glass.
The work of demolition was carried out under the supervision of Mr J. Doggett. Cleared of aerials and other appurtenances, a long rope was tied to the head of the mast and stretched out to a point across the park and a strain placed upon it. The guy on the opposite side was cut with an oxygen torch and the big mast promptly toppled over in the desired direction. The plan worked perfectly and it was only a matter of seconds before the long steel structure hit the ground with a dull thud.
The steel tubing stood the fall well. Some was slightly buckled and there was straining to some of the joints and, judging by the way the water ran from them, the piping must have held large quantities of it.
Among those to witness the demolition operation on Monday was Mr Jack Ward, a member or the staff of the radio station, who was in New Guinea when the Bitapaka station was captured. Mr. Ward was then a radio operator on H.M.A.S. Sydney, and he was in the cruiser in the memorable fight with the Emden.