The late ex-ambulance officer, Ernie Bradley, had a passion for the service so strong he compiled the complete history of the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS).
He joined in 1938 at the age of 14 in Cairns and served until his retirement in 1987.
He died in 2021 at 97-years-old.
Beyond his legacy as a man committed to helping others, he left a detailed account of Logan ambulance history.
He said it began in March 1919, with a public meeting held at the Beenleigh School of Arts to discuss the question of establishing a QAS (then called ‘Queensland Ambulance Service Transport Brigades’) centre in the town.
Those in the meeting determined Beenleigh was large enough to warrant its own centre, so it got one.
From then on, it wasn’t dependent on the Brisbane service.
The first ambulance car was comprised of a six-cylinder Oakland chassis, which cost £375.
The car was then altered to function more suitably as an ambulance, which cost £155.
By June, the car was ready to go and moved to the intended premises of the centre at City Road (which became the location of ambulance operations and remained so until 1984).
In the first six months of operation, the brigade had 116 cases and covered over 4980 kilometres of ground.
More than 220 people volunteered to help.
By 1946, the Beenleigh centre had become so big it required a second paid, full-time position.
By 1950, the centre had upgraded to house two cars, a board room, office, casualty room and bearer’s room.
Throughout the years, the Beenleigh ambulance centre continued to receive gifts and funding and grew bigger, and in the late 70s, it was clear to the governing committee it was outgrowing the premises.
A decision was made to expand, and adjoining properties were considered for extensions.
Bids for surrounding properties were unsuccessful and no suitable site could be found.
Eventually, the committee managed to secure a large block of land in Eagleby.
Following quotes of $1.3 million and then $900,000, the construction of a new station on the Eagleby block commenced in August 1983 for $630,000, and finished in February 1984.
A station in Woodridge was made in 1961 due to public demand and was open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
Funding to build the station was partially raised by senior officer N. Fletcher, who promised to ride his bike from Woodridge to Beenleigh if enough money was raised.
This particular station suffered damage from repeated storms, but ultimately survived to help the area cope with the extra population brought on by the addition of 400 housing commission dwellings.
Mr Bradley said the station was a credit to the foresight of the ambulance committee.
Stations at Springwood and Parkridge were developed in 1978 and 1982, respectively.
The Springwood station was, like the Woodridge station, kickstarted by public demand.
Mr Bradley said the Park Ridge station was developed as part of a de-centralisation program by the committee.
His 289-page book, History of the Queensland Ambulance, documents the first 100 years of Queensland ambulance since 1892.
In recognition of his service to the QAS, Mr Bradley was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1987.
