Not a bomb! Just cannon in park
GENERATIONS of kids have climbed all over it in the 107 years it has stood guard at Toowoomba’s Botanical Gardens, but did you know the fascinating history of the English-made cannon?
And, believe it or not, since it was positioned in the gardens in 1911, the cannon has been fired — once — to hilarious results which saw that it was never fired again.
“It came off a ship in the days they thought the Russians were going to attack,” explained Toowoomba historian Peter Cullen.
“It was fired only once, as far as we know, to commemorate the first anniversary of Anzac in 1916.
“They put in a proper charge and let it go.
“But they put too much of a charge in it and it blew out the glass conservatory (hot house) near Campbell St.”
The Chronicle’s report of the incident was headed: “Toowoomba Bomb! A startling sensation”.
The gun had been fired at 9pm, April 25, 1916, the first Anzac Day, ironically, as part of a one minute’s silence, to mark one year since Australian and New Zealand forces had landed at Gallipoli.
The firing of the Botanical Gardens gun took most of the city residents by surprise.
One newspaper report of the day stated that “The Gardens gun caused such concussion that homes and buildings all over the city and suburbs were shaken — even as far as Newtown.
“In the vicinity of the gardens ladies fainted, and some thought an infernal machine of a Zeppelin was the cause.”
Well, it was war time. “The comparatively new hot house of the Botanical Gardens was very greatly damaged, practically wrecked and the glassware was shattered,” a report of the day continued.
“Half the conservatory is stated to have been blown away.
“In the curator’s house it is understood the lighting apparatus glass fittings were smashed and other articles affected.
The beautiful old house “Whyembah” — which features on this year’s Heritage Bank calendar — on Campbell St adjacent to the Botanical Gardens was spared further damage only because its windows were open at the time of the blast.
The newspaper report said: “At Mr J. Rosser’s residence, Campbell St, the electric lighting appliances were dislocated, the windows were saved by being open thus not resisting the waves of air.
“Mr J. F. Lonergan, Lindsay Street, said that though the concussion was severe he had not discovered any serious damage to his house.”