Queensland Ambulance Service - History in Pictures
By JOL Admin | 11 September 2015
The Queensland Ambulance Service was established on September 12, 1892 with the formation of the the City Ambulance Transport Brigade in Brisbane. The idea of forming a civil ambulance service was initiated by Seymour Warrian of the Ambulance Corps in the Queensland Defence Force, after an accident that occurred during the Brisbane Exhibition. A horse rider had fractured his leg when his horse fell. The injured rider was assisted by well meaning but untrained bystanders and made to walk on his leg to reach a nearby cab.
When the Brisbane brigade was formed they were given a room in the Brisbane Courier newspaper building and a stretcher was built. Bearers on night duty slept on rolls of newspapers with bed linen supplied by the Immigration Department.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-horse-pulling-an-ambulance-through-brisbane-streets-ca.-1897.jpg?itok=X8VvRnbl)
Horse pulling an ambulance through Brisbane streets ca. 1897. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Neg 189469
Their first patient was transported from Taringa to a private hospital in New Farm on 5 November 1892 and the brigade didn't acquire a telephone until January the following year. Over time ambulance services slowly began to form around regional areas of Queensland.
State Library of Queensland holds a large collection of photographs and books documenting the history of ambulance services throughout Queensland. You can view a full list of resources on our One Search catalogue. Below is a sample of images from our collection.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-brisbane-ambulance-officers-posing-on-a-buggy-with-a-wheeled-litter-attached-to-it1.jpg?itok=wzl4UnaT)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-brisbane-ambulance-workers-posing-in-front-of-a-wheeled-litter-ca.-1900.jpg?itok=5ftw952l)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-queensland-ambulance-transport-brigade-officers-posing-in-front-of-their-head-office-in-wharf-street-brisbane-1901.jpg?itok=eJfXxYpq)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-ravenswood-ambulance-brigade-headquarters-1902.jpg?itok=dXBEEsvh)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-first-ambulance-building-in-toowoomba-ca.-1903.jpg?itok=KvRWT0kY)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-ambulance-officers-preparing-to-transport-an-injured-central-queensland-meat-export-co.-worker.jpg?itok=Pr1Lb47v)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-queensland-ambulance-ipswich-1905.jpg?itok=tClpywg9)
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![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-ambulance-offices-in-townsville-ca.-1906.jpg?itok=pBOAcpXP)
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![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-early-motor-ambulance-carrying-a-two-wheeled-covered-stretcher-19101920.jpg?itok=FowV_25F)
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![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-ambulance-in-warwick-ca.-1912.jpg?itok=pid1rZZB)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-official-opening-of-the-queensland-ambulance-transport-brigade-building-maryborough-street-bundaberg-ca.-1913.jpg?itok=qO7i4BkQ)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-queensland-ambulance-transport-brigade-at-canungra-ca.-1915.jpg?itok=Go_HeoHr)
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![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-side-view-of-an-ambulance-showing-the-bed-ready-for-a-patient-kingaroy-1923.jpg?itok=HoW_o5zf)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-ambulance-car-decorated-for-st.-patricks-day-procession-at-dalby-ca.-1925.jpg?itok=YWmeQiWn)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-gympie-ambulance-centre-at-crown-road-gympie-ca.-1926.jpg?itok=q30JeOiT)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-kingaroy-ambulance-being-pulled-across-the-boyne-river-ca.-1928.jpg?itok=3CP_6MNJ)
![Featured image for blog post 1816302](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-illustrated-front-cover-from-the-queenslander-november-6-1930.jpg?itok=3doRC8WA)
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![](/sites/default/files/styles/slq_standard/public/jol-files-2015-09-queensland-ambulance-and-transport-board-qatb-headquarters-in-marsh-street-stanthorpe-ca.-1950.jpg?itok=nMmGxDfl)
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