 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Phar Lap died in March 1932. Another, more local excitement occurred in Cloncurry that year:
the Great Bank Robbery.
350
The Story of Cloncurry, published by the Council, tells a colourful tale. 'Early in April 1932, it is
said that the manager of the Queensland National Bank was swimming at the Two Mile
waterhole, when a person or persons unknown took a wax impression of the strong-room key
left with his belt on the grassy bank, and made a duplicate key. On Saturday, 11 June, the night
was cold. Residents were listening in on battery-operated wireless sets to the results of the State
Election just held, or were at the Bio or Rawley's picture theatres, or snug in bed. This was the
night selected by the bank robbers for the carrying out of their scheme, and having opened the
National Bank strong-room and helped themselves to the money, they found there the key to
the Bank of New South Wales.' An absentee manager would leave his Bank's keys with
another manager. 'They helped themselves to the money in that Bank also. It was not until
Monday morning that the Banks opened their strong-rooms and found they had been robbed...
The amount alleged to have been stolen was £14,000, and despite a £500 reward offered by
the two Banks for information... and despite the investigations of numerous detectives, no
arrests were ever made. Some old residents claim they "know who did it".'
Radio broadcasting was nine years old at the time, having begun in Sydney in November 1923
with the start of Radio 2SB. The fare consisted mainly of genteel light music and talks. The
ABC did not begin broadcasting until July 1932, and the hugely popular radio serial about
outback characters, Dad and Dave, would not be heard for another four years - it lasted for 15.
Local radio, as far as Cloncurry was concerned, would not exist until the launch of 4MI
atMtlsain 1960.
Curiously, Sugar Honeycombe's name was associated later with the Great
Train Robbery in 19
It was thought by some that Sugar, being a guard, must
have had inside information as to the train's contents and security, as well as its speed and times,
tt is possible that gullible Sugar was an unwilling informant. But no tales are told of his sudden
wealth after the robbery. Indeed, it has been said of him that 'he never had any money'. Much
of It went in gambling, mainly at cards and at horse-racing. The fact that he once won a double
at the races was remembered years later as if it had been out of keeping with his usual bad luck.
In February 1934 Sugar tried his luck again as a prospector, taking out a mining lease (No
3585) on a strike called 'Homewards' situated about 13 miles southeast of the Curry on the
Richmond road. His partner - they had a half share each - was John Humphrey Drury. No
fortunes, once again, were made, for we next hear of Sugar, a few months later, officiating at a
sports day back in Cloncurry.
Colin Dawes, who would one day bury Sugar, recalled in 1988 that when he, Colin, was 18
years old and took part in the 1934 Labour Day sports, Lawrie was the handicapper for the
children's races, some involving bicycles. Sporting activities were ever popular in outback
towns, especially the more vigorous ones like Rugby League, go-kart racing, boxing and
rodeos.
351
In 1935, contestants in a Air Race celebrating Melbourne's centenary landed at the Cloncurry
aerodrome two miles outside the town. There was always something going on, it seems, and
 |