UPDATE: Yes, you’re right. This WASN’T the building demolished by Council. It was another former World War II ambulance building which was adjacent to the bunkhouse in Geoff Raph Drive used by the Kingaroy Soaring Club. The Ambulance Building shown in the photos on this page has been decontaminated and is now used as a storage space by the Kingaroy Men’s Shed. South Burnett Online apologises for the error.
February 18, 2022
Kingaroy has lost another piece of its wartime history after the old Ambulance Station at Kingaroy Airport was demolished recently.
The building was used during World War II to service the airport, but fell into disuse after the war ended and responsibility for the area returned to the former Kingaroy Shire Council.
It later formed part of the now-defunct Burnett War Museum, which ceased to operate in 2014.
A few years after this, the Kingaroy Men’s Shed moved to the site and began upgrading another wartime leftover, the former Motor Pool Building opposite the Ambulance Station.
They turned this building into a well-used workshop and members’ meeting room.
In March 2020, the Men’s Shed built a toilet block next to the old Ambulance Station and during this process, Council officers determined the World War II building had become structurally unsound.
Worse still, an inspection disclosed it was lined with asbestos.
After some discussion, South Burnett Regional Council decided to remove the asbestos safely and then demolish the building to free up space the Men’s Shed could possibly use in future.
The successful demolition was reported at the South Burnett Regional Council’s Community Standing Committee meeting earlier this month.
