Hollywood Miniature Golf Links Cause a Stir

A miniature golf craze gripped the city of Townsville in 1930, when two indoor facilities opened only a week apart. The first miniature golf links – reportedly the first of its kind in Queensland - opened in the Paramount Theatre in Flinders Street in December 1930 and was expected to “exert a fascination over every man, woman and child”.

1920s Flinders Street, showing Don McInnes’ Tattersalls Building, where the Hollywood Miniature Golf Links opened in 1930.

Photo: Townsville City Libraries.

The second facility, the Hollywood Miniature Golf links in Mr Don McInnes’ Tattersalls Building in Flinders Street, was soon embroiled in controversy.

The Townsville Daily Bulletin reported enthusiastically on the opening of the new attraction:

“This new and charming rendezvous is to be managed by two well known and popular young ladies, the Misses Jean and Doris McInnes, while Miss Edna Linton, herself a golf enthusiast, is to act as instructor.

There is no doubt at all that this course introduces something entirely novel in the way of miniature golf. The floor space in these premises is very large, and no difficulty has been experienced in laying out with the utmost convenience the 18 large holes.

The greens themselves are made of the best felt procurable, and when playing on them, there is nothing of the billiard table feeling - it is like putting on real luxurious turf. The hazards are novel and extraordinarily interesting, and full of surprises.

The 19th hole… takes the shape of a complete cafe and soda fountain, arranged in the middle of the course.”

The writer predicted the new venue would “become the Mecca of pleasure loving Townsville, young and old.”

But the new and charming rendezvous quickly attracted the wrath of Anthony Ogden, an Alderman of the Townsville City Council, who was well known for his passionate religious convictions and his opposition to all forms of gambling.

It is probable that Ogden, who had served as Mayor of Townsville from 1924 to 1927, took exception to the new game because there was prize money being offered for tournaments, which he considered to be a form of gambling. The Hollywood Miniature Golf Links even advertised games called “Putt for Profit” and “Putt-it-Poker”.

Townsville Daily Bulletin, 4 March 1931.
Source: Trove.

In a letter to the Editor of the Bulletin in March 1931, Don McInnes, whose daughters were running the miniature golf links next door to his tobacconist shop, took a swipe at Alderman Ogden and the Mayor, Alderman J.S. Gill, calling them the “guardians of public morality”.

Mr McInnes accused the pair of becoming hysterical over the miniature golf links because it was operating on Sundays.

“Alderman Gill actually came in after church and was horrified to find the place full. Empty churches and full golf links cannot be tolerated in Townsville,” Mr McInnes said.

By May 1931, the Hollywood Miniature Golf links was being sued by the City Council, because they had not applied to the council for a license to operate the premises. The case was thrown out of court, and the Council was ordered to pay costs of £5, 5 shillings.

In November that year, Mr McInnes sued Alderman Ogden for defamation, claiming damages of £1,000. McInnes claimed that at a council meeting in March, Ogden had called him a “systematic law breaker”, and had implied that he had bribed police in order to conduct illegal gambling behind his business premises.

Alderman Ogden managed to defeat the defamation suit.

Ladies' Rest Room - Flinders Street

Despite the need for austerity during the years of the Second World War, the Aldermen who made up the Townsville City Council in the early 1940s were a group of progressive thinkers, who introduced many initiatives of benefit to the community despite the difficult economic climate.

Women’s Rest Room, Flinders Street, Townsville, circa 1965.

Photo: City Libraries Townsville

At a time when almost every available resource went towards the war effort, which included supporting the massive influx of American and Australian service personnel based in Townsville at that time, the City Council established a municipal ice works, and a council-run wood depot and fruit and vegetable market. These projects were designed to offset the shortages caused by massive population increase due to the war.

Another forward-thinking initiative that proved extremely popular was the introduction of a Women’s Rest Room in Flinders Street – the heart of shopping in Townsville at that time.

In August 1944, the Council began renovating shops adjoining the Town Hall that had been occupied by a shoe shop, for conversion to a ladies rest room. The premises were designed to include a waiting room, toilet facilities, and a room for mothers to feed their babies. Soon, strollers were available for hire from the rest room, which proved a real boon, particularly for those women who had travelled to town by bus.

The Women’s Rest Room was such a success that it was enlarged in the early 1950s, in order to keep up with demand. It operated between 9.10 am and 4.50 pm on weekdays and 9.10 am and 11.30 am on Saturdays.

In April 1953, the Townsville Daily Bulletin reported that the average daily attendance at the Women's Rest Room In Flinders Street, which was a free Council service, had reached 200.

“Two electric fans afford a constant stream of air to revive tired shoppers, and tall, green palms arranged around the attractive main sitting room, lend a restfulness to this centrally situated retreat. Iced water is on hand at all times and mirrors and other toilet conveniences are available for those wishing to freshen their makeup,” the Bulletin noted.

“As well as the stroller service and the provision of a retiring room where mothers may feed their babies, the centre offers facilities for heating bottles and changing infants’ diapers. A parcel-minding system is also in operation.”

Women's Rest Room, Flinders Street, Townsville, 1965.
Photo: City Libraries Townsville.

On average, 97 strollers were hired out each day, with scrupulous attention paid to the cleanliness of the equipment for hire. A junior assistant was responsible for making sure that each stroller received a fresh cover before use, and that after use it was treated with disinfectant, so that “all precautions were observed for the sake of the children’s health”.

The Rest Room’s supervisor, Mrs M. Whitaker, told the Bulletin that since the extensions to the room were completed, the attendance had almost doubled.

“Tourists make this their headquarters when they are in the city, and I have been complimented by women from as far afield as America, on the cleanliness of the premises,” she said.

Note: I've had some wonderful feedback about this article, which was published in the Townsville Eye on Saturday, 6 February 2016.

One notable comment came from a former colleague who said that it was her mother that was pictured on the left in the top photo! Do you have any memories of this rest room? Please leave a comment below.

Walker Street Fire Station

By the mid 1920s, the Townsville Fire Brigade, which had served the city since 1884, had outgrown its home next to the Town Hall in Flinders Street.

Firemen at the Central Fire Station, Townsville.
Photo: Townsville City Libraries Local History Collection.

A new fire station at the intersection of Stokes and Walker Streets officially opened on 24 July 1926, and at the time it was considered to be one of the most modern fire stations in the state.

Built at a cost of £10,500, the Townsville Daily Bulletin reported that the new station was “fully equipped with a fire-fighting plant which should enable the permanent brigade to give the best results.”

The new station boasted an engine-room that could accommodate four fire appliances and every care was taken to provide for the firefighters as well, with the inclusion of a gymnasium on site.

The drill yard at the back of the station contained a 54 ft. tall iron tower brought from the old station in Flinders Street and re-erected.  A wooden face was built on the side of the tower that faced Walker Street, which represented a four-storey building. This was used to train the firefighters in hook ladder, jumping and life-saving drills.  It also doubled as a hose-drying tower.

New Fire Station, open to the public, corner Walker and Stokes Streets, 1926.
Photo: Jefferey Collection, CityLibraries Townsville Local History Collection.

In a city that was often plagued by building fires, having an efficient fire brigade was crucial to the safety of citizens.  But the ability to fight fires effectively was sometimes less about having trained personnel and state-of-the-art equipment, and more about having sufficient water to actually fight the fires.

One disastrous fire that might have been extinguished sooner if a reliable water supply had been available was the fire at the Bulletin office in October 1912.

When fire broke out in the basement of the building in a reel of paper, the fire brigade were swiftly on the scene.  However, when they arrived they found that there was no water to fight the fire as the city council had switched off the water overnight in order to conserve the city’s precious water reserves.

The engineer at the Waterworks was notified, but it was 15 minutes before the water was turned on and then it took another 5 minutes to reach full pressure.

The report on the fire in the Cairns Post was scathing, pointing to the brigade’s outdated equipment.

“When the alarm was given, the Fire Brigade were quickly out, but owing to their antediluvian appliances they were unable to make the slightest impression on the blaze which within about twenty minutes had a complete hold of the building.”  

But a lack of water and antiquated equipment wasn’t the only problem. The brigade appears to have been somewhat lacking in overall organisation as well and at least six of the firefighters who attended the fire had no helmets.  Apparently in their rush to get to the fire, they had left their helmets at home.

Two of the firefighters without helmets were injured, one seriously. J.H. Foley was knocked unconscious when part of the building collapsed on top of him and he was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

At a meeting of the Fire Brigade Board the following month, one board member noted that the “system at the Bulletin fire appeared decidedly lax”.

Townsville Central Fire Station, no date.
Photo: CityLibraries Townsville Local History Collection.