Community champions thrilled by Birkdale Heritage win

Birkdale community advocate Pam Spence says she is thrilled by the Queensland Heritage Council’s decision to put a former US army World War II radio receiving station on the State Heritage Register.

In making its decision, the Heritage Council expanded the heritage protected area to include the 0.9 hectare Rhombic Radio Aerial Array despite a recommendation from Redland City Council that this area not be put on the State Heritage Register.

The rhombic array’s listing as a place of state heritage significance was supported by the Birkdale Progress Association (BPA) led by President Pam Spence.

Other areas to be protected include the radio receiving building and the generator shed together with the cleared yard which contains these buildings, and the access road.

The 62 hectare site containing these heritage listed places was formerly owned by the Federal Government’s Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA). This land was sold by the Federal Government to Redland City Council for $4.1 million in 2019.

An application for state heritage listing of just the radio receiving station and generator shed was lodged in late 2019 by the Federal Government.

The State Government recommended addition of the cleared yard and access road in its comprehensive report which was considered by the Heritage Council on 2 May 2020.

Other submissions to the Heritage Council, including a detailed submission by the BPA, argued for protection of a larger area including the Rhombic Radio Aerial Array.

Council voted against inclusion of rhombic array

After considering the Federal Government’s heritage application at its meeting on 2 May 2020, the Heritage Council asked the State Government to reconsider which parts of the site should be heritage protected.

In turn, the State Government asked Redland City Council, as the landowner, to comment on whether or not the area proposed for heritage listing should be increased to include the rhombic array.

The matter was discussed for more than an hour by Redland City Council at its general meeting on 10 June.

A motion by Cr Paul Bishop that Redland City Council recommend inclusion of the rhombic array was lost on the casting vote of Mayor Karen Williams.

Crs Wendy Boglary, Lance Hewlett, Tracey Huges, Adelia Berridge and Paul Bishop voted FOR the motion.
Crs Karen Williams, Peter Mitchell, Mark Edwards, Julie Talty and Rowanne McKenzie voted AGAINST the motion.
Cr Paul Gollè was absent from the meeting.

Eventually, councillors voted 9/1 to support boundaries which did not include the Rhombic Radio Aerial Array. Cr Bishop was the lone dissenting councillor.

The discussion at Redland City Council’s meeting on 10 June about whether or not the rhombic array should be given state heritage protection can be viewed on the Council’s website commencing at 42:20 minutes.

Reaction to Birkdale site’s heritage decision

Cr Paul Bishop said he was pleased that the Heritage Council listened to experts and the community in making its decision to include the Rhombic Array on the Queensland Heritage Register.

“It’s wonderful when decision makers listen to the experts” he said.

Cr Wendy Boglary said on her Facebook page that she was “very delighted” to hear the news that the Rhombic Array will be protected by the Heritage Council’s decision.

Pam Spence, President of the BPA, said she was thrilled that the former US Radio Receiving Station and the rhombic antenna array have been given State Heritage listing.

“This station is of local, state, national and international importance and it’s wonderful that it will be valued and protected for future generations”, she said.

“BPA members look forward to joining with other like-minded people to discuss how we can  showcase and further protect Indigenous culture, European heritage and Environmental values on this Birkdale land”.

Ms Spence acknowledged the efforts of Redlands resident Laurie Murray whose book Use of High Frequency Radio Systems During and After World War II was referenced by the Queensland Heritage Department.

Capalaba MP Don Brown said he was glad that the Heritage Council “listened to community champions, like Pam Spence and Paul Bishop”.

“An oral presentation to the Heritage Council by Pam Spence may have convinced the Heritage Council to include the Rhombic Array in the area to be heritage protected” he said.

Historical value of the Birkdale radio receiving site

The Birkdale radio receiving station site is described as “one of south-east Queensland’s most significant and intact examples of World War II infrastructure” by the Heritage Council.

The Heritage Council’s media release says the radio receiving station was a critical part of the US Army’s South Pacific campaign, giving Brisbane-based General Douglas MacArthur a direct, swift and secure communications link with Washington DC.

“With a direct line to Washington, the receiving station allowed General MacArthur to communicate with the United States via encrypted teletype messages within minutes, a vast improvement on the time-consuming relayed Morse code that the radio network replaced” said Heritage Council Chair Debbie Best.

“Messages were received by radio at Birkdale and then relayed via cable to General MacArthur’s various Brisbane war offices.

“The former United States Army radio receiving station at Birkdale is a unique remnant of the vast radio infrastructure that served the Allied forces in Australia during World War II,” Ms Best said.

More information about the Birkdale site’s role during world War II can be found at:

• Queensland World War II Historic Places – US Radio Receiving Station
• Dunn, P. US Army Signal Corps Capalaba radio receiving site at Old Cleveland Road East, Capalaba near Brisbane, Qld during WW2

Redlands places on the State Heritage Register

The Birkdale US Army Radio Receiving Station is the 24th site in Redland City to be included on the State Heritage Register.

Details of the other 23 state heritage listed places in Redland City can be found in Redland City places of heritage significance, published by Redlands2030.

Have your say about the Birkdale site

Redland City Council purchased the former Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA) site from the Federal Government in 2019 for a purchase price of $4.1 million. The Federal Government still owns the adjoining site which is used by Air Services Australia.

Redland City Council says it has committed to consulting with the community and commissioning additional reports and studies to gain a complete understanding of the former ACMA site’s environmental, cultural heritage and historical values.

Much of the 62 hectare site is bushland zoned Conservation but 17 hectares are cleared land zoned Community Facilities for community purposes.

Community consultation on potential future uses is currently scheduled for late 2020.

More information about this site and community engagement opportunities are available on the Council’s website.

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Redlands2030 – 7 July 2020