Ernest Baynes Stand to close for Ekka, 2024 Royal Queensland Show for repair works
The main grandstand and centrepiece of the iconic Ekka has been fenced off and closed for this year’s show for the first time in decades due to major safety concerns.
QLD News
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A century-old grandstand at the centre of Brisbane’s Ekka grounds has been fenced off indefinitely due to safety concerns as the Royal National Agriculture and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) seeks urgent funding to save it.
The Ernest Baynes Stand at the RNA Showgrounds, which was present for the Test cricket debut of Sir Donald Bradman against England in 1928, will be closed indefinitely after deterioration was discovered in a suspended concrete slab in a section of the stand.
RNA chief executive Brendan Christou said the cost of repairs were not yet known but the organisation would lean on state and federal government funding for investigations and repairs of the heritage structure.
“The inspection work is quite detailed in its own right and could take up to 18 months to pull apart the brick facades and the heritage elements of the building so that we can inspect it,” Mr Christou said.
“The final fix and the costs of that final fix can only be known once we understand the condition of the structure underneath it.
“The restoration of heritage buildings are never cheap, so it will be a significant cost.
“The RNA will fund as much as we can towards that but we will be seeking federal and state government support in restoring a significant heritage asset for Queensland.
“Safety is our number one priority and we have been conducting ongoing engineering assessments of our heritage assets to ensure safety and structural integrity.
“Ernest Baynes is a significant heritage asset for the community, and this time frame enables the engineers to do this analysis and recommend what further works may be required.”
The closure means the Ekka icon, which seats 1800 people, would not be in use for the show in August.
Mr Christou said the Ekka experience would not be impacted by the closure of the grandstand.
“The RNA will erect temporary grandstands around the main arena … to ensure the arena remains at full capacity for people to enjoy the Ekka night show and fireworks,” he said.
“Be assured the Ekka experience for our patrons will not be diminished and we are looking forward to a bumper show.”
Mr Christou said it was the first time in decades the stand would be closed for Ekka, labelling it “a real shame”.
“It’s far from ideal, it’s an iconic grandstand,” he said.
“Our long term goal is to restore it, so the timing is not ideal, but safety comes first.
“‘It’s a beautiful grandstand that will be just sitting there empty, which is a real shame.”
The closure of the iconic grandstand comes amid a redevelopment of Queensland’s premier showgrounds that has been underway since 2010.
A key driver of the works has been restoring the ageing facilities at the Bowen Hills venue, which was opened in 1886.
Constructed on the site of an earlier grandstand, the Ernest Baynes Stand was built in 1922 and completed in time for the 1923 Brisbane Exhibition.
The iconic stand was designed by architect Richard Gailey Jnr and constructed by John ‘Jack’ Hutchinson I, the founder of Hutchinson Builders.
Consisting of a steel structure and brick face, the grandstand originally consisted of two stories however the removal of the top seating tier took place in 1986, following the Bradford Stadium collapse in London that year.
In addition to more than a century of Ekkas, the stand was filled to capacity as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in March 1954, for a ceremony to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Brisbane.
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