Remember when ... World War II German mine washes up on Surfers Paradise beach?
AS far as flotsam and jetsam goes, it doesn’t get more intriguing than a World War Two German mine.
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AS far as flotsam and jetsam goes, it doesn’t get more intriguing than a World War Two German mine.
That was the sight which greeted stunned Gold Coasters on March 15, 1966 when the rusted relic of Nazi Germany’s war machine appeared on Surfers Paradise beach.
The mine carried 299.4kg of explosives and was first spotted off Staghorn Ave at 1.40pm, sparking a massive response from emergency services and the Royal Australian Navy.
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Among those who came face-to-face with the barnacle-encrusted mine was Gold Coast Bulletin reporter Frank Hampson.
The Bulletin’s then-chief reporter was sitting in the newsroom when he got a call warning that two trawlers had spotted the mine and were attempting a daredevil manoeuvre to stop it washing ashore.
After rushing from the Bulletin Arcade in central Southport, Mr Hampson was stunned to see the mine as it rolled ashore after assistance from Navy lieutenant commander Bernie Hamill, one of two officers aboard the Heather.
Recalling the incident yesterday, Mr Hampson said: “There was a German mine floating off the Gold Coast ... it was certainly one of the more unusual stories I covered in my career.”
“The navy boys got it up on to the beach ... and they figured out quickly it would not explode so we all sat down and had a beer together and occasionally patting the mine.
“It was a little nervous to touch it but a few beers made me feel better.”
The Bulletin, then four cents, covered the event for 56 hours.
Among those who witnessed the mine’s arrival was Surfers Paradise councillor Lex Bell, who was just 21 years old at the time.
The mine was then towed to northern end of the spit — 7km from where it had rolled in — and detonated.
In 2013, the naval team which removed and detonated the bomb were posthumously granted the keys to the city by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.
The Bulletin will publish a souvenir 8-page liftout this Saturday celebrating 130 years.
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