The 15 moments that made 2020 Toowoomba’s most bizarre year in history
As well as the year of coronavirus, 2020 was the year we ran out of toilet paper, and spray-painted penises and propaganda lined the streets. Here are some of the moments that made this year our strangest in history.
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2020 seems to have gone by in a blur, but if you need a recap on some of the stranger moments of this year, we’ve got you covered.
2020 was the year we ran out of toilet paper, the year that vandals took to the streets with spray paint cans to voice their frustrations about the world, and the year that plagues of snakes, rats, and car thieves descended on our town.
It might be a year that we want to forget, but unfortunately the bizarre happenings of 2020 will remain etched in our region’s history forever.
Here are just some of the moments that made us shake our heads, and made 2020 one of the strangest years in Toowoomba’s history.
Cr Tim McMahon slams ‘mindless’ graffiti on pathway in Toowoomba’s Queens Park
Councillor Tim McMahon has taken aim at the “mindless’’ graffiti artists who sprayed crudely drawn penises and obscenities onto a footpath in Queens Park.
The Toowoomba Regional Council Parks and Recreation Services portfolio leader said there was “no excuse” for vandalising public or private property.
“Recent vandalism in Queens Park, where footpaths have been spray-painted with offensive graffiti, requires cleaning and repairs,” Cr McMahon said.
“This senseless vandalism is a cost and an inconvenience to the public, which must be footed by ratepayers.”
Mice mayhem hits parts of the Darling Downs
A plague of mice has descended on homes across the Darling Downs, causing widespread havoc and destruction.
Toowoomba pest control services have reported a surge in the number of rodent-related call outs, with towns on the edge of the city overrun by the critters.
Wyreema resident Lilli Braidwood started setting traps in her home in August.
She now catches anywhere from four to seven mice a night.
Harsher penalties on vegan activists should be introduced: Toowoomba lawyers
A Toowoomba lawyer is calling for “new-age activists” to be dealt with more harshly under the court system for the damage they cause to local farmers and landholders.
Creevey Russell principal Dan Creevey said these activists, including climate protesters and animal welfare campaigners, whose actions infringe on private use of land and impact the public’s freedom of movement should be dealt out harsher penalties.
Mr Creevey said criminal charges like obstructing police or trespassing does not prevent any recidivism in these offenders.
Man dies in custody, police officer and dog injured after Toowoomba incident overnight
The Ethical Standards Command is investigating following the death of a man and injury to a police dog and his handler at Mount Lofty last night.
Preliminary information indicates police were called to a Warana Ave address about 6.50pm following reports of a break and enter.
A 32-year-old senior constable from the Darling Downs Dog Squad was one of the first officers on the scene along with police dog Turbo.
Upon arrival, the handler and his dog located a 31-year-old Toowoomba man, allegedly involved in the break and enter.
The man allegedly lunged at the handler with a pair of scissors resulting in a laceration to his face and minor stab wound to his upper body.
Explosions heard as truck burns down in Coles loading bay
A delivery truck has been destroyed by fire in the Glenvale Coles loading bay.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews were called to the incident shortly after 5.30am Wednesday.
“Explosions were heard and someone called triple-0,” a QFES spokesman said.
Paramedics and police also attended, but no one was injured.
Toowoomba graffiti activists ordered to do community service and remove graffiti
Legislation saved two graffiti vandals who sprayed painted activist slogans on a number of Toowoomba CBD businesses from a harsher penalty.
Magistrate Howard Osborne told 21-year-olds Callum Thomas Ford and Lachlan Rigby McConville that he would have imposed harsher penalties but for the legislation that set a maximum 40-hour community service order by way of graffiti removal order as penalty.
“You’re both pests,” Mr Osborne told the pair.
“People have got better things to do than clean up your mess.”
Paranormal investigation comes to Toowoomba
A team of Queensland ghost chasers is hosting two paranormal investigations at a site near Toowoomba, both of which are open to the public.
East Coast Paranormal owner and host of the event Steve Evans said the site was home to a number of spirits who lived within the old buildings.
“I have been to (the pioneer village) a few times, these places fascinate me because of the history and what still lives with the buildings,” Mr Evans said.
“There are spirits there, but it’s up to them whether they want to talk on the night – sometimes we have quiet nights and then other times you think ‘it’s time to tone it down you guys, it’s getting a bit much’.”
‘Unique’ surgery to remove two limbs of six-legged calf
The team at Toowoomba Veterinary Hospital were left completely stumped by a special little patient who walked through their doors in November.
Three-week-old calf Alfie was born a happy, healthy, strong little calf, except for one thing.
He was born with two extra legs growing right out of his spine.
Associate veterinarian Jacqueline Taylor said Alfie’s condition was one of the most perplexing cases she had seen in her career.
Medic served dead rat inside burger after ordering from Wellbean Co cafe
A Toowoomba Hospital staff member was served a rat inside his burger after ordering a meal at the hospital’s Wellbean Co cafe last month.
A local medic was on his break when he bit into a burger which had a cooked rat sandwiched between two buns.
He had ordered and been served the meal from the Wellbean Co cafe which is run by the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
The staff member only realised something was off with his burger after the initial bite.
Man hands himself in after escaping hotel quarantine
The Queensland Police Service launched an independent investigation to learn how a 25-year-old Toowoomba man was able to escape from mandatory hotel quarantine.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said it was first time a person had escaped from a mandatory quarantine in Queensland.
“We want to know what has happened and if there is anything we can fix, we will fix it,” he said.
“It does not appear that he was assisted by anybody.
“He worked out a way to leave, and he left.”
Son stole Japanese maple from TRC garden for his mum’s birthday
GIVING mum flowers for her birthday is a commendable and loving act but maybe not when the plants are taken from a Toowoomba Regional Council garden bed.
Council CCTV cameras in Little St in Toowoomba’s CBD had recorded Paul James Anthony Nicholls pulling up in his car near the council buildings and getting out of the vehicle on October 17.
He was then seen to rip a Japanese maple valued at about $280 from the garden bed, put it in his car and drive away, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.
Police tracked the 50-year-old to his home where he had admitted taking the plant to give to his mother for her birthday, the court heard.
Nicholls, a green keeper by trade, pleaded guilty to one count of stealing.
Magistrate Kay Ryan noted the plant had been returned and fined Nicholls $300 but ordered the conviction not be recorded.
City fruit and vegetable consumption declining: Report
Alarming new research into Toowoomba’s eating and exercise habits reveals locals are neglecting crucial, but basic aspects of their health and wellbeing.
Child obesity is on the rise, exercise rates are decreasing, and unhealthy eating habits are taking precedence for those living in the Darling Downs Health region, according to a new report.
The Chief Health Officer’s biannual report, The Health of Queenslanders, revealed startling statistics about obesity and unhealthy eating rates in the Darling Downs.
The report said the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables in the Darling Downs Health district had declined in the last 10 years, as well as in the Central Queensland health region.
Thousands of students across the state receive incorrect correspondence
A number of Toowoomba students were among the thousands to receive incorrect correspondence, which was sent out in an email by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre.
The notification reportedly told students they were “ATAR ineligible” and gave an incorrect release date for the results.
Fairholme College tackled the issue head on this morning with a post to its Facebook page.
“QTAC wishes to advise that they have inadvertently sent emails out to a large population of Year 12 students stating that they are ATAR ineligible,” the post read.
“This is an error and follow up communique is to follow. Ignore the initial email.”
Multimillion-dollar Wagners and council dispute decided
The Court of Appeal has delivered a mixed bag for Wagners and Toowoomba Regional Council in a long-running legal dispute over tens of millions of dollars of infrastructure charges.
The saga, which has dragged on for more than three years, reached a key juncture today with Court of Appeal Justices Debra Mullins, Philip Morrison and Hugh Fraser publishing their decision on an appeal hearing which took place in November 2019.
Two Wagner companies, Wagner Investments Pty Ltd and Marcoola Investments Pty Ltd, were largely successful in a complex legal dispute with Toowoomba Regional Council in May 2019 over levied infrastructure charges at Wellcamp Airport and Wellcamp Business Park.
A month later, Toowoomba Regional Council decided it would appeal the decision.
Insults fly as city named a ‘S**t Town of Australia’
Toowoomba has made it onto the ‘S**t Towns of Australia’ cult Facebook page, with residents being called “Toowoombarbarians”, “Toowoomb**tards” and “Toowoompaloompas.”
While the insults come in thick and fast in the recent post on the satirical Facebook page S**t Towns of Australia, residents are responding to it with humour.
The page, with almost 150,000 followers, is dedicated to indexing Australian towns and mercilessly twists their defining characteristics and mocks them.
The Toowoomba-shaming post was shared earlier this week and has thousands of comments and almost 500 shares.
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Police seize more than $200,000 worth of stolen tools, vehicles
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