In Townsville between 9th and 13 May 1969 there was five explosions which caused significant damage to buildings in the town.

Brothers Football club house and two public toilet blocks, by this time there was panic in the town. A person phoned a Woolworths and a Coles store claiming that they were on the list to bombed (maybe hoax calls??). There were two  more explosions causing damage to two Catholic churches in Townsville now the town was really on edge.

Information from the M O Section disclosed that there were two people in Townsville who had been jailed for offenses involving explosives. These two persons of interest were questioned and eliminated.

My boss Les Bardwell travelled to Townsville to assist; I was involved with the forensic examination of exhibits in our laboratory.

There was also a smaller explosion in a railway goods wagon which proved to be the turning point in the investigation. Many fragments of brass were recovered from the scene which was believed could have been casing for the bomb.

In the previous explosions only damaged gelignite wrapping paper and burnt safety fuse was recovered.

Examination of this brass casing disclosed a wall thickness of a 1/4 of an inch with a diameter of an inch and there was a sealed and an open bevelled end. There was also a drilled and threaded hole of half an inch along the brass pipe which could have been approximately 10 inches in length.

Det Gordon Duncan was in charge of the investigation, and he visited a demolition yard which he knew used explosives. Gordon was acknowledged as one of Queensland’s leading detective for many years and he observed some railway staffs in the yard. Staffs were interchanged by the engine driver and station master to ensure there was only one train on line at a time. These staffs were 14 inches long with a brass base and a 4 inch wooden handle.

Gordon saw the significance of these staffs after reading the forensic lab report. The report provided by the lab closely resembled the brass base of the staffs.

These staffs were worn out and the yard would burn out the wooden handle and sell the scrap brass.

This finding very quickly led Gordon to interview a staff member John David Moore who was an employee at the yard, and he admitted that he was responsible for the bombings. Moore had a criminal record which included an arson conviction.

At trial in the Townsville Supreme Court Moore was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. 

A brilliant police investigation showing the importance of team work. In the early 70s Gordon was promoted and worked in Brisbane for many years. He continued to show his outstanding skills during that tenure.

Gordon only recently passed away aged 89 and he received many accolades on our webpage as a person and investigator.