The Cloncurry election-night robbery

Townsfolk of every community often recall an episode that has passed into folklore. In Cloncurry, it is the infamous Great Bank Robbery of 1932. With the passing of time there has been much debate, informed and imaginative, and consequently the actual event is still shrouded in mystery.

For many years the Bank of New South Wales and Queensland National Bank operated in Cloncurry. For convenience, the bank managers carried their strong-room keys on their waist-belts. If one was out of town for the night, he would deposit his keys with the other bank. It seems that in early April 1932, the manager of the Queensland National Bank, while swimming at the Two Mile Waterhole, left his keys on the bank where a ‘person or persons unknown’ surreptitiously obtained a wax impression of the bank keys.

On state election night – 11 June 1932 – most of Cloncurry's residents (staunch Labor supporters) gathered at the courthouse where the local clerk of the court was returning officer for Cloncurry. They were anticipating the defeat of the conservative Moore Government and the return to Labor rule when the robbery occurred.

The villains entered the Queensland National Bank and emptied the strong room of £3000 in notes. As a windfall, they also found the duplicate keys to the Bank of New South Wales. The enterprising villains then hit the Bank of New South Wales, gathering £11,000 in notes before making good their escape.

The unsuspecting bank officials who opened up on the next Monday morning were the first to discover the robbery. News of the theft spread through the town and state, attracting police investigators from Townsville and Brisbane, and bank officials from Sydney. Despite a reward of £500 and countless hours of police investigation no one was ever arrested. Many believe that a ‘local’ or ’locals’ committed the robbery, and consequently speculation has continued for decades.