Remember when a WWII sea mine washed up on the Gold Coast?

It was a day that many would never forget.  It was also the day that the sunny Gold Coast held it’s breath, no more so than three men and a reporter that went to the beach to do the unthinkable.  They went to disable a World War II German sea mine that had washed up onto a popular holiday beach.

51-years-ago this week, a sea mine was spotted by the fishing trawler Heather off the coast of Surfer’s Paradise. Risking their own lives, the crew of the Heather and fellow fishing trawler the Winnie Vee tried to tow the mine which had been floating in the ocean since the 1940s.  The sharp barnacles and shells that encrusted the mind shredding the fishing nets making towing impossible.  

The coast guard was alerted, and residents of the surrounding area were evacuated. The mine was watched for two days and as the mine started to come to shore emergency personnel had to rescue holiday makers unaware of the danger and wanting to go for a swim.

Two Royal Australian Navy explosives experts and a Gold Coast Police Officer spent hours carefully deactivating the mine while one reporter from the Gold Coast Bulletin documented the events.  Talking to a crowd in 2015 ceremony to honour the brave men, the reporter Frank Hampson remembered, “The Navy boys got it up onto 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.”

After 56 hours, the ordeal was over.  The booby-trap detonator was removed, the explosives removed and detonated under the sand. It was a day in March of 1966 that they will never forget. The men were honoured with The Queen’s Commendation on the 17th of March 1966.  In 2013, the men, Lt Tom Parker, chief petty officer clearance diver John Dollar, leading seaman clearance diver Paddy Turley and able seaman clearance divers Allan Ingham and Philip Kember who helped pull the mine to a secure location were once again honoured by the Gold Coast for their heroic acts.

Do you remember this day in 1966?