Young Gregory Thomas Brown (1938-47) of Annerley was among the 16 people killed when a Labour Day picnic train, carrying about 215 passengers, crashed near Camp Mountain on 5 May 1947. A further 38 people were injured. It remains Queensland’s worst rail disaster to this day. 

The train had been chartered by the social and recreation club for employees of the Department of Trade and Customs, Brisbane, and was heading to a picnic ground at Closeburn when it came off the rails while travelling too fast on a curve in the track. Nine-year old Gregory was the youngest victim. A subsequent enquiry found that “The only reason which could be discovered for excess speed was that the train was late and the driver was endeavouring to make up time. He must have known that the permissible maximum speed was being exceeded, but he could not have realised that the excessive speed was in any way likely to endanger the train.”