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Herb Fennell & Noel WatsonPrint Page 
A picnic area commemorates firemen Herb Fennell and Noel Watson who lost their lives fighting a blaze at Southport, Queensland in 1994.
Noel Watson and Herbie Fennell were killed fighting a fire at the Honda motorcycle and lawnmower showrooms at Southport on February 11, 1994. Herbie Fennell had been a firefighter for 20 years and Noel Watson had been in the fire service for 4 years.
At 1.47am that day, the pair were part of the crew call to a fire at Southport Honda in a small brick building piled high with rubber tyres, motorbikes and parts. The pair went into the heavily smoke-logged building together as an officer outside recorded how much oxygen they had left in their tanks and calculated the time they were expected to emerge from the building. Their duty was to find the source of the fire and extinguish it.
Later, the officer waiting outside noted that the time for their escape from the fire had been reached and called out to them. Receiving no reply, senior officers ordered a search at 3.30am and the two bodies were found in the northwest corner of the building, only 5m from safety.
Location
| Address: | Gold Coast Highway, Cascade Gardens, Broadbeach, 4218 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -28.019167 Long: 153.428333 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Government - State |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 11-February-1994 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 11-February- 1994 |
Dedication
THIS PICNIC AREA
IS DEDICATED TO
THE TREASURED MEMORY OF
FIREFIGHTERS
HERB FENNELL & NOEL WATSON
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
IN THE LINE OF DUTY
AT SOUTHPORT ON 11/2/1994.
THEY WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US.
HERB FENNELL AND NOEL WATSON
MEMORIAL PICNIC AREA
