The Tin Opener Burglar and Sleep-walking Shoplifter committed some of the strangest thefts of the last century in Ipswich, Queensland. I told a version of this story on West Bremer Radio.

In 1948 there was a regular theft of cash, but it was nearly £7,000 in notes and silver. That’s $1.4 million today making this one of the biggest home burglaries in Queensland or Australian history. It was stolen from the home of Mr. R. J. Beaumont at Eastern Heights, Ipswich.

Beaumont ran his family business the Ipswich Bus Service as well as services across Queensland in Everton Park, Landsborough, Maryborough, Lowood, Toowoomba, Wynnum and Mount Morgan. What makes this record theft notable is that a key was used to get into the house, which suggests it was an inside job, and I don’t think that the thieves were ever identified.

In 1935 a keg of beer was stolen from the veranda of the City View Hotel. The hotel is still there on Brisbane Street, Ipswich. Today it’s heritage-listed having been built in 1908. The licensee of the hotel at the time was Mary Clorine McNally, her middle name of Clorine being unusual to start with. Percy Jones was convicted of the crime. But strangely Percy returned the keg to the owner in perfect unopened condition.

In 1933 thieves visited the Ipswich Town Hall and stole eleven gold medals belonging to the Blackstone Cambrian Choir. The choir had twice won the Grand Championship of Australia and the medals were trophies and awards won by the choir throughout the years. What was remarkable about this theft was that seven silver cups and two gold cups, which were in the same glass case as the medals, were left untouched, and they were worth heaps more. I can find no record of the medals ever being recovered and so were probably melted down into gold ingots.

In 1931 Clifford Jackson broke into the Hastings Jewellery Store on the ground floor of the Colthup building on Brisbane Street. He got away with over £1,000 of diamonds and £100 in cash, making it the biggest commercial heist in Ipswich history. That’s almost $400,000 in today’s money. But two things made this unusual. Firstly, Jackson travelled to and from the robbery by taxi. Secondly, he carried a giant tin opener to cut open the safe. Jackson became known as the Tin Opener Burglar.

In 1927 it was the crime of the stolen frocks. Ethel McAllen committed the theft from Cribb and Foote. Ethel said she didn’t remember stealing the frocks, but she might have done it, so she pleaded guilty. She blamed it on sleepwalking which caused her to act on uncontrollable impulses. Ethel was convicted and fined £10. The Sleepwalking Shoplifter never worked in the women’s clothing or nightwear departments of Cribb & Foote again.

The last case I’ll tell you about came in 1926 when Ipswich out-did its capital city neighbour Brisbane in a big way. It was the case of the stolen Stetson hats (pictured top of the page). There was a Stetson stealing epidemic going on in Brisbane.

In 1922 one Stetson was stolen in a pub brawl and the theft went to court. The next year in 1923 another Stetson was taken, and the court again applied the standard fine of around £3. And again in Brisbane, in 1926 four Stetsons were stolen in a smash and grab raid. But that same year, Ipswich put that number of four to shame. That’s because thirty (that’s three-zero) Stetson hats were stolen from the Hienke menswear store in Ipswich. And the culprits got away.

So add these thirty Stetsons to the record $1.4 million, keg of beer, gold medals, the Tin Opener Burglar, and Sleepwalking frocks, and there is a long list of strange crimes that occurred in Ipswich last century.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A VERSION OF THIS STORY TOLD ON RADIO.

Photo credits:
Stetson hats – Craig Goodman 2024.
Ipswich Bus Service c1950 – Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society.
City View Hotel, West Ipswich, Queensland – Wikipedia Commons.
Ipswich Eisteddfod trophies – Queensland Times, Ipswich, Wednesday 5th April 1950, page 5.
Clifford Jackson – Truth, Brisbane, 12th April 1931, page 18.
Cribb Foote Store staff in front of building on Bell Street Ipswich c1916 – Picture Ipswich.