Arthur Reck says knowing what dynamite looks like probably saved his life

Shovels and spanners, tools and timber — these are items that Arthur Reck expected to find on his late uncle’s cane farm. 

But when Mr Reck began the tedious process of clearing and cleaning the farm ready for sale, a plastic package on the front seat of an old ute stopped him in his tracks.

“We found a packet of gelignite. I knew what it was and it was in a very bad state,” Mr Reck said.

His 92-year-old uncle had lived on the property outside of Bundaberg, 400km north of Brisbane, for 90 years, collecting many treasures over decades of farming.

Having spent time on the farm in his younger years using gelignite, or dynamite as it is commonly called, Mr Reck knew better than to touch it.

“We used to clear ground and blow out stumps and all that sort of caper, but that was many years ago,” he said.

“I knew just to leave it alone and stay away from it because I know what it can do.

“It was extremely old, but it never loses its oomph. It just gets more fragile.”

Mr Reck called the police who brought in Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), the regulatory body for explosives in Queensland, to dispose of the substance.

“They wouldn’t let us near the property for two days while they got it cleaned up,” he said.

Exposing a hidden danger

Gelignite was commonly sold in the 1970s and 1980s to clear rocks and stumps from farms.

RSHQ deputy chief inspector of explosives Snezana Bajic said anyone clearing out a farm should be aware of the potential dangers stored on properties over many years.

“Chemicals and explosives had different regulations back in the day, and people were allowed to handle dangerous substances more often than they can now,” Ms Bajic said.

“The thing most people don’t realise is that nitro-glycerine explosives become more dangerous as they age, which can lead to an unplanned explosion from changing temperatures and the way they are stored.”

Ms Bajic said RSHQ made 13 recoveries from Queensland properties in the past six years — most of them calls from family members dealing with deceased estates, or taking over from someone who could no longer take care of the farm.

Due to its volatile nature, Ms Bajic said people should not touch any suspicious items but should look carefully for signs of identification.

“These explosives have been packed in a stick form, and it also has some crystallisation that you can notice on the surface of the packaging,” she said.

“But it can also be in some sort of see-through bag, usually they will have gelignite written on it, so it’s very important to look for old signs or stickers on them.”

Ms Bajic said anything suspected of being an explosive should be reported to RSHQ’s 24-hour emergency hotline with experts available to advise on the next steps.

“If people are worried, and they’re not sure if they have found some gelignite on their properties, they should call 1300 739 868.”