Pneumonic influenza is the only subject on which one talks at present. The weather and the cane have entirely given place to a discussion on the serious menace which is now threatening the north. Though influenza has been prevalent in Mackay for some time all the cases have been reported as mild. None realised what the seriousness of the infection was until the first death occurred. The demise of Mr. J. P. Moule from pneumonic influenza was universally regretted, and was a distinct shock to the community, partly from the fact that he was a highly respected citizen, and partly also because he was one of the "mild" cases at first reported and served as a grim example of the seriousness of the plague which threatens the district.
Though the scourge first entered through the port, Mr. Moule was infected on a journey south, in which he took some passengers to the rail connection, and brought others back. The journey was accomplished under discouraging circumstances, and some people are inclined to think that Mr. Moule may have contracted pneumonia through exposure rather than infection.
An average of about eight daily are being added to the list of sufferers, and of these the more serious cases are being isolated in the District Hospital. It was there that the death of Mr. Moule occurred, having been transferred a couple of days previously from his own home, where he had previously isolated himself. There are also two other patients there seriously ill, one of whom is another car driver who accomplished a similar journey to Mr. Moule.
Though the spread of the disease is alarming, the Health Board is to be complimented on the way the epidemic has been handled. Most of the fresh cases reported each day are from infected homes, and few are other than direct contacts. This in itself speaks highly for the system of isolation adopted, and for the loyal co-operation of townspeople in carrying out the regulations.
The rush for inoculation continues, and hundreds are put through each day the depot is open.
'Moule, J. P. (?–1919)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/moule-j-p-1124/text1119, accessed 19 April 2026.