1955 RACQ celebrates its Golden Jubilee by decorating its Head Office in Queen Street
RACQ maintained strong post-war links with the military, purchasing army jeeps for use as patrol vehicles, while many ex-servicemen found employment with the club.
After years of strict petrol rationing, motorists took to the roads with, at times, reckless abandon. In 1950, club membership passed the 50,000 mark, an incredible achievement considering just 18,000 were members at the end of the war in 1945.
RACQ wielded considerable influence in post-war Queensland and was instrumental in a number of legislative milestones. The 1949 Queensland Traffic Act raised speed limits and increased the rights of motorists on a par with southern states, while the formation of a state wide Traffic Commission only came about after years of club campaigning.
Membership continued to climb as the Australian motor industry boomed. The relatively poor standards of driving resulted in the club launching the RACQ Driving School in 1948 and introducing a pilot service, in which RACQ drivers would meet regional members on the Brisbane’s outskirts and pilot their vehicles into the “Big Smoke”.
The club represented more than half of all Queensland motorists when it celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1955, passing 100,000 members just two years later.
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