June Newsletter
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Issue 93 ABN 49 071 835 845 ISSN 1835-8500 WYNNUM MANLY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. June Newsletter JUNE GENERAL MEETING POST WAR Presidents Report MIGRA T IO N FRO M I was reminded recently of some local history I was taught in primary QUEENSLAND school. It was when I was driving down Tingal Road, and caught sight of the JESSICA STROJA large stone and commemorative plaque to Pamphlett, Parsons and Finne- gan. They were the first Europeans to reach Moreton Bay. I remember them as a trio, three names learnt, not individuals. I did a little reading and Thursday, 15 June 2017, would like to share a little of what I found. 7:30pm Pamphlett and fellow "ticket of leave" convicts Richard Parsons and John Ambulance Museum Thompson, along with full convict John Finnegan, were hired by settler Wil- liam Cox to fetch cedar from the Illawarra District, now known as Wollon- Auditorium gong, 80 km south of Sydney. The four set sail on 21st March 1823. The vessel was 29 feet long and with a beam of just on 10 feet. The men carried (Cnr Cedar Street and large a quantity of pork and flour, as well as five gallons of rum to buy ce- Tingal Road, Wynnum) dar from the timber cutters, plus four gallons of water. A gold coin donation They were within sight of Illawarra when a strong gale blew them away would be appreciated. from the coast. The wind became even stronger, heavy rain started falling Raffle tickets also availa- as darkness fell. The boat and its’ crew were blown further out to sea. It was five days before they could use any sail, by which time they had drunk ble: $1 each or 3 for $2 the water and the rum. (it didn’t say in which order the supplies were con- Thank you to sumed). Jan Aplin, Melissa The men were hopelessly lost. The group thought they had drifted south Champley and Deborah and so headed northwest to try to get back to Illawarra and Sydney. Pam- phlett spotted land on their twenty-second day at sea. Before they could Tearle for providing sup- land, Thompson succumbed to the lack of fresh water and the elements, per this month. and collapsed and died. They kept his body on board, thinking they would be able to land and bury him, but they couldn’t find a spot free of wild surf Donations of $2 and over so buried him at sea after two days. Pamphlett, Finnegan and Parsons finally to the landed on the rugged shores of Moreton Island. Wynnum Manly Thinking Sydney was to the north, they set off along the beach in this direc- Historical Society Inc tion with two sacks of flour and a few other items. They lived for periods with several Aboriginal tribes who thought they were the ghosts their an- are tax deductible. cestors due to their pale skin colour. Eventually, the aboriginals took the three men to Stradbroke Island. It was here, that the intrepid crew built their own canoe and eventually made it to the mainland. It is thought, they landed somewhere in the area now known as Cleveland. Still thinking they were south of Sydney, the three men continued their journey northwards June 2017 1 Issue 93 ABN 49 071 835 845 ISSN 1835-8500 SOCIETY TOURS IN 2017 along the coast, following native paths. It is thought they may have travelled along what is now Tingal Road. From the top of Lytton Hill, they were the first Keep this days free! white men that we are aware of, to sight the mouth of a river, later known as the Brisbane River which flowed into Moreton Bay. Bremer River Cruise on the 20 Sep 2017 On 29 November 1823, Pamphlett and some Aborigines were on the beach at Bribie Island when he saw a cutter in the bay. It was explorer John Oxley who We leave Mowbray Park at had been searching up and down the coast for a new convict settlement. Only 9.30am, returning at 3.30pm. then did Pamphlett learn that Sydney was 800 km to the south rather than to There cruise will include a deli- the north. The next day, Finnegan showed Oxley the Brisbane River. Oxley cious Morning Tea, Lunch and took Pamphlett and Finnegan back to Sydney. A year and a half later Pamphlett Afternoon Tea, all for $65. committed another crime, for which he was sentenced to seven years’ trans- portation to the new Moreton Bay penal colony. The colony had been set up THE 100km Bremer River is a after a favourable report on the area by Oxley, thanks to Pamphlett and Finne- tributary of the Brisbane River gan. Ironic, when you think about it! with a catchment 2,032 square kilometres draining several Sce- nic Rim valleys including the Parsons was picked up by Oxley on another trip north, nearly a year later. Fassifern Valley. The river rises near Rosewood and winds I was wondering if any members have photos of the area around the Wynnum through the city of Ipswich. North shopping precinct, and would be happy for me to copy. I would espe- cially like photos of the old shops, pre early 1960’s, as well as when the “new” The river was first sighted by shops where first built. John Oxley and Allan Cunning- ham on 19 September 1824 and presumably named after Till next month stay warm. James Gordon Bremer, a naval officer on the HMS Tamar. Cap- Deborah Tearle tain Patrick Logan was the first person to travel along the river in 1826/27. He discovered de- posits of limestone at the site of which was to become Ips- wich. Beyond this point the river was not navigable. The first steam vessel on the river was the Experiment in 1846. In 1863 an immigration depot was built on the north bank of the Bremer, after the residents petitioned for a depot to alleviate the shortage of la- bour. Immigrants were brought by paddle steamer and the de- pot operated until 1900. Until the railway line from Ips- wich to Brisbane was complet- ed in 1875, the Bremer River served as an important naviga- tion route between the two towns. For Bookings: Jill at Resource Room. Ph: 3393 3208 June 2017 2 Issue 93 ABN 49 071 835 845 ISSN 1835-8500 Resource Centre Report - June 2017 Sarah Moreton In the February 2017 newsletter I inserted a story written, by my late husband, Les Greenhill of his experiences when, as a child, he met Sarah Moreton. He used to referred to Sarah being the last aboriginal person living in Wynnum. She did housework for his grandmother Mary Feige in Hill (Alkoomie) Street. Through that article we have had contact with two of Sarah Moreton’s great great grandchildren, Kerry Charlton and Shannon Ruska. Kerry has written an article “Introducing Diinaba – Sarah Moreton” for our newsletter. This is a very welcome addition to our collection as little accurate information has been available, till now, on the early abo- riginal life of this district. (See page 4) “Bayside Stories” The Society received a grant from Brisbane City Council in 2016 to conduct an Oral History project. During the last twelve months, Sharee Cordes has been organising workshops and training interviewers. Initially the project aimed at collecting stories from local traders. Some of the finished video clips are on iPads in the History Room in the Com- munity Centre. Anyone is welcome to drop in for a viewing. “From Saplings and Kero Tins – A peek at Gumdale’s Past” Robyn Nalder produced the first edition of her book in 2004. This was around the time when the Society assisted in the removal of a tin shack from a paddock in Green Camp Road (which is now covered in new modern houses) to the grounds of the Gumdale Progress Hall in New Cleveland Road, Gumdale. The tin shack was made of timber sup- ports and the walls covered with flattened Kerosene tins. Reassembled at its new home, the shack is now a muse- um, housing exhibits of earlier times in Gumdale. Robyn has now produced a second edition of her book, containing all the original details plus extra information. We have copies at the Community Centre, still selling at only $15.00. A local historical novel We have a fairly regular visitor, an author who comes to visit us to seek out the events of times gone by. She is interested in peoples’ reactions and feelings about the various changes and happenings and their im- pact on everyday life. Here are some of her questions: Do you remember the time when the train crossed the Brisbane River and one could alight at Central Sta- tion rather than at South Brisbane? What were your feelings of the activities of Clem Jones? Did the Vi- etnam War have any effect on the lives of local people? Do you remember when a girl was shot on the beach, when a son killed his mother? Which was the most up-market cafe in the district in the 1950 and 1960s? I would be grateful for your thoughts on any of the above questions so that I can pass the information on to our visitor. Until next time, Jill Greenhill June 2017 3 Issue 93 ABN 49 071 835 845 ISSN 1835-8500 INTRODUCING DIINABA - SARAH MORETON by Kerry Charlton As children our mother Dulcie Moreton was a live-in cook at the Point Lookout Hotel and we lived with grandparents Alfred and Lavinia Moreton (nee Newfong) going to Dunwich School until the late ‘60s.