11

The Clem Lack Memorial Oration 'S GOVERNMENT HOUSES

by His Excellency Sir , K.C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.C.,

Delivered to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland on 27 March i 980.

INTRODUCTION When I first learned that I might be coming to Queensland, I set about searching for some information on Government House. My search, which was necessarily clandestine, proved quite fruitless. It was a simple matter to find beautifully illustrated descriptions of Government Houses in and in all the other States, but not a word could I find on . When I arrived here on 22 April 1977,1 set about learning the history of the house, formerly called "Fernberg", and I found, much to my dismay, only fragmentary treatment in one or two publications, and in a few internal documents that had not been pubHshed. Curiously enough, one of these fragments was a short section of his Presidential Address given to this Society by Commander Norrnan Pixley in 1973. His subject was "Consuls in Queensland" and in it he gave some attention to Johann Heussler, and this included a photograph of the extensions to Fernberg carried out in 1889 by a later owner. I therefore attribute to our President, the main spur I received to get on and produce a more detailed and more authoritative history of the House, with a view to publishing some sort of brochure on the subject -leading perhaps to qualifying the House for a mention in one of the National Trust books on Historic Houses of . Little did 1 think, as my own ideas for such a publication developed, that Commander Pixley would be so persistent as to be able to persuade me to come forward to give the Clem Lack Oration in 1980. Let me say, however, that his invitation, or his persuasion, has acted as a catalyst. It has made me work faster on the subject; it has caused me to establish an aim to produce what 1 might call a first draft - and to try out my first draft on you - for a very good purpose. What I have discovered in my research to date is a great paucity of information and a lack of con­ tinuity in the story. 12

What 1 hope to achieve tonight is to tell you all that I have so far been able to discover, and in so doing to point out some of the obvious and glaring deficiencies, and then to seek from you any sources of addifional information that may help me complete the history. I feel sure that somewhere, in both official and private archives, a great deal more valuable material, both written and photographic, exists. So, please can you help? When I began, I set my sights firmly on the present Government House, that is the original "Fernberg" house and its various extensions and alterations. But I soon reahsed the story would not be complete without including the old Government House in George Street, with particular reference to the reasons for leaving it and moving to "Fern­ berg" in 1910. And then I realised that if I were to include the George Street Government House, I should also include the previous temporary residence of the first Governor - Adelaide House, now the Deanery. One cannot stop there, because there were residences of the senior government officials before the first Governor arrived to proclaim Queensland as a separate Colony in 1859.

So, I will go back to Newstead House which was occupied by Captain Wickham, the Police Magistrate and Government Resident for "who was charged with the general interest of government within Moreton Bay and to be representative of the Governor within its limits". Wickham was Police Magistrate from 1843 to 1857 and Govern­ ment Resident from 1853 to 1859.

And I will go back even further to the residence of the Military Commandant who was in charge of the Moreton Bay Settlement when it was a closed area - declared exclusively for penal purposes. I will now reverse the order in which I have mentioned these houses and take them in turn, beginning with the Military Commandant's residence.

MILITARY COMMANDANT'S RESIDENCE This residence is no longer standing. It was first called the Comman­ dant's Cottage and was designed and built of timber in Sydney for trans­ portation to Redcliffe. When the settlement was moved from Redcliffe to Brisbane in 1825, it was dismantled and re-erected with brick chimneys on the site now occupied by the Government Prindng Office in William Street near Stephens Lane. It was occupied by Lieutenant Miller in 1825, Captain Bishop 1825-26, Captain Logan 1826-30, Captain Clunie 1830-35, Captain Fyans 1835-37, Major Cotton 1837-39, Lieutenant Gravatt 1839, and Lieutenant Gcman 1839-42, the last Military Commandant. 13

Commandant's Cottage. The Military Commandants were also Magistrates, and being the senior government officials in the settlement, they, or some of them, referred to the residence as Government House. There is not a great deal of contemporary writing about the use to which this residence was put, but it is apparent that much official entertaining was done and that some official guests were accommodated, e.g.. Governor Darling stayed in the residence on the occasion of his visit in 1827 and so did Governor Gipps in 1842. The building was allowed to run down after Lieutenant Gorman ceased to be Commandant when the settlement was thrown open to free settlers. Captain Wickham was appointed Police Magistrate in 1843, and he occupied it for a time while looking for a more suitable residence. His office was in the adjoining military barracks. This residence was demolished in about 1862, to make way for the original timber Govern­ ment Printing Office.

NEWSTEAD HOUSE Except for continuity, not a great deal needs to be said about Newstead House. It is perhaps the best documented of all the historic homes of Queensland, and it is certainly the best preserved or best restored of those of its period. Newstead House became the centre of the social as well as the official life of the settlement, and it is here that we can begin to introduce the personalities of some of the incumbents of the office. 14

Wickham was a naval who played a major part in the explor­ ation and surveying of Australia's vast coastline and off-lying islands. He retired from the Royal Navy, married a Sydney girl - Elizabeth MacArthur - and then became the first Police Magistrate in Brisbane. Initially he took up residence in the Military Commandant's House, but in 1847 he bought Newstead House from his brother-in-law, Patrick Leslie, for one thousand pounds. He then set about enlarging it to enable him better to carry out what he saw as his official duties of entertaining. It must be emphasised that Newstead was a private residence but it was definitely regarded as the Moreton Bay District's unofficial Government House. It is easiest to quote from one of the pubHcations on the subject of Newstead: "In this romantic old mansion, one of Brisbane's few remaining historic homes which have been preserved from the despoiling of time. Captain Wickham entertained the social elite of early Bris­ bane. While the summer moon shed on the river a silvery radiance, and a myriad crickets chirped in the thickets, the great house echoed to the merry scraping of violins and the tap of dancing feet on the poHshed floors. Under the soft glow of the tall candles beauty and gallantry danced the brisk rigaudon, the grace­ ful waltz and the quadrille. This home's wide doors have seen the entry and the passing of a century of beauty and fashion . . . the frills and furbelows of the days of the crinoline... the frou-frou of voluminous skirts as fair maids swept by on the arms of their escorts . . . dashing officers of the Brisbane garrison in glittering brass and scarlet uniforms . . . and young squatters, handsome in sideburns, corded trousers, and riding boots, enjoying a few days among the civilised amenities of the settlement before returning to the lonely life of some station on the Darling Downs, the Burnett, or the broad plains of the Condamine country."

On the arrival of Governor Bowen in December 1859, Wickham retired, and he left the colony a few weeks later to return to . He died in 1864. Before leaving he leased Newstead to George Harris, who bought the house and the property from Wickham's estate in 1867 for four thousand pounds. It is hardly necessary to tell you that it became the headquarters of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland in 1932 and has remained so until this day. Actually three rooms only were leased from the at a peppercorn rental. It is fitting that we of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland should wish the Trustees and the Friends of Newstead House every 15 success in their continuing work of restoring and maintaining this wonderful monument to early Brisbane.

ADELAIDE HOUSE - NOW THE DEANERY When Queensland separated from the Colony of New South Wales, Sir George Ferguson Bowen was appointed to be the first Governor at the age of 38. Indeed he was appointed Captain General, Governor-in- Chief of the and its Dependencies and Vice- Admiral of the same. There was no Government House as such, and it does not appear that any consideration was given by Captain Wickham to move out of Newstead House in favour of Sir George - although clearly Newstead House would have been suitable for the purpose. Instead, it was decided to lease Adelaide House from Dr. William Hobbs at a rental of three hundred and fifty pounds a year - to serve as a temporary residence until a new Government House could be built. Adelaide House was designed and built for Dr. Hobbs in 1854 by Andrew and John Petrie. It did not become the Deanery until 1901. It was a substantial two storey house with external walls of 2-foot thick porphyry and an entrance porch flanked by two Doric columns. It has been described as the best house in Brisbane at the time. Sir George arrived in Moreton Bay onboard H.M.S. Cordelia on 10 December 1859, was brought up-river in the small steamer Breadalbane, and after landing at the Botanical Gardens was escorted to Adelaide House from whose balcony he proclaimed the establishment of the Colony of Queensland. He was sworn in by Judge Lutwyche, and his Private Secretary soon to become the Colonial Secretary (Mr. Herbert) read the Letters Patent issued in the name of Queen which Sir George had brought with him from London. Sir George came to Queensland from Greece where he had been Chief Secretary of the Ionian Islands. After eight years in Queensland he went on to be Governor of New Zealand for five years, and then for six years, Mauritius for three and Hong Kong for four. Little is recorded of life at the Deanery during the two-and-a-half years he spent there. OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE The selection of a site for a permanent Government House, together with its design, was put in hand immediately after the arrival of Sir . The site selected adjacent to the Botanical Gardens had earlier been earmarked for sub-division, but this was changed in favour of a Government precinct along the river bank - featuring both a Parlia- 16

ment House and a Government House. And it is interesting that Government House was designed, built and occupied before work on Parliament House was begun.

Old Government House soon afler its completion. The house was designed by Charles Tiffin, the Colonial Architect, and was built by Joshua Jeays. It was begun in 1860 and completed and occupied in April 1862. The cost was twelve thousand pounds. The main structure was of sandstone from Jeays' quarry at Goodna, with Brisbane porphyry in some areas. The is Classic Revival. The house, set in about 30 acres of river bank, was very spacious with a large hall and two reception rooms, a dining room, library and eight bedrooms, plus the usual offices. Additional verandahs, balconies, a porte-cochere and a billiard room increased the floor area over the forty-eight years of its occupation by the Governors, of whom there were eleven, viz - Sir George Bowen (1859-68) Colonel Blackall (1868-71) The Marquis of Normanby (1871-74) William (1875-77) Sir Arthur Kennedy (1877-83) Sir (1883-88) Sir Henry Norman (1889-95) Lord (1896-1901) Sir (1902-04) Lord Chelmsford (1905-09) Sir William MacGregor (1909-10) 17

Some quite good photographs exist to show the house and its grounds at various times, and also the interior of the reception rooms as furnished about 1907-08. There was little similarity in the design of the Government Houses of all the Australian colonies even though they were built at much the same time for precisely the same functions. Sydney was built in 1841-45, Hobart 1855-58, Adelaide 1855-63, 1859-63, 1871-73. As the other Government Houses all continue to be used to this date, one wonders why Queensland's Government House was discarded in 1910. There seems no record of inadequacy in the Brisbane house until the turn of the century. Indeed, the contrary seems to have been the case. It was reported in the Press in the latter part of the 19th Century that Government House was the scene of many brilliant receptions and garden parties. "Sir Anthony Musgrave and Lady Musgrave entertained lavishly. She was a talented American hostess and her receptions were regarded as the outstanding events of Brisbane's social world. Entertaining at Government House came to a spectacular climax during the of Lord Lamington (1896-1901)." The late King George V and Queen Mary (then Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York) stayed there during their visit to Brisbane in 1901. The Duke of Edinburgh had stayed there too - in 1868. During this visit he laid the foundation stone of the original Brisbane Boy's Grammar School, and it is interesting to remind you that the present Duke of Edinburgh visited B.G.S. in 1968 - during the School's Centenary Cele­ brations (when Norman Pixley was President of B.G.S. Old Boys' Assoc­ iation).

THE MOVE TO "FERNBERG" 1910 It is here that records are more readily available, and copies of corres­ pondence retrieved from State archives throw a good deal of light on the reasons for the move. Until this retrieval, the impression given by the few published state­ ments on the subject was that the Government wanted to use Govern­ ment House for the University of Queensland and the Governor considered Government House inadequate for his purposes - because it lacked a ballroom! Coupled with this impression was the implication that Sir William MacGregor, being the first Chancellor of the University, had his priorities wrong! 18

What is clear is that the Government, with the best advice it had at the time, considered that the grounds of Government House would provide the best site for the University and that Government House itself would provide a suitable nucleus on which to build. This advice would have come from the University Extension movement of which Sir was chairman until his appointment as first Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia in 1903. Indeed while holding this office he was also a member of the first University Senate.

What is equally clear, but less well known, is that the Government also decided to build a new Government House in Victoria Park in the position now occupied by the Kelvin Grove College of Advanced Education. Plans were drawn up and the foundations were laid for this new residence, but it was necessary to find a temporary Government House while the new one was under construction.

Obviously the establishment of the University was treated as a matter of great urgency, and as a consequence the urgent selection of a house suitable for a temporary Government House became a matter of some controversy as negotiations took place. The Government was bom­ barded with suggestions and with offers - by owners and by estate agents.

The only ones looked at or seriously considered were :-

"Kinellan" New Farm • Mr. Justice Chubb "Merthyr" New Farm • Mr. T. H. Brown ex Sir Samuel Griffith "Wybernia" New Farm • Mr. James Clark "Cumbooquepa" South Brisbane • Occupied by Mrs. R. Bocock as a boarding house. (Now Somer- ville House). "Fernberg" - Paddington Miss A. Palmer.

After due consideration "Fernberg" was selected!

It was offered and taken on lease for three years at two hundred and fifty pounds per annum, with a six months option to purchase for ten thousand pounds. The estate agent was Cameron Bros, of Town Hall, Queen Street. 19

Sir William MacGregor and Lady MacGregor moved from George Street to "Fernberg" in July 1910, taking with them all the furniture and portable fittings. The University Senate held its first meeting in the billiard room of the Old House on 1 August 1910. Work was stopped on the new Government House in 1911 and "Fernberg" was purchased for ten thousand pounds onl5Junel911-an offer of nine thousand having been made and refused.

"FERNBERG" Before moving on to "Fernberg" in depth, it is important to dispel some of the doubts that may exist that political chicanery was respon­ sible for moving Government House permanently from a house of 190 squares to one of 120 squares - because those were the comparative figures at the time. Queensland Sketch Book quite wrongly states that "Fernberg" was much bigger. The lack of a ballroom was really a furphy, but it has been carried forward ever since - including Janet Hogan's Historic Homes of Brisbane published only last year. There is no doubt that it was considered that the requirement for a site for the University could be met by the Old Government House area - and the St. Lucia site was not acquired till 1926. There is no doubt also that the Government commissioned the Department of Works to build a new Government House - or that it included a ballroom! The reason for stopping work on the new Government House must have been financial or economic - but the suspension of Public Works projects has been an implement of budgeting by Treasury and Governments for many years. The implication of Sir William MacGregor in the decision making is also ill-founded. He did not arrive in Brisbane until 2 December 1909 (he came from Newfoundland) and the decision to dedicate the Old Government House for the University was made, after some debate, by Act of Parliament on 7 December, 1909. He gave assent to the Bill on 10 December but would not have been involved in the preliminary discus­ sions and he did not become Chancellor of the University until 1911., He no doubt had a say, probably the final say, in the selection of "Fernberg" as the temporary Government House, but the die was already cast. It can only be assumed that he went along with the design of the new Government House, and it must also be assumed that he had no alternative but to agree to its cancellation. So he was landed with the job of turning the rented "Fernberg" into a permanent residence after its purchase in 1911. There is a rumour, without any foundation, that Sir William, being a doctor, and having an asthmatic wife, was keen to leave the river bank to live on higher ground. But "Fernberg" is only 330 feet above sea level. 20

THE ORIGINAL "FERNBERG" On 2 October 1860, one Johann Christian Heussler purchased by deed of grant portion 223, of 21 acres, in the County of Stanley in the Parish of Enoggera for ^42.3.3. On 7 August, 1862, the same Johann Heussler, in partnership with George Francksen, purchased by deed of grant the adjacent portion 291 of 22 acres for /;44. Francksen was Heussler's business partner but he surrendered his interest in the property in 1864. In 1864-65 Heussler built a house on this 43 acre block in which he lived for seven or eight years. Who was this Johann Heussler? Well he was a German, born in 1820, who emigrated to Australia in 1852. After two years in Melbourne he moved to Brisbane and set up a business - Heussler & Francksen, wine, spirit & general merchants. His other interests included sugar growing and cotton growing at Pimpama. In 1861, he was appointed Emigration Agent for Queensland on the continent of Europe, and he was instru­ mental in bringing thousands of Germans and others to Queensland In 1863 he was appointed Consul for the Netherlands, and in 1880 Consul for the Imperial German Empire. In 1866 he became a Member of the Legislative Council but he forfeited his seat owing to his absence from the colony and was re-appointed in 1870. In 1897 he was appointed Commercial Commissioner for Queensland in Holland and Germany. He died in Brisbane in 1907.

1.

The original Heussler house. 21

The house that Heussler built was designed by Ben Backhouse. It was built on local schist and clay and was of three floors with an attic in a small tower. It was of rather grand proportions for 1864, but quite modest compared with the same house today. It enjoyed commanding views of Brisbane and its surroundings. It had a kitchen, dining room and staff rooms on the lower ground floor, three bedrooms on the ground floor, and one large general purpose room on the first floor, and there were extensive verandahs on three sides. Generous outhouses included stables, coach house, groom's room and harness room, etc. Heussler named the house "Fernberg" - German for "distant hill" -but he left no private papers and so there is no record of life at "Fernberg" in his time. The approach road from Milton later took its name from the House - Fernberg - and another road in Milton was named Heussler Terrace. The name of the Toowong end of Heussler Terrace was changed to Haig Road and Birdwood Terrace after World War 1. Heussler mortgaged the house to the Bank of New South Wales in 1867 and the title was transferred to the Bank in 1872. The next occupant of "Fernberg" was the Premier - Arthur Palmer, later Sir Arthur Palmer - President of the Legislative Council and Lieu­ tenant Governor, but it appears that he was but the tenant of the Bank of New South Wales. The house was put up for auction on 17 December 1877. The advertisement in the Courier claimed that it was the residence of Arthur Palmer, but it did not disclose under whose instructions it was being auctioned It was bought by, and on 22 March, 1878, the title was transferred to, George Judah Cohen and Nathan Samuel Cohen. George Cohen was an eminent Sydney businessman, and there is no indication that he wanted to live there or that he did live there. It was probably tenanted. The property changed hands again in 1882 when it was sold to John Stevenson in one undivided moiety - for seven thousand pounds. Stevenson did not immediately occupy "Fernberg" because another tenant, retired Presbyterian clergyman Thomas Hume, died there on 5 February 1883. Who was John Stevenson? He was born in Perth, Scotland, in 1843, and came to Queensland in 1864 to manage a property "Ravensbourne" on the Barcoo for Lord Macclesfield He quickly made his mark in the pastoral and meat industry - he bought out Lord Macclesfield and ventured into the Gulf country and Central Queensland. In one of his ventures he was in partnership with one Edward Palmer, a New South Welshman who was no relation of Premier Palmer. In 1872, at Rock- hampton, Stevenson married Jane Palmer, sister of Edward Palmer. In addition to his extensive business interests, Stevenson was M.L.A. for Clermont and Normanby for 17 years, a Life Member of the Q.N.A. 22 and the Q.T.C, and was President of the Q.T.C m 1877-78. He was also President of the Queensland Club in 1888. He was a Major m the Queensland Scottish Regiment. He died in Brisbane in 1912. Stevenson's main contribution to "Fernberg" took the form of very extensive alterations and additions to the house. At a cost of twelve thousand pounds he virtually rebuilt the original house and in doing so he added a new wing - larger than the old This new wing still forms the front of the house, and although it overshadows the back in size, it was skilfully blended by the architect, Richard Galley. One of the popular misconceptions it is necessary to dispel is that Stevenson simply added a pretentious front, including a tower and a stained glass window of Robert the Bruce. He actually added a house of 80 squares to a house of 43 squares! He also made extensive alterations to the gardens and outhouses, and he changed the perimeter by excising strips of land for side streets and for drainage and by re-routing Fernberg Road to make a private drive to the front of the house from the old road

?1 r

It was this Stevenson House that became Government House in 1910, but he was not in possession of it at the date of the move. It seems that he fell on hard times and that he lost his considerable fortune in the collapse of the pastoral industry in the 1890's. One result of this disaster was that the property was mortgaged to, and in 1894 the tide transferred to, two directors of Mount Morgan, William Pattison and Walter Russell Hall. Pattison died in 1899 and Hall became the sole owner. Walter Russell Hall was one of the founders of Cobb & Co. in Queensland When he died he left five million pounds to his wife Eliza and she gave a milhon pounds to establish the Walter and Eliza Hall Trust. Hall does not appear to have lived at "Fernberg" at any time, and it seems that Stevenson and his wife continued to occupy the house, even though in 1901 the title was transferred from Hall to Miss Adelaide Louisa Palmer - the spinster sister of Stevenson's wife. It was Miss Palmer who leased the house to the Government in 1910 and sold it in 1911. It could be, too, that Miss Palmer was only a nominee for Stevenson in the transaction, but it is evident that Stevenson died penniless - a broken man. In May 1905 a three-day auction sale of all the furniture and furnish­ ings was held, and the advertisement stated that the auction was being conducted under instructions from J. Stevenson & Co. and it read like a Sotheby catalogue. Assuming the sale went through, the house would have been unfurnished from the middle of 1905. There is a gap in the story here!

GOVERNMENT HOUSE There seems to have been no ceremonial arrival for Sir William MacGregor when he moved to the new Government House. It was not only empty, but was rather badly run down. In addition to the furniture belonging to Old Government House, he must have brought a good deal with him from England - as was the custom of most Colonial Governors at that time. A measure of this would be his shipment of 80 packing cases when he left to go home five years later. An indication of the state of the house on his taking over was the rapid sequence of authorisations to: (a) convert from gas to electric lighting. (The electricity came from the Brisbane Tramways terminus at Paddington). (b) convert from earth closets to a septic tank. (c) improve water pressure. (d) repair roadways and drains. (e) extensive repainting (f) supply carpets and linoleum. 24

(g) supply cutlery which had hitherto been borrowed from Parliament House. (h) fit book shelves. (i) repair the roof (replace slate with galvanised iron), (j) repair the hft (from kitchen to dining room), (k) provide a shelter for the motor car! (1) repair the cow shed, (m) build a fowl yard. Within six months ^^4066 had been spent on these items. In the absence of any record to the contrary, Government House served its purpose satisfactorily for the first four occupants:- Sir William MacGregor, Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams, Sir and Sir John Goodwin. They all held the usual round of functions - dinners, receptions and garden parties. The lack of a ballroom may have been felt, but balls would have been held under the similar circumstances to those held at the Old Government House, viz., lifting and shifting the furniture and carpets, and replacing them afterwards. But the limitation on accommodation for guests was highlighted when the Prince of Wales visited Brisbane in 1920, the Duke and Duchess of York in 1927, and the Duke of Gloucester in 1934. In each case the Royal visitors and their staffs had to be accommodated at Parha- ment House (before the Taj Mahal)! It must have been the inabihty of Sir Leslie Wilson to put up the Duke of Gloucester in 1934 that caused him to take up seriously the question of the unsuitability of this one-time temporary Government House now seemingly to become really permanent. In a letter to the Premier in 1936 he laid it on the line. He stated categorically that the house was not suitable for its purpose and that the accommodation for the domestic staff was sub-standard. He proposed the setting up of a committee to examine the situation and report to the Government on the following questions:- "1. The total cost of upkeep at Government House for the past ten years; 2. An estimate of the probable expenditure which will be' required to maintain Government House in a fit state of repair, and for necessary alterations and redecoration, required immediately; 3. Proposals with regard to the proper and adequate housing of the domestic staff at Government House, for it really is most undesirable that the domestic staff at Government House, 25

who are really Government servants, should be forced to hve in basements, with hardly any ventilation at all; 4. The financial result which would be obtained by the sale of Government House and its grounds, and as to whether such financial result would justify the Government in the acquis­ ition, modernisation, or even the building of a new Govern­ ment House on some other site; 5. As an alternative to 4, fresh temporary buildings being acquired for the University until the University at St. Lucia is completed, and the old Government House being put in a proper state of repair for the occupation of the Governor." After a healthy exchange of correspondence and after consideration of the report of the committee, it was eventually decided to modernise and extend Government House and to undertake the work while Sir Leslie Wilson was on leave in the during the latter half of 1937.

Extensions and modernisation under way, 1937. The work was extensive and comprised a new wing on the south­ eastern side of the Stevenson house - additions to the rear of the Heussler house and a separate building to accommodate the domestic staff The total floor area was now 227 squares. The new wing provided a drawing room on the ground floor, two bedrooms on the upper floor and a billiard/supper room on the lower ground floor (since classified a "ball room" by the removal of the billiard table). 26

The extensions to the Heussler house provided an extra guest room, a butler's pantry and store and a much bigger kitchen. The new staff quarters contained 10 bedrooms on two floors. The standard of the work carried out was highly satisfactory, but the problem of furniture and furnishings took some solving. Sir Leslie wanted to purchase these items in the U.K. during his leave, but the policy of the Government was to use Queensland or Australian furniture and materials wherever possible. The Wilsons compromised by bringing back a quantity of their own furniture, and this had to be replaced when they left in 1946. Little was done to the house during the war, but Sir sought some further improvements for a proposed Royal visit by the King and Queen in 1949 (which was cancelled) and for a visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954 that did take place. These included a new auxiliary building (the Cottage) for the office and accommodation of the personal staff to replace an old timber cottage, new fencing and main gate, a fire escape from the top floor and a new balcony on the south-eastern end of the drawsing^room. In Sir 's time a swimming pool was installed The next major undertaking was in Sir 's time - again principally for a Royal visit during the Queen's Jubilee Year - 1977. The kitchen was modernised, bedrooms were given fitted wardrobes, new carpets were laid, much of the old furniture was replaced and some air conditioning was installed The whole house was repainted and redecor­ ated. The house looked a picture for the Queen's visit and it remains a credit to all those concerned with its preparation and continuing main­ tenance. This is a good example of the State's Public Works Department at its best.

CONCLUSION Just as I began on a personal note to explain why I took on the inter­ esting and pleasant task of preparing this paper, I feel that I should end on a personal note and reveal some of the conclusions I have arrived at after my research and after three years' experience as the holder of the office for which Government House is provided. To do this in any detail would require an analysis of all the functions held in the house and grounds and this would perhaps expose some of the mystique of the office of Governor. Suffice to say that the house is not only a residence for the incumbent, but a guest house for Royal visitors and Vice-Regal visitors and other official visitors and a venue for investitures, receptions, dinners and multifarious functions, and as well it is an administrative office with a 27 prodigious throughput of Government business and official business concerning the day-to-day programme of the Governor. Last year over 9000 people entered the portals!

Aerial view of Government House as it stands today. Staff buildings at right, (fohn Harrison picture) One could make a comparison with the other Government Houses to which I have previously referred, but that would not be proper, nor indeed, necessary. Each State has had its own approach to meeting the requirement. I suppose not one is ideal, even after 100 years. But Queensland has been unique as my paper has shown. Its Govern­ ment House has evolved - like Topsy it has grown. I would not dream of criticising it - I would not exaggerate any shortcomings or defic­ iencies it may have. It is a delightful house; it is well furnished, beauti­ fully situated, well maintained and well staffed by people who give it the T.L.C. it deserves. It is not only a pleasure to reside in it, but a great honour and a rare privilege. At times I have thought of getting together a small representative committee - along the lines of trustees - to keep a watching brief on the fabric of the house - or along the lines of the Australiana "Fund" to advise on its furniture and furnishings - as is now done for the four Federal official residences - and as I know is done in . I am not sure at this stage whether an "overview" such as that would be any improvement on the present good working relationship between the Governor, the Department of Works, the Premier's Department and the Art Gallery. If there were difficulties it probably would - but the present arrangements are most satisfactory. Finally, I would like to thank the Royal Historical Society of Queens­ land for giving me this opportunity to report to the people most inter­ ested, and also for providing these splendid facilities for me to display my props as I make this report; and I should like to remind you of my request for help to supplement the help I have already received from a number of members to make the story more complete.