The steamer Guthrie was built around 1884 and originally part of the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company’s fleet.  Later, it was acquired by the prominent Queensland company, Burns, Philp & Co, and became part of its Australian fleet of vessels.  The Guthrie was well known at the various ports along the Asian-Australian shipping routes, travelling between such ports as Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore as well as many points in-between, including Thursday Island.  In addition to providing passenger services, the Guthrie also carried a wide range of goods including frozen meat, fruit and general cargo.

Damaged Thursday Island Jetty, 1908. John Oxley Library, Image 39343. Photograph originally published in the Queenslander, 1 February 1908, p.25

One particular incident occurred at Thursday Island during one of the Guthrie’s visits which was no doubt long remembered by local residents.  In early 1908, the Guthrie was coming alongside the Government Jetty to unload its cargo and passengers when the tide caught her unexpectedly, causing her to swing in a few metres too far.  The tide and the prevailing current combined to reduce the Guthrie’s ability to manoeuvre, which was made worse by the number of luggers and other vessels anchored close by.  As a consequence, the Guthrie crashed heavily into the jetty.

A section of the jetty, measuring some seventy metres in length, was badly damaged as a result of this collision.  Many of the jetty’s supporting piers were twisted out of alignment and the rail lines running down the jetty, laid to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods, became un-useable.  Newspaper reports of the time reported the cost of the damage at around five hundred pounds, with the despatch and loading of cargo being severely disrupted, pending the completion of the required repairs.

Ship Guthrie after it crashed into the Government Jetty at Thursday Island. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 8239

Following this unfortunate incident at Thursday Island, the Guthrie continued to carry passengers and freight between its Asian and Australian ports of call.  Eventually the vessel was sold to Chinese shipping interests, continuing to operate in that region.

(Article written by Brian Randall, State Library of Queensland. Updated 6 Dec 2019)

The Christmas season is well and truly upon us now with decorations, trees and lights everywhere, and Christmas carols on endless repeat wherever you go. While the endless food and gift shopping and the relentless heat could induce ‘Christmas fatigue’, nothing beats the joy and wonder that Christmas lights in suburban streets bring to children and adults alike, not to mention the neighbourhood rivalry they inspire.

Tracing the origins of Christmas lights back to the festive tree, candles first adorned decorated trees in Germany in the 1700s. Queen Victoria’s husband Albert, who was born in Bavaria in the early 19th century, brought the trend to England and by the 1860s hundreds of Christmas trees were being sold in Covent Garden. They were decorated with clove-studded oranges, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, and wax candles signifying stars in the night sky – a key symbol of Christmas. Across Europe, Christians would also display a burning candle in their windows to indicate others were welcome to come and worship with the residents.

Thomas Edison introduced electric Christmas lights to the world during the 1879-80 Christmas period, the same year he invented the electric light bulb. His lights appeared outside his lab compound, next to a railway line, and were seen by hundreds of people travelling by train. Shortly after, Edison’s employee Edward Johnson invented the first string of Christmas lights using 80 small bulbs and by 1890, these strings were being mass produced with public displays of Christmas lights popping up in department stores, retail shops and government buildings. By the turn of the century, lights became more affordable and were adopted by ordinary people to decorate their trees at home. Outdoor displays really took off in mid-century America when General Electric introduced the Merry Midget lighting sets which took suburbia by storm.

Australia enthusiastically adopted Christmas lights – it was one tradition that easily translated to the southern hemisphere, regardless of the weather. Now, they appear in almost every town and city where Christmas is celebrated. LEDs, solar energy and programmable technology enabled Christmas lights to be more compact, durable and elaborate and competitions for the best individual or street display are held right across Queensland, from Texas to the Torres Strait, bringing joy to families and inspiring that ongoing neighbourhood rivalry.

To enjoy more Christmas lights, see Reina Irmer’s collection (27231 Christmas lights photographs) or State Library of Queensland’s Flickr album, Christmas Greetings.

Anna Thurgood – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Sources:

• National Film & Sound Archive article “Lit up from Toowoomba to Tasmania”, accessed 6 December 2019
• English Heritage article “How did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularise Christmas?”, accessed 6 December 2019
• Smithsonianmag article “Untangling the history of Christmas lights”, accessed 6 December 2019
• Gizmodo article “The very American history of Christmas lights”, accessed 5 December 2019

Blogger: Toni Risson – co-curator of Meet me at the Paragon.

Greek migrants came to Australia with little money and no English, but possessed of a great determination to succeed. Many were as young as twelve. They dreamed of Australia as a land of golden opportunity and the studio photograph was a marker of their success. Young men posed in suits and polished shoes before cameras at the Regent or Poulsen Studios in Brisbane, documenting their success for mothers and grandparents who waited in Greek villages for news of children they might never see again. Others enlisted photographers like Alfred and George Reuben Kirkham or Thomas Mathewson to document their shops. These photographs often depicted staff arrayed behind glass confectionery counters.

It was the wedding photograph, however, which offered real evidence that a young migrant’s dream had been realised. A wedding meant a new family had put down roots. Having secured a shop and become established in an Australian community, many then embarked upon the quest for a bride. Some returned to family villages to find a wife. At other times the match was made across the sea between suitable partners who may not know one another. Other meetings were not unlike a blind date. A decade or more may have elapsed since the potential groom had migrated, so it was not unusual for the bride to be considerably younger. Women had the option of refusing a match but with so many eligible bachelors living in America or Australia, girls on Greek islands considered their options carefully, especially those in Kythera, the birthplace of many in the cafe industry.

The wedding photograph was the ultimate studio portrait and typically included other migrants from the same island. Guests at the wedding of Mick J. Londy and his wife Angela in Toowoomba in 1932 included Harry and Jim Londy (Leondarakis) of Ipswich and Harry Andronicos of Toowoomba, all of whom were from Kythera. Mr Andronicos had been present when Harry Londy married in 1926. This was a double wedding. Harry and his sister Kaliope married Theodora Marendis and Mick Levonis at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Ipswich. The wedding photograph includes 22 family members and friends, among them Harry Andronicos, Paul Patty from Brisbane and Mick Londy from Townsville. Kaliope and Theodora appear to be wearing matching gowns.

Toni Risson – co-curator of the Meet me at the Paragon exhibition, State Library of Queensland

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

John Dimitrious Faros and his wife Marouli ran the Paris Café in Clermont. The interior had glass fronted counters and a refrigerator cabinet at the front, with tables and chairs in a dining area towards the back. A fire in the nearby Central Hotel destroyed the cafe in 1948. It was rebuilt in brick in 1949.

In the mid-1920s, The Capricornian newspaper refers to a Mr P. Matones (Matonez) as being one of the first owners of the café in Clermont. John (Jack) and Marouli (Monty) Faros took over the Café in the 1930s. It operated until 1992.

The Paris Café was a hub for local events in Clermont, hosting tennis and football club meetings in the early 1940s.

On June 24, 1948, a fire which started in the Central Hotel destroyed several businesses in the vicinity, including the Paris Café, Bennett’s drapery shop, Miss Rose Harris’ saddlery shop and Guv’s boot shop, the first major fire to affect the business centre of the township in its 90 year history.

“Heroic efforts by willing helpers kept the fire from the Paris Cafe for some time while the contents, including two commercial refrigerators, were removed to the street. Workers demolished the wooden rear portion, preventing the fire spreading to living quarters close to the rear of the café”.  Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.: 1878 – 1954) Fri 25 Jun 1948, Pg 4

Many of the major newspapers of the time reported on the event which caused £30,000 of damage.

A month later in mid-July, the Morning Bulletin in Rockhampton reported “Following the inspections by the insurance company assessors, the owners of the premises destroyed had commenced the clean-up.  A temporary bar was opened on the Central Hotel site while the Paris Cafe re-opened in the adjoining building – North and Coy’s old store, which was responsible for halting the spread of the fire”.

By March 1949, a newspaper advertisement invited builders to tender to construct a brick shop in Clermont. Plans and specifications could be obtained from the Paris Café in Clermont or from the undersigned LANGE L. POWELL, DODS & THORPE, Architects, National Bank of Australasia Chambers, 180 Queen Street, Brisbane. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), 11 Mar 1949 Pg 7

Denis Conomos in The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 (2002) mentions that earlier owner of the Paris Café, Kytherian Peter Matones owned two cafes in Longreach attached to picture theatres in the 1920s. They were later sold to Angelo Magaloconomos.

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Sources

• CLERMONT. (1925, November 7). The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1875 – 1929), p. 9.
• Inquiry Into Clermont Fire (1948, August 25). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 8.
• £30,000 LOSS IN CLERMONT FIRE (1948, June 25). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 4
• NEWS FROM THE CENTRAL DISTRICT (1948, July 16). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 9
• Advertising (1949, March 11). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 7.
  

One of the significant items in the State Library collections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages webpages is the Archibald Meston Papers.  Items from this collection are featured in the Spoken exhibition.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography lists Meston as a journalist, explorer and botanist; however, Archibald Meston (1851-1924) is best known for his role as the Protector of Aborigines for Southern Queensland 1897-1904.

Meston was also the author of the ‘Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland’ which later formed the basis for the Aborigines Protection Act, 1897 (Queensland). In his role as Protector, Meston visited many Aboriginal communities and camps across Queensland and as an amateur ethnologist and linguist documented Aboriginal culture and language. Meston collected words and wordlists from sites across Queensland – these were later collated into various notebooks and cuttings.

The State Library collections are fortunate to hold a significant amount of materials compiled by Meston. OM64-17 Archibald Meston Papers 1867-1960, according to the catalogue description is ‘a collection of press cuttings, notes, correspondence relating mainly to Aborigines in Queensland, in particular, to language’. Meston as a journalist had a diverse range of interests and these are revealed within the collection item – notebooks, cuttings, a manuscript for a Queensland novel, personal papers and correspondence can be found in the boxes.

Boxes 8431 and 8432 are of particular interest to community language workers and language researchers.  The contents include Vocabulary Notebooks compiled by Meston; Notebooks 5, 6, 7 and 8 were the focus of an initial digitisation project and include a broad selection of Aboriginal words gathered from across Queensland during the 1890’s-1920’s period. These notebooks are available online via One Search.

The notebooks and their associated wordlists includes Meston’s collected wordlists, as well as references to other language work of the time, including Devaney’s The Vanished Tribes which was published in 1929.

While Meston had a strong interest in Aboriginal culture, he did not have linguistic training  and consequently developed his own peculiar way of recording the sounds and words of Queensland’s Aboriginal languages. As with any language research, the work of Meston should be cross-referenced with other sources for the purposes of validation and authentication. In particular, it should be verified and interrogated against community knowledge.

Due to the rambling nature of the notebooks, a full transcript of each is not available as the text is quite legible and self-explanatory. For example, the page above is from Notebook 5 and is a part of a discussion on banana tariffs in Honduras, Nicaragua and other countries to the US in comparison to Queensland! Despite these random entries, the following overview of the Meston Vocabulary Notebooks provides a summary of the contents.

• Meston Vocab Book No 5 OM64-17 – small notebook containing miscellaneous notes and comments on a range of everyday topics. Includes some references to Aboriginal languages, mainly unidentified; some NSW language words as well as placenames.
• Meston Vocab Book No 6 OM64-17 – small notebook containing miscellaneous notes, including geographical descriptions; comparative vocabulary of Aboriginal words collected at various police stations across Queensland, e.g. Gilbert River, Tinaroo, Nerang, Montalbion, Pine River, Strathmore, Camooweal, etc.
• Meston Vocab Book No 7 OM64-17 – small notebook containing some miscellaneous notes, but mostly comprising Meston’s transcript of vocabulary from “The Vanished Tribes” by James Devney [J A823.2 dev]. The vocabulary list does not identify the source nor the name of the language.
• Meston Vocab Book No 8 OM64-17 – small notebook containing miscellaneous notes on Aboriginal languages, including placenames of South-East Queensland. Language content is mainly drawn from Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences [J 994.302 PET] as well as notes on Thomas Mitchell’s journal.

The Meston Papers are valuable research material for community language workers and often represent the only source for many Aboriginal languages of Queensland. The material covers an extensive area of Queensland as Meston drew upon the resources of police stations, pastoralists and others to add to his vocabulary collections. Additional information relates to family and community histories – this rich material is often seen as a ‘silver lining to the darkness of the Protection era’.

State Library is exploring options for digitising other material from the Meston Papers to make them more accessible to language researchers and community members.

Desmond Crump

Indigenous Languages Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Webpages

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Map

Jarjum stories: A kuril dhagun showcase focusing on children’s books and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. 19 October 2019-10 May 2020.

Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages: A major exhibition exploring the survival and revival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages throughout Queensland. Join in the many talks and events to celebrate the rich and diverse languages spoken today. 21 November 2019 -19 April 2020.

UN IY2019 Links

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages webpages

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages Resources

References/Further Reading:

API-3 Archibald Meston Photograph Album ca. 1904.

OM64-17 Archibald Meston Papers.

Devaney, J. (1929) The Vanished Tribes. J A823.2 DEV

Meston, A. (1895) Queensland Aboriginals: proposed system for their improvement and preservation : addressed to the Honourable Horace Tozer. RBJ 572.89915 MES

Petrie, C. C. (1932) Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland. J 994.32 PET

External Sources

Australian Dictionary of Biography online – Archibald Meston.

One of the earliest original items for Queensland Aboriginal languages is the 1855 notebook of Reverend William Ridley [OM79-32/17] This item is featured in the Spoken exhibition as an important part of the language revival puzzle.

William Ridley was a Missionary who had an interest in Aboriginal languages and customs. Many missionaries learnt the local languages as part of their role which required them to ‘save a black soul for Heaven’ – an unexpected legacy was religious texts, including hymns, translated into local languages. Ridley is best known for his work with Kamilaroi [Gamilaraay], but also undertook comparative studies of other languages in NSW and later Queensland.

In 1855, Ridley undertook a journey to Moreton Bay, along the Namoi, Barwon and Condamine Rivers, taking notes on the customs and languages of Aboriginal groups along the way. Upon his arrival in Moreton Bay, Ridley presented a Report to the Moreton Bay Aborigines’ Friends Society on the evening of Wednesday 21st November, 1855.

Ridley’s journey to South-East Queensland was the basis for his Kamilaroi, Dippil and Turrubul publication which as the title suggests is a comparative linguistic study between Kamilaroi (aka Gamilaraay), Dippil (Wakka Wakka) and Turrubul (aka Turrbal) languages. The text contains words from the three languages relating to people, parts of the body, topography, plants, animals, numbers, etc. as well as a basic grammar and guide to pronunciation.

The work also contained cultural knowledge such as marriage lines, kinship groups, etc. Ridley’s missionary work included several missionary trips along the river systems of North-West NSW and he established several key informants for languages. These included Charles Greenaway of Coolemungool Station on the Barwon River, James Davies (aka ‘Duramboi’) and Thomas Petrie of Durundur Station, Moreton Bay.

These same informants also provided much of the language information recorded by Ridley in his notebook. The above image is a list of words related to topography from Moreton Bay.

This image is an extract of list of words for people and kinship, also collected from Thomas Petrie at Durundur.

The digitised version is now available online and represents an historical insight into the Aboriginal languages of South-East Queensland and North-West New South Wales. Dating from the 1850’s Ridley’s materials are extremely useful for language revival as his work documents Aboriginal words and sounds at the point of contact. Contemporary language workers can analyse these documents to establish the original sounds that were spoken and heard by others.

State Library extends an invitation for all Queenslanders to see these original materials first-hand and explore the many stories of Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages.

Desmond Crump

Indigenous Languages Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Webpages

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Map

Jarjum stories: A kuril dhagun showcase focusing on children’s books and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. 19 October 2019-10 May 2020.

Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages: A major exhibition exploring the survival and revival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages throughout Queensland. Join in the many talks and events to celebrate the rich and diverse languages spoken today. 21 November 2019 -19 April 2020.

UN IY2019 Links

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages webpages

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages Resources

References and Further Reading

OM79-32/17 W Ridley Notebook, 1855.

Ridley, W. (1866) Kamilaroi, Dippil, and Turrubul: languages spoken by Australian aborigines. RBJ 499.15 RID

Ridley, W. (1875) 2^nd edn, Kamilaroi and other Australian Languages. Q 499.15 rid

Sydney Morning Herald, 14 December 1855. “Report laid before the Moreton Bay Aborigines’ Friends Society, of a journey along the Condamine, Barwan and Namoi Rivers, by William Ridley, Missionary”. Accessed from Trove NLA Newspapers website.

Restaurant proprietors, Emanuel, William and Nicholas Economos, trading as the Economos Bros., ran their business in East Street, Rockhampton. East Street was a bustling metropolis when the brothers opened their traditional Greek café in the 1920s. Previously known as the Australian Café, the brothers renamed it the Busy Bee Café.

The Rockhampton Greeks were a close-knit community in the 1920s running about ten cafes in the town. Mostly Kytherian single males, they sought every opportunity to spend their leisure time together, sometimes going on outings to the pictures or to the beach at Yeppoon or Emu Park on Sundays. (Pg.304)

Every two months or so late on Sunday nights when the shopping precinct of Rockhampton was in darkness, the Greeks would come together in one of the cafes for a party. Involving proprietors and the workers, bosses provided the food and couples would dance the kalamatiano, the sirto and the dipla. Games included the Rizika, a traditional game played in Kythera involving apples bearing the name of women in the group which would be put in a bucket of water. The men would make up a love song, sing it out loud and pull out the apple for the woman whose name was on it. (Pg.304)

George Trifilis whose wedding breakfast was celebrated in the Busy Bee Café in Rockhampton was the owner of the Busy Bee Café in Kingaroy.

Sources:

• The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 by Denis Conomos, 2002, pg.304
• The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld.: 1930 – 1956) 13 May 1937.

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

In December 2019, State Library of Queensland staff from three areas (Queensland Memory, Preservation Services and Information Services) visited the Brisbane Synagogue at the invitation of the irrepressible Dr Michael Briner. The Brisbane Synagogue is the second oldest synagogue on mainland Australia (built in 1886), with the oldest established in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1861.  The oldest synagogue in the country still stands in Hobart.

Dr Briner is the Brisbane Synagogue’s Heritage Officer, and it was due to his diligence and love for this building and the Jewish community that State Library of Queensland has received major donations over the last 12 months.  Dr Briner discovered in an old safe a marriage register dating back to the earliest days of the synagogue, and minute books of the Building Committee documenting the fundraising efforts involved in building the Brisbane Synagogue and then almost every aspect of its construction and finishes.  The marriage register, covering the period 1868 – 1946, is a truly significant record of the Jewish community in Queensland and is currently on display in State Library’s Treasures Wall exhibition. Both the marriage register and minute book can also be viewed online via our One Search catalogue.

It was particularly fitting that Preservation Services staff visited the synagogue, as they worked so hard to stabilise, preserve and digitise the marriage register and minute book.  Christine Ianna, Coordinator of Reformatting, took the opportunity to present Dr Briner with a beautifully hand bound copy of the Building Committee Minute Book, bound by Shane Bell, Binding Technician Assistant, who was also in attendance.  Dr Briner was surprised and thrilled by the gesture.

The Brisbane Synagogue on Margaret Street is a beautiful building, with great attention to detail and reminders of the terrible suffering of the Jewish people in the recent past.  Dr Briner also showed us the Torah (Five Books of Moses) used in most Hebrew services and other accoutrements of religious services.  There is a large hall and Sunday School at the back of the building, still well-utilised by the community.  Many parts of the building, including its furniture, are in original condition.  In fact, it was Heritage listed in 1992.

State Library staff spent an hour at the synagogue, with Dr Briner giving us a lively and detailed history of the building and of the Jewish faith itself.  It was truly an honour and a privilege to have been able to attend.  The Brisbane Synagogue runs guided tours, usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but these must be booked in advance.  For more information, visit https://brisbanehebrewcongregation.com/guided-tours/. 

Anna Thurgood – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Sources:

• Queensland Jewish History website (https://www.jewishqld.com/about-the-jewish-community/queensland-jewish-history/), accessed 13 December 2019

• Wikipedia, ‘List of oldest synagogues’ article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_synagogues), accessed 13 December 2019

• The Brisbane Synagogue website (http://brisbanehebrewcongregation.com/), accessed 13 December 2019

The Andronicus Bros, Jim and George, formerly from the Greek island of Kythera, advertised their Café Mimosa in Kent Street, Maryborough in the local newspaper proudly promoting, “We serve the Best brands of tea – Pure Coffee on Milk – Best Quality Cocoa.”

Brothers Jim (Dimitris Anargeros) and George Andronicus and their families built their position in the township based on the tradition that people “go where they get quality, lowest prices, prompt attention, civility and cleanliness”.

Café Mimosa had a reception lounge above the café which was large enough to host sporting teams, wedding receptions, musical events and the Philharmonic choir during its practice sessions.

In the early 1920’s the café advertised – “Our pies with Greek peas and mashed potatoes and special gravy are the talk of the town. Our sandwiches cut fresh for every customer. Hot toast and butter always ready”.

An article published in the Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser in 1936 stated, “the management of the Café Mimosa, which is recognised as one of Maryborough’s leading cafes, has with commendable enterprise, made a very substantial improvement to the café.”

The article went on to describe “The Mimosa Café was noted for its splendid assortment of fine quality fruits, choice confectionery, luncheons, morning and afternoon teas.”

George and Jim Andronicus also owned the Golden Gate Café in Winton.

Sources:

• Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld.: 1860 – 1947) March, 1936 Pg 10
• The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 by Denis A. Conomos.
• Andronicus Family Photographs

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Guest blogger: Rochelle Bull, Local History Officer, Gympie Regional Libraries.

Many hotels in Gympie were set up within weeks of the Gympie Gold Rush of October 1867. Publican’s licences were applied for in the November of 1867 and in the first round of applications granted in December 1867 (Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 11 December 1867, p. 2) there were 12 licenses. Our research indicates over 170 hotel licences in the 152 year history of Gympie, and with our local history volunteers, we are compiling history and a timeline on each of them.

Hotels were not always owned by the licencee however the licencees had to apply every year and abide by the regulations according to the Licensing Branch. There is a very busy history of hotels in Gympie’s early days – of licences applied for, granted or not granted. Hotels built, sold, licences transferred many times. Hotels commencing and closing within months.

The many hotels gave the thousands of gold miners a place to socialise, get a drink and a meal. Gold prospector James Nash, acknowledged as the first person to find gold in Gympie, met his wife Katherine Murphy at her family’s hotel called the Traveller’s Rest in central Mary Street (Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 4 April 1868, p. 4), probably because he would have gone there for a free meal and a couple of paid drinks. The way to identify a hotel in an early photograph is to look for a lamp light. Many Gympie hotels were rebuilt several times over their history due to structural works, flood damage or fire. 

Tattersalls Hotel – Mary Street, Gympie

The Tattersalls Hotel was one of the first hotel businesses built in 1868, six months after the town of Gympie was settled (then known as Nashville) (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 22 October 1868, p. 2). Mail coaches once stopped at the Tattersalls Hotel where miners would come to collect their mail and have a drink. James Lynch was the licensee for Tattersalls Hotel, and the Royal Mail Line of Coaches left the hotel for Maryborough at 6am daily (Sunday’s excepted) at reduced fares of 25 shillings each way (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 16 March 1870, p. 2).

In December 1870, Lynch advertised that “meals may always be had between 6am and 10pm” and the “culinary department was under the supervision of a first-class French cook” (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 10 December 1870, p. 1).

In 1887, D. O’Neill announced a drink sale with the headline “Roll up, Roll up – All drinks at the bar for 3 pence” (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 19 February 1887, p. 2). In late 1898, Joe O’Neill and Mrs A. O’Neill took over the Tattersalls with the “culinary and household departments” supervised by Miss O’Neill (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 15 September 1898, p. 2).

The ‘Tatts’ was the scene of a high drama in January 1899 when Mrs F J Power’s buggy threw the driver, careening out of control into one of the veranda posts. After the incident, Mrs Power fainted from shock in the hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 3 January, 1899, p. 3).

The Tattersalls was rebuilt and changed from its earlier foundations and then again after a fire destroyed the hotel on 26 February 1901. It was believed to have started in Bevan’s photographic studio next door and also spread to a merchant’s store and iron-monger. It was reported in The Gympie Times on 28 February 1901 (p. 3), that Mrs A. O’Neill “is probably the chief loser. Both Tattersall’s Hotel and Maynard and Pilcher’s store were owned by her, and neither were insured”.  Mr J. Geary, the lessee of Tattersalls Hotel was covered for stock and furniture to the extent of 400 pounds. In July 1901, it was advertised that the Gympie Town Band would be playing selections from the balcony of the J Geary’s Tattersalls Hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 25 July 1901, p. 2).

A grand two-storey hotel was built on the site and advertised in 1903. The building remained virtually unchanged, with exception of the interior renovations in 1981 and incorporated a gourmet restaurant and beer garden at the rear.  Until it again burnt down on August 6, 1989 and the hotel wasn’t rebuilt. The fire and the end of the Tattersalls was lamented by pub-goers for a long time. The site is now occupied by a clothing retailer and an office equipment store.

The Royal Hotel formerly Exchange Hotel (and Varieties Theatre)– Mary Street, Gympie

At the site where the Royal Hotel still stands was originally a hotel called The Exchange Hotel with adjoining theatre at the back called The Varieties Theatre. Mr David Scowen commenced building the hotel only months after the Gold Rush, with the hotel opening around April1868 (The Nashville Times, 18 April 1868, p. 2) whilst the Varieties Theatre officially opened on the 14 August 1868 (The Nashville Times, 18 April 1868, p. 2).

In 1875, a cyclone destroyed part of the theatre and floods submerged most of the town. The licence of the hotel was cancelled but was rebuilt into a two-storey timber structure designed by architect Hugo Du Rietz. It was officially reopened as the Varieties Hotel and Theatre (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 5 August 1868, p. 2).

“The stage will be fitted with new Scenery, Decorations, etc, as soon as practicable. The body of the Hall will be much more comfortable than hitherto, and there will be good ventilation and a good Piano will always be in readiness. The Doors are spacious, and all open outwards. The Lighting will also be improved, and the Gallery and Second Seats will be more comfortable than before” (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 15 January 1868, p. 2).

In 1885, the publican’s licence was granted to James Chapple who was also given permission to change the name of the Varieties Hotel and Theatre to the “Royal Hotel”, known as Chapple’s Royal Hotel and the Theatre Royal (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 1 March 1876, p. 3).

In the Gympie Mining Handbook, published in 1887, it was written that the Royal’s theatre and dancing room, built behind the hotel, “was crowded with audience pretty well every evening. There was a fiddle and piano for band, and there was a bar also, which almost goes without saying” (Ivimey, 1887). Locals were treated to their first movie at the Theatre Royal which was a picture of British warships passing through Suez Canal. The movie was made realistic by men behind the screen making sounds such as waves lapping and sirens blowing!

In December 1926 (The Week, 31 December 926, p. 10) and peculiarly, again in June 1929 (The Truth, 30 June 1929, p. 17), there were two arson attempts each, to burn the Royal Hotel. Both fires were quickly noticed and extinguished with no damage to the buildings. But sadly, tragedy struck in 1935 when a fire razed the building to the ground (The Courier Mail, 22 January 1935, p. 15). In 1938, Bulimba Brewery purchased the site (The Courier Mail, 20 October 1938, p. 9) and rebuilt the Royal Hotel, reopening in 1939, sans the theatre, with an elegant art deco façade that it is now visibly known. The Royal Hotel closed for two years then reopened in 2007, having undergone a million-dollar facelift which restored the hotel to its former glory. The Royal Hotel continues to trade in its original position today.

Further Reading:

Hotel History of Gympie: part two

Gympie Regional Memories

Contact Rochelle: rochelle.bull@gympie.qld.gov.au

Guest blogger: Rochelle Bull, Local History Officer, Gympie Regional Libraries.

Grand Hotel, formerly Otago Hotel – Mellor Street, Gympie

Formerly known as the Otago Hotel and built in 1886, Mr E. Murdoch held the license in partnership with Mr McCallum (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 8 June 1868, p. 4) from when they were running a Royal Mail Coach commencing from the United States Hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 19 December 1885, p. 2). They continued the running of the ‘Royal Mail Coach’ service from their Otago Hotel establishment (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 27 February 1886, p. 1).

The hotel then changed its name to Allchin’s Hotel after its publican Chris Allchin in late December 1985 until early 1897 (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 9 January 1896, p. 2). The hotel was thoroughly renovated by Allchin to a first class establishment with the convenience of being opposite the Gympie Railway Station (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 31 December 1895, p. 2). Christopher Allchin who previously had the license to the Railway Hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 31 December 1892, p. 3) took over the license from Englebert Pedersen who seemed to have run a disreputable establishment.

There were quite a few articles in the courts section of the newspaper about fights, illegal selling of alcohol and gambling.  Pederson was warned in November 1895 that his license would not be renewed (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 16 November 1895, p. 4).  When Allchin and his wife moved on to the Royal Exchange (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 15 May 1897, p. 3) then the Freemason Hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 1 July 1899, p. 3), the hotel reverted back to the Otago Hotel after being transferred back to Mrs Murdoch (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 8 April 1897, p, 3).

In December 1899, early on a Sunday morning, it was reported that inmates of the Otago Hotel were startled by hearing a crash of glass and on investigating found that a man had jumped through the bedroom window, a height of 18 feet from the ground and carried the window sash away. He was only found at noon near Elworthy and Mellor’s slaughtering yards. He got off very lightly, his only injuries being a sprained ankle and several scratches. He was brought up at Police Court on suspicion of being of unsound mind (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 12 December 1899, p. 3).

In 1915, the hotel was refurbished again and it was published in the Maryborough Chronicle that the Otago Hotel has been converted into a very handsome, two storied structure and has now the dignified name of Grand Hotel (Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 17 December 1915, p. 8). The Grand Hotel was completely demolished in 1951 due to a mine shaft collapsing underneath the building and making the building structurally unstable and beyond repair (The Gympie Times, 2005, p. 53).

Northumberland Hotel – Corner of Channon and Nash Streets, Gympie

The Northumberland Hotel was licensed from 14 January 1868 and known as Croaker’s Northumberland Hotel owing to licensee Mr Henry Croaker (Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 1 January 1868, p. 1). This hotel would come to have three builds in its lifetime. The majestic two-storey, second version of the Northumberland Hotel, with a prominent tower was built approximately 10 years later and was constructed of locally milled red cedar. One post in the bar went right up to the ceiling and was constructed from the slab of a single large cedar. The Cobb and Co booking office and coach terminal was attached to the hotel. It was hub for travelers between Gympie and Brisbane (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 22 February 1873, p. 2). The Myles and Co. Coach also departed for Noosa from the Northumberland (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 10 January 1885, p. 2).

Many prominent visitors such as the Premier visits in 1878 and 1898 (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 18 October 1878 p. 2), (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 11 June 1898 p. 3); the Vice Regal in 1900 (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 10 July 1900, p. 3); Lord and Lady Lamington in 1900 (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 5 July 1900, p. 3) and Governor Sir William MacGregor, in 1910 (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 15 September 1910, p. 3), were given an escorted procession from the railway station to the grand Northumberland Hotel for accommodation, meetings and drinks.

Sadly, the grand beauty, the second Northumberland Hotel building was destroyed by fire on 21 January 1969 (The Gympie Times, 19 January 2019, p.7).  It was a roaring inferno that caused the window glass of the Police Station opposite to explode in the intense heat and the station roof was hosed down, as the eaves smouldered.  The fire broke out at 1am and occupants fled. Incredibly no-one was injured. Owners at the time were Mrs and Mrs Bob Garrett who lived there with their son Dennis, two boarders and a hotel employee.

The third Northumberland Hotel building, a brick structure, was completed in 1971 and seated 150 people. Cabaret entertainment was featured twice weekly. In 2001 the North received a face lift with the front decking and beergarden.  The Northumberland hotel sadly closed and in 2009, Gympie Regional Council purchased the former Northumberland building. The Council’s Planning and Development offices now occupy what was the third version of the hotel (The Gympie Times, 19 January 2019, p.7).

Further Reading:

Hotel History of Gympie: part 1

Gympie Regional Memories

Contact Rochelle: rochelle.bull@gympie.qld.gov.au

At 5:00am on 11 February 1929, the Blue Bird Café was saved from a devastating fire by the quick-thinking actions of the Greek owners who had climbed on the roof forming a bucket brigade to extinguish the external flames. Apart from some broken glass inside and charring on the walls, the damage was negligible.

In the late 1920s Jack Vamvakaris and the Kipriotis (Kypriotis) brothers (Peter, Nicholas and John) bought the Blue Bird Café from George Kallinicos. According to The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945, Pg. 477, they later bought the freehold for the premises and in 1936 replaced the wooden structure with a new concrete construction, adding a reception hall and dance floor upstairs.

The Townsville Daily Bulletin reported they were also operating a bakehouse in September 1936 at the time of the renovations.

Newspaper reports in February 1937 indicate though that Council would not approve a license for the dance hall.

In September 1938, the Innisfail Notes quoted the Greek proprietors of the Blue Bird Café had been fined £4 for working their female employees after the prescribed hours of 11:30pm. They had been warned several months previously, but with seven female staff, the Inspector responsible for bringing the charges forward classed them as good employers.

Café owner Peter Kipriotis pointed out ‘on this particular night in question, the pictures were out late, and they had well over 100 customers to attend to.’ The Cairns Post reported their legal representation requested leniency, pointing out that when the female employees worked overtime, they received extra pay and taxis were provided to take them home.

Like many cafes across Queensland during the war years, The Blue Bird Café was reported in The Evening Advocate as suffering from staff shortages, having to close on a Sunday as a result. Management told the reporter that “unless additional waitresses could be obtained, it would probably be necessary for the Blue Bird Café to close on Sundays in future.”

By 1948 the changes brought about by World War II and the presence of American soldiers in north Queensland, the Innisfail community was keen to launch a swing club. Local musician Mr. Syd Stannard was reported as saying if the club was successful it would run several dances a week above the Blue Bird Café.

Thank you to Cassowary Coast Regional Council Library and Librarian Natasha Lavell we have included photos of the Blue Bird Café. One shows the café in Rankin Street in 1986 and the next (below), a contemporary image taken in 2018 when it was no longer operating as a café. The art deco façade of the building is still retained as part of Innisfail’s built heritage and community landscape.

The art deco façade of the building and the upper story / dance hall are a permanent reminder of the period when Jack Vamvakaris and the Kypriotis brothers contributed to the 1930s development of Innisfail.

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Another original item featured in the Spoken exhibition is the Harriet Barlow Manuscript dating from the 1860’s.

Hariett Barlow lived on Warkon Station which was taken up her husband Alexander Barlow in 1858-1872. Warkon was situated on the Balonne River near present-day Yuleba and was originally established by Henry Bingham in 1850; so it was a very early run in the Maranoa District.

Thomas Mathewson arrived in this area in 1853 and gives an account of the frontier conflict in a paper read to the Historical Society of Queensland on 2nd September 1915. Mathewson’s “Personal Reminiscences of ’53” provide first hand experiences of the Native Police and their operations in the Maranoa. This is further explored in Patrick Collins’ publication Goodbye Bussamarai : the Mandandanji land war, Southern Queensland 1842-1852 J 994.34 COL. This sets the context where Aboriginal groups sought safe havens at properties, hence Warkon Station had Aboriginal workers from several neighbouring language groups. These workers provided much of the vocabulary for Barlow.

Barlow is probably one of the first people to record words from the different language groups in the Maranoa-Balonne catchment; her manuscript is held in the State Library collections and contains vocabularies from 8 languages. Barlow identifies these as Coongarri No. 1; Wirri-Wirri;  Ngoorie; Yowaleri; Cooinburri; Begumble, Cambooble and Parrungoom and has written them down according to how she has heard them pronounced in syllables.

Coongurri No. 1 refers to Gunggari (AIATSIS Language Code D37) – Barlow identifies at least 2 dialects of Gunggari on Warkon Station. Wirri-Wirri is also known as Wirray-Wirray (AIATSIS Language Code D66) and is believed to be a dialect of Gamilaraay spoken on the Balonne River. Ngoorie, also known as Nguri (AIATSIS Language Code D46), is a relatively unknown language related to Bidjara and extends along the Maranoa River. Yowaleri is better known as Yuwaalaraay (AIATSIS Language Code D27) which is related to Gamilaraay and extends from the Culgoa River north up the Balonne River. Coo-in-burri as written by Barlow, is recorded today as Guyinbaraay (AIATSIS Language Code D15), is another language with a dialectical relationship to Gamilaraay. Begumble is generally written today as Bigambul (AIATSIS Language Code D34) and is based on the Weir and Moonie Rivers to the South of Warkon Station. Cambooble, also known as Gambuwal (AIATSIS Language Code D29) is closely related to Bigambul and is based around the Millmerran, Inglewood, Stanthorpe districts along the Dumaresque River. Barlow’s Parrun-goom is better known as Barunggam (AIATSIS Language Code D40) and is located to the east of Warkon Station centred on the Dalby region. Barlow in her notes (See above image) identifies the locations of the language groups.

The Manuscript held at State Library forms the basis for several papers written by Barlow; one of these is “Vocabulary of Aboriginal Dialects of Queensland” published in 1873 in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. These papers include comparative tables of the vocabularies and groups these by various topics such as family names, animals, plants, numerals, etc. Over 100 everyday words are listed for each language as well as a selection of simple phrases and sentences for several of these languages, notably Gunggari. This represents an excellent starting point for language revival activities in South-West Queensland communities.

Additional material in the Manuscript and associated notes, include observations on customs, kinship and culture as well as discussions about several individuals who worked on the property. This material is often used by researchers and community members seeking to find details on these mostly undocumented languages.

L R Schwennesen later owned the property and took an interest in the wordlists originally compiled by Barlow. These vocabularies are also recorded with additional notes in M292 L R Schwennesen Papers, which are held in the State Library collection.

Barlow’s work represents some of the earliest documentation of the Aboriginal languages of South-West Queensland and provides an insight into the contact history of the Maranoa and the rich diversity among the Aboriginal groups of the region. It is a valuable historical source for community members and language workers seeking information on the languages of the Darling Downs.

State Library extends an invitation for all Queenslanders to see the Harriet Barlow Manuscript and explore the many stories of Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages.

Desmond Crump

Indigenous Languages Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Webpages

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Map

Jarjum stories: A kuril dhagun showcase focusing on children’s books and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. 19 October 2019-10 May 2020.

Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages: A major exhibition exploring the survival and revival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages throughout Queensland. Join in the many talks and events to celebrate the rich and diverse languages spoken today. Opens 21 November 2019-19 April 2020.

References and Further Readings

Barlow, H. (1873) “Vocabulary of Aboriginal Dialects of Queensland”, The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1873, Vol.2, pp.165-175. [Available online via One Search.]

Collins, P. (2002) Goodbye Bussamarai : the Mandandanji land war, Southern Queensland 1842-1852 . J 994.34 COL

Harriet Barlow Manuscript ca. 1865. OM91-69

L R Schwennesen. JOL Negative No. 198137.

L R Schwennesen Papers. M 292

Mathewson, T. (1915) “Personal Reminiscences of ’53”, Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland volume 1 issue 2: pp. 96-98. [Available online through Text Queensland.]

Image Source

‘17,000 sheep crossing the Condamine River on Warkon Station, 1917’. JOL Image number: 702692-19170210-0028

As a university student, learning about the conservation of artefacts, I remember one of my professors talking about treatment ethics, citing a phrase often referenced in the medical field, “First, do no harm”^1,2. My university professor had another interesting guiding principle, “So what?”, but that’s a topic for another time… Now working as a qualified conservator at the State Library of Queensland, this phrase is at the forefront of my mind as we work to ensure the longevity of State Library’s treasured collections.

This year, in the State Library conservation lab, we are excited and privileged to have been tasked with the job of investigating the conservation of seven hand-coloured photographs by Richard Daintree (1832-1878)³ (see Image 1). Due to the condition of these works, their historic significance, and the complexity of their conservation, they have waited a number of years to be given the kind of conservation treatment they deserve. For well over a decade, they have been lying in flat file drawers (away from their natural enemies of light, dust, and humidity), waiting until the time was right for a full and considered conservation treatment (see Image 2). It has taken this length of time, and more than one senior conservator, to successfully articulate the unique requirements for the conservation of these works of art, and to secure the necessary time and resources to carry out the work.

Last year, Rachel Spano, Senior Conservator at State Library, presented a winning pitch to secure seed funding to research, analyse, and formulate an ethical treatment plan for these seven hand-coloured photographs. The Queensland Library Foundation was instrumental in making this happen, and we thank State Library’s generous donors for helping us make this important work a reality⁴ .

These works tell a unique Queensland story, and part of that story is revealed through their material composition and condition (see image 3). Over the coming months we will be preparing detailed condition reports for each of the seven works, researching the materials and techniques used to create them, and undertaking technical analysis and testing to come up with a plan for their treatment.

Conservation can be a tricky business. It is time consuming, and the details matter. The State Library of Queensland cares about the unique character of each work and as conservators, we are governed by the highest respect for the integrity of the object; taking into consideration such things as the creation of the work, its physical properties, significance, and aesthetics⁵. We want these works to maintain their historic integrity, to survive and be safely available for the general public to view now, and into the future.

Please follow this interesting process in upcoming blog posts as our project progresses, and witness how we ensure that the treatment of our cultural heritage collections is of the highest order, where we, ‘First, do no harm’.

Kelly Leahey – Conservator, State Library of Queensland

References

1. Thank you, Dr Marcelle Scott, your words are always with me while I work
2. This is not the first time a conservator has written about ‘First, do no harm’. See also https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/blog/preservation/2011/08/31/first-do-no-harm
3. Richard Daintree [Works of Art] Acc. 3966 http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/f/fhnkog/slq_alma21148512310002061
4. To read about Crowd Giving 2019, see http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/08/20/crowd-giving-2019-30000-raised-to-support-state-library-of-queensland-projects/
5. To learn more about the Code of Ethics and Code of Practice for the Australian Institute for Conservation of Cultural Material, see https://aiccm.org.au/about/code-ethics-and-practice

Ahhh, summer. For my family, and thousands of others who grew up in Brisbane and beyond in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, summer meant an annual pilgrimage to the Gold Coast to spend a week or two swimming or riding waves on the ‘lilo’, playing mini-golf, jumping on the in-ground trampolines at Southport and having your breakfast order delivered to your motel room through a hole-in-the-wall box. Such luxury! And sometimes the adults would dress up and sneak over the border to play the forbidden poker machines. Our family haunt was the Nestl’Inn at Tugun, far from the glitz and glamour found in Surfers Paradise but set right on the beach and everything we needed was in easy reach. These were the days before theme parks, air conditioning and the myriad activities available now. But they are fondly remembered as bright, hot, sunny and sandy days.

The Gold Coast is on Yugambeh country, which includes the City of Gold Coast, City of Logan, Scenic Rim Regional Council and the Tweed River Valley. Yugambeh people would meet for annual gatherings during summer to feast and conduct ceremony. It wasn’t until 1925, when a bridge was built over the Nerang River linking Southport to Surfers Paradise (then known as Elston) and the South Coast Road from Brisbane was extended down to Burleigh Heads, that the modern tourism industry really emerged. The same year, pioneer developer Jim Cavill opened his 16 room Surfers Paradise Hotel, close to a mostly deserted long white sand surf beach. He finally succeeded in getting the local council to change the area’s name to Surfers Paradise in 1933 after years of lobbying.

The fortunes of the South Coast, as it was then known, really took off in the early 1940s when thousands of Allied soldiers spent their valuable recreation leave in the area.  After the War, the media labelled it the ‘Gold Coast’ after property prices boomed, unleashing a wave of land and property development.  From the 1950s, serviced holiday apartments, motels, hotels and shopping arcades opened from one end of the Coast to the other.  Canals and man-made islands were constructed, and in 1959, the State government proclaimed the Gold Coast a City.

A new style of accommodation, the motel (a ‘motor hotel’), appeared in 1954. The El Dorado (originally known as the Surfers Paradise Motel) was designed by Greg Graham and Bill Reichelt, and was one of only three of this new style in Australia. The El Dorado had just 12 rooms and was constructed from the materials available at the time including asbestos and cement cladding.

Another pioneer in accommodation on the Gold Coast was Lennon’s Hotel at Broadbeach. Built on an old sand mining site, it had no neighbours and was surrounded by sand dunes and unsealed roads. It was affectionately known by locals as an ‘oasis in the desert’. Designed by renowned Brisbane based architect Karl Langer, at five storeys it was the tallest building on the Coast until ‘Kinkabool’ (considered the first ‘high rise’ on the Coast) arrived in 1959. Perhaps the most famous Gold Coast motel of them all, the Pink Poodle, opened its doors on Boxing Day 1967, marking the peak of motel accommodation. It is estimated there were 140 motels on the Coast at this time.

Sadly, the unbridled development that brought us these iconic gems soon found other uses for the land they occupied, as high rises took over from low rise motels and hotels.  ‘Kinkabool’ and the Pink Poodle neon sign still stand, and some have recently been renovated to bring them back to their former glory, such as the ‘La Costa Motel’ at Bilinga.  And while the Gold Coast remains a glittering beachside holiday destination, with millions of domestic and international visitors staying in every kind of accommodation imaginable, many lament the loss of the relaxed yet glamourous motel.

Anna Thurgood – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Discover more:

30565 Charles Busch colour slides 1959-1960: 197 colour slides taken by Charles Busch in 1959 and 1960. The majority of the slides depict the Gold Coast and Gold Coast Hinterland.  

30501 Surfers Paradise motion picture 1950s: This 1950s home movie of Surfers Paradise hotels and motels includes footage of the El Dorado, Lennon’s, The Beachcomber, The Siesta, The Chevron and more.

Sources:

Dedekorkut-Howes, A, Bosman C, Leach, L, 2016, Off the Plan: The Urbanisation of the Gold Coast, CSIRO Publishing, Clayton, VIC.

Dedekorkut-Howes, A, Bosman C, 2011, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Gold Coast, Griffith University Urban Research Program, accessed 21 January 2020 .

Gold Coast Histories, City of Gold Coast, accessed 15 January 2020.

L’Huillier, R, Gold Coast History, accessed 15 January 2020.

State Library of Queensland, 2020, Yugambeh, accessed 24 January 2020,

Surfers Paradise History, City of Gold Coast website, accessed 16 January 2020.

The Hi Ho Motel, City of Gold Coast, accessed 21 January 2020.

The Lathouras Brothers migrated to Australia from Alatsata in Asia Minor in 1906. By 1923 Jannos (Jack) Lathouras and his brothers, Michael and Mark, had opened two cafes in the main street of Bundaberg, Bourbong Street. Bundaberg was a thriving provincial Queensland town during the 1920s.

Jack Lathouras worked in several locations, including Melbourne, Brisbane and Ingham before joining his cousins, John and Steve Girdis in the Central Coffee Palace, 374 George Street, Brisbane. The two families were involved in several businesses together in the Brisbane CBD but by 1920, the Lathouras Bros relocated to Bundaberg to open two cafes, Cafe Royal at 86 Bourbong Street (opened in 1920) and and the Elite Cafe at 143 Bourbong Street (opened in 1923). Their living quarters were located above the spacious Café Royal.

The families in Bundaberg were encouraged to socialise together. Sundays were spent with the Leondarakis (Londy) and Glous (Lewis) families. Harry, Peter and Manuel Lewis had taken over a café in Bourbong Street, the Marble Café, previously connected to the Cominos Bros – John, Theo, Arthur and Paul.

The Lathouras Brothers expanded their business by delivering ice-cream to households using a horse and cart and produced their own confectionery for sale through the cafés . These delightful treats were made on the premises at the back of the Café Royal in the “Lolly Room”.

The Elite operated under the Lathouras Bros until 1976.

Sources

• The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 by Denis A. Conomos. Pg.127; 304-305
• 31387 Lathouras Brothers Elite Cafe and Cafe Royal Bundaberg photographs. State Library of Queensland collection
• 31380 Lathouras Brothers Elite Cafe and Cafe Royal Realia 1920s-1950s. State Library of Queensland collection

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafés enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

The Central Café played an important role in the small country town of Blackall, selling newspapers and books, petrol at the front of the café and mailing newspapers to the graziers and families as well as serving the traditional café offering.

Minas (Mick) Dimitris Logothetis (Logos Bros) and his wife Anna (nee Tsitsilios) met in Greece in 1928, arriving in Blackall in 1929. Mick and his brother Nicholas had arrived in Queensland much earlier working in the cane fields of the Childers district from the mid-1910s to 1920s with other Greek cane cutters.

Life was hard in the café starting the day early in the morning and often working until midnight. When interviewed for Denis Conomos’s research into The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945, Anna describes the excessive heat and flies, drought and dying stock, and shearer’s strikes.

“On one occasion when Mina (Mick) and the employee had gone shooting a girl and I were looking after the shop when suddenly we were rushed with shearers. We hadn’t heard that one of the stations was going to stop shearing that day. That afternoon I sold about 180 gallons of petrol while at the same time trying to cook meals for the shearers. When Mina (Mick) returned he was upset. ‘Don’t worry’ I said. ‘We managed’.”

Mina (Mick) and Anna were a part of the community of Blackall best illustrated by another story Anna recounts to Denis Conomos in an interview with her for The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 (2002).

“When the girls finished work at night, we’d sit down with them in the kitchen and have a cup of tea and cake. They wouldn’t want to leave. Sometimes we’d talk until 1am then we’d put them in the back of the utility and take them home. Sometimes shearers would come to the shop and give their money to Mick to look after so that they wouldn’t spend it all on drink.”

Mina and Anna ran the café for 17 years (approx 1946). In that time Anna had only been away from the café and Blackall three times. Once to have the children baptised in Brisbane, to Sandgate for a week so the children could recover from whooping cough and once to Rockhampton for Anna to recover from illness.

In December 1949, a cold-room was installed in the Central Café resulting in five tons of fruit and vegetables arriving by refrigerated truck in excellent condition. The Venardos Bros were attributed with this innovation and the community of Blackall were assured of a continuous supply, but that is another story.

Source:

• The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 by Denis Conomos, 2002, pg.304; 480; 482; 510

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Guest bloggers: Matthew Wengert and Louise Martin-Chew – 2019 John Oxley Library Fellows

Royal Commissions were more common and less politically ‘interesting’ in the early 20th century (for example, a century ago there were half a dozen Royal Commissions in Queensland alone, with a few running concurrently and some lasting only two or three weeks). In the 1970s and 1980s these quasi-judicial inquiries became longer, rarer, and increasingly dramatic. With their growing size and the raising of the stakes of these public inquiries, their public face has been inextricably linked with their Commissioners. These individuals have been tied, in both the public mind and by government, to their inquiries and reports. In recent years we have had Woodward (1973-74 Aboriginal Land Rights), Costigan (1980-84 Painters and Dockers Union), Stewart (1981-83 Drug Trafficking), McClelland (1984-85 British Nuclear Tests in Australia), and recently Hayne (2017-19 Banking and Superannuation Misconduct) to name a few.

The Commissioners took on a not-always-welcome level of celebrity. Tony Fitzgerald QC had little public profile when he was selected to explore the corrupt political underbelly and decades of police misconduct in Queensland political life (1987-89), but appeared to grow comfortable with a leading role in the closely and widely watched drama. As the hearings and investigations gathered pace, and particularly after the first prosecutions began, it was clear that this new broom was going to sweep away many shady characters and the activities they had profited from for so long. The ‘Fitzgerald Inquiry’ remains a paradigm exemplar for the Royal Commissions that followed.

‘Fitzgerald’ was formally titled The Commission of Inquiry Into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct––a title which lurches and stumbles, rather than rolls, off the tongue. It was announced in May 1987 in the immediate wake of Phil Dickie’s articles for the Courier Mail and Chris Masters’ Four Corners episode––‘The Moonlight State’. The Fitzgerald Inquiry commenced in July 1987, and the report was finally published and tabled in Parliament in July 1989. The report lists four dates on the frontispiece––the final was printed on 29 June, and it was presented to Premier Mike Ahearn and Police Minister Russell Cooper on 3 July.

For two years the public appetite had been whetted by morsels of information pertaining to the level of long-suspected corruption that had infected Queensland’s institutions and government; Fitzgerald was a feast of the minutiae of this infection, details on 400-odd pages of the printed report. It quickly became a best-seller.

In the interviews we have conducted as part of our John Oxley Fellowship, we have been struck by a consistent theme expressed by former QGPO staff: the Printing Office (and later GoPrint) was a lively workplace, and often the scene of fun and games, but the ‘devils’ were proud to deliver high quality printing jobs on time. They met their deadlines and honoured the highly confidential nature of what they saw. Many of their tasks were time-critical, and sometimes they were given big jobs with very tight demands––but they got the jobs done

The Fitzgerald Report acknowledged the role of the office and its staff:
“The Commission expresses appreciation of the part played by the Government Printer, Mr. S.R. Hampson and the staff of GOPRINT in the production of the printed copies of the Report under conditions of the utmost confidentiality to meet critical deadlines.”

Although this report is popularly known by just the surname of the Commissioner, the massive workload obviously required a considerable team, as noted in the report’s preamble:
“As at the end of June 1989, the total personnel of the Commission was a Commissioner, two Deputies to the Commission, one Senior Counsel, four other members of the private Bar, six lawyers engaged on contract (formerly public servants or prosecutors within the office of the Director of Prosecutions), one lawyer from the public service, four accountants, five research consultants and assistants, a Clerk to the Commission, the Secretary to the Commission and five administrative support staff, three investigative support officers, five information retrieval officers, two computer systems officers, a receptionist, twenty-two secretarial/keyboard staff, and seventy-five police officers.”

Given its importance to the state of Queensland and the seismic shift it created in the political foundations of decades of government, QGPO employees remember well its passage through the printing office. Scott Albury began work at the QGPO as an apprentice, and rose to be Government Printer (and was in that role when GoPrint closed in 2013). In an interview in December 2019, he recalled:
“I was in typesetting at the time [of Fitzgerald], in the pre-press area, and we worked 14 days straight to get this thing done. I remember how big it was, how much work. We worked Saturdays and Sundays to get it done. I played football then and I missed a Sunday game because when I said, ‘I can’t come in tomorrow, I’ve got football,’ they said, ‘Oh, shit, we’ve got to get this thing done.’ It was just such a big project, and obviously sensitive and they didn’t want it leaked, and it had to be out quick. We were still typesetting it at that stage. … and then when we finally printed it, I remember people lining up at our publications office to buy the report. We couldn’t print enough––people kept lining up to buy it.”¹

Another ex-QGPO employee, Danny Dougherty, an apprentice in 1989, told us:
“That was a very thick report. Once the report was ready to go to print we worked basically 24 hours a day to get the job done. I think it was due to be released on a Monday or Tuesday, and we worked the whole weekend. I remember Tony Fitzgerald brought his family through to look at the process. We did a soft copy, and then we did a hard copy in leather binding for Tony Fitzgerald and senior politicians. And that was an incredibly sensitive report. It wasn’t the sort of thing where you could stand at the end of the machine and start reading it––that was certainly frowned upon. We did three or four reprints–it was so popular. The place was a hive of activity, there was lots of security around that report, you couldn’t get in or out of the building without signing-in and signing-out. It was exciting to meet Tony Fitzgerald. I was working away and the guy who wrote the report was wandering through the factory with his family.²“

Ted Faulkner, who worked at the QGPO from 1976, was involved in printing parliamentary material like Hansard. He was all too aware of the importance of efficiency and security.
“That was one of the things the Government Printer was proud of, and we were too––the security. There were no leakages. There were very important things going through. With Fitzgerald, everything was pretty tight-lipped. I was interested, so I would have liked to read some of it. And you could read it as you were printing it, but you couldn’t go outside the place and say anything about it. And we didn’t. The security was unbelievable.”³

Another ex-employee, who prefers not to be named, recalled that high ranking police officers were being arrested as the report came off the press, and that there was a level of personal risk to anyone associated with the report, with threats made to QGPO individuals and their families. The Fitzgerald stakes were amongst the highest that the QGPO witnessed in its one hundred and fifty-one years of operations.

The State Library of Queensland has numerous original items relating to the ‘Fitzgerald Inquiry’––including photographs, and manuscript material:

• OM95-43 Fitzgerald Inquiry Clippings 1987-1990
• 27051 Tony Fitzgerald Collection 1984-2009
• 3215 Peter Beattie sketch 1988 [sketch of Peter Beattie and Matt Foley as lawyers during Inquiry]
• 31218 Lyn Croxon Works of Art 1988-1989 [works by court artist during Inquiry]
• 27307 Phil Dickie Collection 1964-1989

The Fitzgerald Inquiry is also an important ‘Q150’ Icon.

Matthew Wengert and Louise Martin-Chew – 2019 John Oxley Library Fellows

References

1. Scott Albury Interview, conducted by Matthew Wengert, December 2019.
2. Danny Dougherty Interview, conducted by Matthew Wengert, July 2019.
3. Ted Faulker Interview, conducted by Matthew Wengert, August 2019.

Do you have a Queensland story to tell?

Applications are now open for the 2020 State Library of Queensland fellowships, awards and residencies. If you have an interest in applying but are not sure where to start, come along to the fellowship information night. Hear from a panel of past fellows, judges and State Library staff to learn how to kick-start your application. All applications must be received by 5:00pm Thursday 26 March 2020.

Fish as food and fish cookery : with appendix on cooking rabbit and turtle was compiled by the Department of Instruction, Central Technical College. According to newspaper reports the book was published around 1921.

Front cover – Fish as food and fish cookery : with appendix on cooking rabbit and turtle (ca.1921). John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

Brisbane’s Daily Standard newspaper (06/04/1921) provide a brief overview of the publication – “There are 74 recipes contained in the book for preparing fish, oysters, prawns, and crabs, 11 recipes for the preparation of rabbits and 10 recipes for preparation of rabbits and 10 recipes for the preparation of turtle… It is hoped that the public will take advantage of the opportunity offered to obtain a reliable cookery publication at a nominal sum.”

The cookery book contains recipes for dishes such as fish and oyster pie, eels fried in batter, flathead curried and salmon mayonnaise. It also includes a list of how different type of fish should be prepared – boiled, baked, fried and/or steamed.

Recipes from  Fish as food and fish cookery

The booklet is also filled with interesting advertisements for Queensland products and services.

Advertisement for Palings Player Pianos from Fish as food and fish cookery

Advertisement for Goanna Salve from Fish as food and fish cookery

Fish as food and fish cookery : with appendix on cooking rabbit and turtle has been digitised and can be viewed on our One Search catalogue.

Myles Sinnamon – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland

Further reading

• Culinary guide to Queensland critters
• Plain Provisions – Austerity Cooking hits Queensland (1942)

A former native of Tsesme in Asia Minor (Turkey), Adoni Karistinos (Tony Caris) was the café owner of the Bellevue Café in McDowall Street, Roma. Tony’s partners included his brother Mick (Margariti) Caris, and Anthony Cocolas.

Born in the same region in Asia Minor as Tony, Anthony’s sister Penelope Cocolas agreed to accept a proposal of marriage to Tony Caris (Karistinos) and moved to Australia. She joined him in 1930, expecting they might return to Greece and the family in a few short years. Instead, she was to become a permanent resident in Australia.

On her arrival in Roma, the Belle-vue Café was struggling. It was the time of the Depression and Penelope remembers “we couldn’t make enough for ourselves, let alone partners.”

Penelope also recounts an occasion when David Frangeskakis of the Queens Arms Hotel in Roma took them for a drive on a Sunday afternoon to collect tsohi (weed) as a substitute for horta or radikia, Greek terms used for wild greens eaten in salads or boiled. Armed with a sugar bag full he would give it to me and say “Missus…keftiedes.”  What is that you ask…traditional Greek meatballs made with herbs and onions.

Owing to the small number of Greek families living in outback regional Queensland, Tony and Penelope socialised with their Greek counterparts, inviting Charlie and Anna Tambaki to their home on Sunday evenings to play cards, the women joining in for a game of egiftiko or gin rummy.

Unlike many Greek wives at the time, Penelope lived in a house separate to the Belle-vue Café. In her interview with Denis Conomos in The Greeks in Queensland: A History from 1859-1945, Penelope stated “Tony didn’t want us to live above the shop, but I would have liked it as I would have had company.”

The Belle-vue Café, like many cafes of its type hosted wedding breakfasts and local community events, the venue being referred to in the local newspaper as central to many local celebrations and events. On this occasion though we feature an advertisement highlighting the Bellevue Café and the availability of fresh fish for Easter in the Roma community.

Source:

The Greeks in Queensland: a history from 1859-1945 by Denis Conomos, 2002. Pg. 471; 506; 507

Exhibition – Meet me at the Paragon

State Library’s latest exhibition, Meet me at the Paragon explores how the creation of American-style cafes enabled Greek migrants of the early to mid-1900s to carve out a new life in a foreign land. The exhibition runs from 27 September 2019 until 15 March 2020.

Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland