Wednesday, May 4, 2016

BHL6 Bracken Ridge Area From 1900 to 1950's

Due to privacy laws, newspaper archives are limited to 50 years.  There is so much history still waiting to be released.Reading old newspaper articles, and searching our data becomes quite interesting.  Sometimes a story can be found, then simply vanishes. For every 1000 stories researched there are possibly double that many that don't pop up in any search engine

The Sandgate Historical Society have included information from this era in their publication, "From Solitude to Surburbia".  The book is not digitised as yet.

One snippet of interest was a report of George Phillips and George Harrah looking to inspect a site for school in the area.  The location was halfway between the Bald Hills and Sandgate schools.  Reading the directions, "follow the Telegraph Road from Sandgate Race Course to Bald Hills to the Manure Depot, first house on left and past 2 houses on the right, and this adjoins the second, (Mr Blunden).

That description put the land on Telegraph Road, the land was between Blunden and Bose farms, and from the Electoral Rolls  Mr Bose lived at Ridley Road!

Quite a distance between the farms no doubt.

In 1917, the farm of Mr Blunden was being sold.  Portion 93, which was originally owned by David and William Brown.


Given the description of the land as per the sale, the instructions perhaps were a bit ambiguous.

The land they were looking at must have been on the Enbrook Heights side, and the they were looking for £250  cash.  George Phillips was the Government Surveyor!


When we moved into Bracken Ridge, the name generallywas spelt one word.  Not two.  Overtime that changed. Forty years ago when the Tavern opened, it was called Brackenridge.

If only the newspaper archives were current, it would no doubt proved that when we advertised properties way back then, in the Bayside Star, that the spelling was Brackenridge.   


During the years from 1930 to 1955, there were once again scores of farms for sale.

Almost each of them had a "name".  All were located at Bracken Ridge, Sandgate.

There were pineapple farms, and egg farms, and pig farms.  The farming economy certainly was not flourishing with buyers!

For so many Bracken Ridge residents, the name of the builder Barney Gastaldon speaks of a quality home.  Barney's homes were so popular there was usually a wait for one to become available.  Barney and his family are very long term residents of the area.



The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933) Thursday 10 July 1930 p 2 Advertising
... for nearly five years in Australia, now residing at Bracken Ridge, Sandgate, Queensland. Intend to ... Australia, now residing at Bracken Ridge, Sandgate, Queensland. Intend to apply for naturalisation under




There became a need for Redcliffe to obtain a water supply, and it was decided to build a reservoir in Brackenridge, Sandgate.


In 1932, the Bald Hills Progress Association were concerned about the idea of Brisbane supplying town water to Redcliffe.



This shows the extent that both the Sandgate and Bald Hills community associations each "claimed" the Bracken Ridge to come under their own "umbrellas".



The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947) Monday 28 November 1932 p 13 Article
... REDCLIFFE WATER SUPPLY Remote Prospects Discussing the suggestion by the Bald Hills Progress ... 86 words


Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Friday 18 November 1932 Baptist church

BAPTIST.
A thanksgiving tea was held at Sandgate in connection with the annual effort. The diploma for the best decorated table was won by the Intermediate CE. The public praise service which followed, had the vice-president of the union (the Rev. J. C. Farquhar) as chairman. The new branch Sunday
school at Bracken Ridge Is vigorous, and a monthly service is also held.








Advertising
The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 25 August 1934 p 3 Advertising







.. Brooklands Poultry Farm, Bracken Ridge, Sandgate. ? SAME quality chickens packed In our 'all weather' brooder ... g










The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Monday 24 June 1935 p 18 Article








... Street so that residents of Bracken Ridge and Deagon may have a sporting chance of reaching Sandgate In ... safety. The Farmer's Lo

Sandgate Road. — 'John Ratepayer'  (Sandgate).— Seeing that the completion of the Hornibrook Highway will add greatlv to the heavy vehicular traffic to Sandgate, the City Council should construct a footpath along Board Street so that residents of Bracken Ridge and Deagon may have a sporting chance of reaching Sandgate In safety.

Mr Flewell-Smith's son beaome a representative on both the COD and the Bacon Board.



Advertising

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Tuesday 14 April 1936 p 22 Advertising



... NEGLECTED BRACKEN RIDGE FARMLET ? 17 acres, excellent for pines, market garden, ? and poultry, well, small ... , . good home, 7 rooms, sheds, bails, yards, 25 head cows, 2 horses, a farm Implements, dairy 

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 16 May 1936 p 26 Advertising



... . HERMANN, at our office. NEGLECTED FARMLET at BRACKEN RIDGE 18% Acres, Por. 17, Par. Nundah. On Barbours Rd ..


he Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Friday 31 December 1937 p 10 Article
... . The City council would, he said, undertake the construction of a reservoir at Bracken Ridge, Sandgate


1938

The Lord Mayor (Aid. A. J. Jones) said to-day that test borings were being made at Sparke's Hill, where a reservoir capable of holding 5.000.000 gallons would be built in the next financial year to improve the pressure to Chermside, Kedron, and adjoining districts. It was hoped, also, to establish a new reservoir at Bracken Ridge, near Sandgate. Its capacity would be 6,000,000 gallons, sufficient to supply the requirements of Redcliffe, also, should that area decided to take advantage of the City Council's offer to supply water.

The Mayor (Alderman A. H. Langdon) hopes that satisfactory arrangements will be made with the Brisbane City Council in the next few weeks. The City council would, he said, undertake the construction of a reservoir at Bracken Ridge, Sandgate, which would be the source of the Redcliffe
supply. The cost of the scheme to Redcliffe would be £79,000; 100 men would be employed for 12 months.


Service Reservoirs.— Construction of the Bracked Ridge reservoir to be undertaken next vear.
Distribution. — The 16-inch mains from Sparkes' Hill, via Bracken Ridge, to Sandgate to be laid within two years.
Other Improvements.— An amount of £120,000 to be expended during the next three to four years in generally improving the distribution system.




Advertising
The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 1 February 1941 p 13 Advertising




... , 1940, at IpsEDWARD BYRNE, late of Bracken Ridge. Sandgate, Farmer, who died on the 30th December. 1940 ..


Advertising
The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Friday 31 October 1941 p 9 Advertising
... , Brooklands, situated Bracken Ridge, 1.1 Sandgale, 2'/a miles out, 'Phone 146, thanks clients, 



Then came the Second World War.

Once again, sons and fathers, husbands and wives, all volunteered to serve their country.

One death was reported in the newspaper of Private William Best.








The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 20 April 1946 p 8 Advertising
... , Australorps £4 a hundred. White Leghorns £3/10/. Apply Hllview Poultry Farm, Cemetery Rd.. Bracken Ridge


Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 - 1954) Tuesday 2 November 1948 p 2 Article
... Child Drinks Sleeping Draught BRISBANE, Nov. 1.-A 2iyear-old boy was rushed from Bracken Ridge ... , of Phillip Street, Bracken Ridge. The Sandgate Ambulance was lled by the child's grandother at 9.30 am ... 183 words




The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Saturday 7 January 1950 p 1 Article Illustrated
... Bracken-ridge farmer's home. It was the worst of eight bush and grass fires Brisbane firemen attended in











That fire - as mentioned above, another description of it:  on the corner of Bald Hills Road and Simpsons Road, and it burnt 100 acres.  

Only there was no Simpson and Bald Hills Road near a hill.  Norris Road was named in1930, and perhaps the locals called it another name.  The site of the fire, to burn 100 acres, up a hill, could possibly be the area from the current Bracken Ridge Road to the TAFE college.   











The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Friday 24 October 1952 p 9 Advertising
... Motor, £45, or best offer. Waldock. Telegraph Road. Bracken Ridge. FOR sale, one G-Well Bag Loader. Ring ... LIVESTOCK, VEHICLES 1[1OR sale, two store Large White 1 pigs, £10/10/ each. Waldock. Telegraph Road, Bracken .


The Waldocks owned a piggery



The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Thursday 10 December 1953 p 18 Family Notices
... Mary Carr, Bracken Ridge. Sandgate. are Invited to attend the Funeral of her beloved Husband and


 The Carrs grew pineapples and potatoes opposite the Cemetery.


The Carr family consisted of Thomas and Alice Carr, and their three daughters Alice, Margaret and Mary Carr.

These three women, never married.  One of them had a "sweetheart" who was killed in World War I.  The girls worked the farm, growing pineapples and potatoes.  

It was hard work, and they were expected to do the work of men.  

They sold the farm after their parents died and moved to Brighton.  To a home in Prince Street, on the corner of Lascelles Street.   They lived there for years, in a "timewarp", locked behind windows, and hardly ever venturing outside.

In 1991, I was asked by the Trustees to sell their property so that two could move into a Nursing Home.

We took them under our wings, as their circumstances were quite sad.   More later.








Handford Road Zillmere

Since the settlement of Bracken Ridge, the settlers also chose properties in Zillmere and Boondall.

The early settlers were farmers and as their numbers increased, they wanted to establish a school for their children. In 1875, Joseph Walsh Lee, as secretary to the School Committee wrote to the Board of Education outlining the need for a school, citing that about sixty families would send their children to the proposed school. He later sent a list of men who were suitable to be on the school committee - Frederick Shepherd, John L Ward, Joseph Walsh Lee, Carl Stabe, Edward Rogers, Christian Schumaker, and William Duckworth. The Zillman Water Holes' School opened on 22 January1876 with 66 children enrolled. The school reached its peak numbers in the 1950s.    
                            

The northern Brisbane suburb of Zillmere is one of the relatively few local areas which is named after an early settler, in this case, Johann Leopold Zillmann.

Zillmann was a Lutheran missionary who arrived in the colony in 1838. He originally settled in the area know as Zions Hill in Nundah and then later settled in the area then known as Zillmann's Waterholes. In 'Zillmere', 'Zill' is taken from 'Zillmann' and 'mere' is said to mean waterhole or lake.

The early farming families in the area included the Murphies, the Handfords, the Ellisons and the Robinsons. "It was good quality land," says Brian Randall from the State Library of Queensland. "Early farmers were involved in dairying, pig farming, small crops, slaughterhouses and tanneries. Access to water was important."

Early settlers included Joseph Lee, who arrived in the 1860s, purchased land and built a residence on Zillmere Road. His name is honoured by Joseph Lee Park.   At that time, there were a couple of brickworks operating in the area. In 1863, John Ward purchased land and established a brick works using clay from a deposit on his property. In 1886-7, Leopold Fiedler established a brick works in Zillmere and it is believed that bricks produced in his works were used in the construction of the Sandgate Post Office, which is still standing today.

Another early business was J.C. Hutton P/L. The business was a meat processing factory (bacon) on Zillmere Road. The factory was opened in 1888 and demolished in 1965 when the company moved elsewhere. Interestingly, Zillmere is home to a number of French houses. 

After the Second World War, The Queensland Housing Commission and French contractors built 886 homes at Zillmere under the Imported Homes Scheme(Commonwealth sponsored). "They were sort of prefabricated homes - almost like kit homes -that were brought out and built fairly quickly, but a lot of those houses are still standing so that was a very successful operation," explains Brian. 

The Zillmere project, using labour recruited overseas, was the first estate to be established under the scheme. The French partner was the firm Messrs. Lecorche, Freres and Schroth (Paris).

Zillmere has a local link to World War Two. An Operations Room in Beams Road was a WW2 remote receiving station. It maintained contact with lookout stations along the coastline and plotted the location of various aircraft.

Small crop growing flourished.  Later J.C. Hutton established a bacon factory, piggery at Zillmere, egg farms, pineapple farms, dairy farms and the Herron family owned a 5 acre farm in Roghan Road Boondall. 

Soon the population expanded.  After World War II, there was a desperate need for accommodation.  The Queensland Housing Commission undertook the development of housing in Zillmere.  They imported houses in a sort of kit style, from France and along with the houses came the workers. 

The Mushroom Farm on the corner of Handford and Roghan Road was a landmark for years owned by Ron Bacchi and his family.   ... a large mushroom farm at Zillmere. 'Although the poisonous tonanitas variety are plentiful no one ... 268 wordsAustralian Surveying and Land Information Group [AUSLIG] - Parish Maps - Sandgate

In 1954 census records show 207 residents.  Far too many now to research individually, but certainly many descendants of the original families.



The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) Wednesday 7 May 1952 p 3 Article Illustrated
... a large mushroom farm at Zillmere. 'Although the poisonous tonanitas variety are plentiful no one ... 268 words
Australian Surveying and Land Information Group [AUSLIG] - Parish Maps - Sandgate


The Mushroom Farm on the corner of Handford and Roghan Road,the egg farms, the small crop farms, all  provided fresh farm produce at the gate.

I remember always buying our vegetables at "Carlos".  Now the home of a huge Townhouse development.


We have a lot to thank our pioneering families for, the photo below is now the Aspley State High School, and this was taken in c1889   (Wikipedia)






In 1954 census records show 207 residents.  Far too many now to research individually, but certainly so many descendants of the original families.


Two hundred and seven residents, probably most of them still on large blocks, complete with the "dunny" out the back, so just in case you haven't experienced this attraction,   Thanks to
Pinterest, this one gives you an idea!

Oh, and there was no soft toilet paper, just cut-up pieces of newspapers!



There was even a song called "Red-back on the Toilet Seat" by Ralph Newton. 

Words are at the end of the post.

How on Earth Did We Manage to Survive?


There's a Redback on the Toilet Seat   a song from 1973.

Some nostalgia, or perhaps you have never heard of this before, depending on your age!

There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When i was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark, 
Buy boy! I felt his bite!
I jumped high up into the air
And when I hit the ground
That crafty red-back spider
Wasn't nowhere to be found.

There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark
But boy! I felt his bite!
And now i'm ere in hospital
A sad and sorry plight,
And I curse the red-back spider
On the toilet seat last night.

Rushed in to the missus
Told her just where I'd been bit
She grabbed the cut-throat razor blade,
And I nearly took a fit.
I said "Just forget what's on your mind
And call a doctor please.
Cause I've got a feeling that  your cure 
Is worse than the disease.

There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark
But boy! I felt his bite!
And now i'm ere in hospital
A sad and sorry plight,
And I curse the red-back spider
On the toilet seat last night.

I can't lay down. I can't sit up
And I don't know what to do
And all the nurses think it's funny.
But that's not my point of view.
I tell you it's embarrassing.
(And that's to say the least)
That I'm too sick to eat a bite
While that spider had a feast.

There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark
But boy! I felt his bite!
And now i'm ere in hospital
A sad and sorry plight,
And I curse the red-back spider
On the toilet seat last night.

And when I get back home again
I tell you what I'll do
I'll make that red-back suffer
For the pain i'm going through
I've had so many needles 
That I'm looking like a sieve
And I promise you that spider
Hasn't very long to live.

There was a red-back on the toilet seat
When I was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark
But boy! I felt his bite!
And now i'm ere in hospital
A sad and sorry plight,
And I curse the red-back spider
On the toilet seat last night.




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