The History of Bracken Ridge : BRL 5 Bald Hills Area from 1900 to 1950's

BRL 5 Bald Hills area 1900 to 1950's

The history of this period is told in the Anzac Tribute, and included in some of the previous timeline.

Life went on for the families, they continued to do as they always did. They farmed, and hoped for good seasons, so their crops would flourish.

By now the suburb was under the control of the Kedron Shire Council, who at their meeting in 1920, had an application for a lease on the sportsground.

The state of the roads was always being questioned, there was no money to build them.

Bush track to Aspley

The Soldier's Settlement continued to dominate the news in the early part of the decade.

The contract to build the Memorial Hall was given to David Vernon Carseldine, and he and his cousins drowned in April, at Caloundra.

The Memorial Hall was opened in August 1920

Unemployment was running very high, there was no work for the men. 20 were employed on clearing the Soldiers Settlement.

THE LATE MRS. MACPHERSON. May 1922

Duncan McPhersons's wife died.

The death of Mrs. Macpherson, in her 86th year, after a short illness, removes one of Queensland's pioneers, and the oldest resident of Bald Hills. The de-ceased lady, who was born in the Isle of Skye, came to the Hunter River district with her parents when a child. More than 61 years ago she took up her residence at Bald Hills, where her husband, the late Mr. Duncan Macpherson, engaged in farming. At that period the blacks were so aggressive that firearms had always to be carried with the tools. The late Mrs. Macpberson was, 'well known and esteemed throughout the - district. Her husband predeceased her by 23 years.

She is survived by three sons, comprising Alex. (Bald Hills), Kenneth (Chairman of the Kedron Shire), Duncan (associated with Allan and Stark), and by four daughters :-Mesdames W. Young (Bald Hills), H. Hale, (Roma), H. Horne(?) (Northgate), and Miss May Macpherson (Labrador, Southport),- Other living descendants are 213 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. " The funeral, which was probably the .largest known in the district, took, place on Wednesday, to the Lutwyche cemetery. ' The Revs. Meikle and Bagot officiated at the graveside.

MEMORIAL TREES CEREMONY AT BALD HILLS

The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947) Monday 16 October 1922 p 5 Article Illustrated... MEMORIAL TREES CEREMONY AT BALD HILLS A very impressive ceremony organised by. the Bald Hills ... planting of 17 memorial trees in honour of the members of the AIF., from the Bald Hills district,, who ...

11 Feb 1925 Soldiers had a win with not having to pay interest! Cost the Government over 200K

That on the Bald Hills. Enoggera, Highlands, Mount Gravatt and Mt Hutton Soldier settlements, all unpaid interest -up to December 31st. 1925. will be written off. and interest charged thereafter from January 1st, 1926.

The intervening years news focused on the weather, and several road accidents, and included a couple of rather interesting marital situations.

By 1930 there was consideration for Night soil collection, and the electric light was to be installed.

THE PLIGHT OF SMALL FARMERS.

Sir,

At the monthly meeting of the Bald Hills Local Producers' Association, tho following resolution was passed:-"That this Local producers' meeting, representing the fruit growers, market gardeners, pig and poultry farmers of the Bald Hills and Albany Creek districts, desire to bring under the notice of the Agricultural Bank, Lands Department, Brisbane City Council, and Pine Shire Council the serious and unavoidable financial position of many small farmers at the present time, and we earnestly request that the utmost leniency be shown to those unable to meet their interest, redemption, rent, and rate payments."

"We wish to point out that the main causes of the present unfortunate pos-tion of small farmers (besides the prevailing depression) are:

(1) Market gardeners, and particularly those on flat ground, lost practically the whole of their winter crops of vegetables In 1930 on account of excessive winter rains.

(2) This wet weather brought in its train a fearful outbreak of plant diseases (blight in tomato and potato crops, mildew in cucumber and melon crops, and downy mildew la grape crops); and growers, in spite of applying every known remedy, again lost heavily.

(3) The season was one of the worst on record for strawberry growers; many who sent to Brisbane market had their boxed berries dumped into the Jam factory at a price which did not pay for picking the fruit, let alone growing it.

(4) The continued wet weather in the autumn has severely hampered growers, delaying farming operations, and, In addition, has brought a considerable amount of disease to tomato and bean crops. The potato crop is a failure owing to wet weather at planting time.

(5) Many farms were so damaged In the February .floods and the ground soured that several months must elapse before these farms again return decent crops, and, in addition, many farmers lost stock and equipment thereby.

(6) Both pig and poultry farmers are seriously affected by the low prices ruling for their products; in many cases the prices received do not pay for the cost of production."

"In view of these facts, we earnestly request the Agricultural Bank, Lands Department, the Brisbane City Council, and Pine Shire Council not to threaten or use undue pressure on any farmer who is doing his best to keep his farm in order and prepare for next season. We also ask that due consideration be given to the fact that farmers have to meet liabilities to local business people, and they have also to provision their homes until the next season -

-I am sir Sec,

GEORGE W. CARSELDINE,

Sec,, Bald Hills L.P.A. Bald Hills, June 17.1931

Catholic Broadcasting Station.

' TO BE ESTABLISHED IN BRISBANE. BRISBANE, Sunday. A B class radio station. to be known as tho official broadcasting station of the Catholic, Church in Queensland, will be established in Brisbane by a company. Broadcasters (Australia), Ltd now being formed for that purpose. A license has' been granted to operate the station says -the company's prospectus- The studio will be established in the building of- G. J. Grice, Ltd-, and the aerial masts and power house will be at Bald Hills. -. The station -will derive its income from advertising, and the Catholic Church will be in a position to broadcast- church services, organ' recitals, choirs, lectures, and all activities of 1 the Church."

By 1951 there were serious issues about the lands at Station Estate. People had paid £60 per block in order to build a house, then the Council rescinded all the permits, due to the low lying land.

Once again the residents had been treated unfairly.

1951

Building ban I am also one of the unfortunate landowners at Station Estate. -Bald Hills, but do not find it hard to understand why the City Council has banned building in that area. From first hand information I am told that when the estate was divided up and streets named by the council i there are many parts lower | than this estate, which have been drained. We are not all fortunate enough to get land on hilltops. — ANOTHER SUCKER.,

HOMES ON LOW LAND The City Council has taken a stand which should result in much future benefit to home-builders. About 10 miles from the city, at Bald Hills, there is a lot of lowlying land which always has been subject to flooding. Recently some of this land we sold and permits were given by the Council for homes to he built here. Inquiries on behalf of the Council showed that the allotments were totally unsuited for home-building, and the Council has rescinded the permits. This action. It is hoped, will be| followed by more careful granting of permits. It is not actually the province of the Council to protect people against their own folly, but In doing so. the aldermen will be doing a public service.

SAYS ALDERMAN

The Council must stop the building off homes on mud Slats in Brisbane, Aid. Kerr (C.M.O.,) Sandgate) said at the City Council meeting today..

Some of the homes had been built on low-lying land in Brisbane, which was a disgrace, he said. He was referring to a recommendation by the Establishment and Co-ordination Committee that land forming part of the Station Estate at Bald Hills should be declared not capable of being drained. Some houses had been built in the Sandgate area on low-lying areas and had been a tremendous cost to both the owners and the Council. Aid. Kerr said. He supported the action of the Council in stopping the building of homes on this land it Bald Hills. He understood that some of the owners of the Bald Hills land had been given l permits to build, but work had how been stopped. The recommendation submitted to the Council today would make these permits null and void.

Council sales denied Aid. Cook (C.M.O., Nundah) denied that the Bald Hills land had been sold by the City Council. People who contemplated buying land should consult the City Council, said the Labour Leader (Aid. Bennett). They should check with the Council records to find if the land they were going to buy was suitable for the purpose. Aid. Coutts (Lab., South Brisbane) said that .it was criminal people should be permitted to erect homes on low land of this type. The Lord Mayor (Aid. Chandler) said that although the Council would assist purchasers of land with any information available it was primarily the responsibility of the purchasers themselves to ensure that the land was capable of being built on. They should consult surveyors. He did not believe that permits had been granted for the erection of homes on the land at Bald Hills. He would not make any comment on the question of compensation at present. The recommendation to declare the land as being incapable of being drained was carried unanimously.

Building ban It is hard to understand the City Council's determined effort to block people building on Station Estate at Bald Hills. At least 80 percent of this estate, including my allotment, is excellent building land, but instead of taking each block on its individual merits, the council has rejected all building permits, even in the higher area. These rejected plans are stamped "under consideration for council resumption." Does the Council want this estate for some purpose of their own, or is it that they won't face up to their obligation to put in roads and drains? I am quite prepared to let any council engineer inspect my allotment which is not a "mud-flat" or "bog-hole" as claimed by the council.— NOT A SPECULATOR.

A City Council spokesman said that most of the land between Palmer Street and the railway embankment was low-lying and boggy, and impossible to drain. It would be impossible to drain the household waste even from the higher land. Because of this, the Council, at its meeting on Tuesday, decided to declare the whole area as incapable of being drained.