Heritage is best experienced in place – not musty conference halls or footnoted tomes. A Walk in the Warm Zone is an encounter of the living heritage kind.
The walk, created by Pauline Peel and supported by a team of contributors was launched last Friday. It starts in Villa street Annerley and explores the surrounds through the writings of well known author Jessica Anderson.
Heritage resides is the living fabric of communities. We can really only access this heritage by walking streets, paying attention to the surrounds, connecting with others, exploring forgotten corners and sharing stories.
History becomes our-story, through the magic of storytelling as the many threads, and the layers of the past that haunt places, are acknowledged, shared, and become entangled with our own life experiences.
These ongoing encounters maintain a living heritage — adapting, and constantly renewing, as stories are re-told, and places re-experienced.
The walk
A walk in the warm zone, cleverly weaves together place, fiction, memory, and performance, seeking out and enriching this living heritage.
Jessica Anderson’s fictional characters reflect her own experiences growing up in Annerley-Yeronga in the 1920s. All are brought to life. Denis’s performances as Jessica’s Dad, steels the show, bringing both humour and hard truths.
Through the walk, Pauline Peel gently takes us by the hand, leading us to places thick with memory.
Together we visit the backyard of Jessica’s childhood and follow her memories through the back gate into Yeronga Memorial Park. We gather outside her primary school, and sit in the pews of the church she insisted on attending.
Along the way we hear about discoveries made by current owners of Jessica’s house, as well a reminiscences by the team members, Jeanette and Wendie who grew up in the area during WWII and post-war. Their memories of park and school entwine with the experiences of Jessica’s characters.
Finishing up at ASHG’s history room in Villa Street gave us a chance for a cuppa and a chat.
This walk is creative heritage at its best: collaborative, artful, and engaging the senses. It affects, at times deeply, and at other times playfully. It is an inspiring co-created mash-up of performance, creative writing, memory, artefacts and storytelling.
The Inspiration
Pauline writes of her inspiration for telling Jessica Anderson’s stories in this way.
The making
It is founded on considerable research and is a collaboration. PaulineASHGs Villa Street Project brought collaborators, and revealed local knowledge, further developing these ideas. Denis Peel, Jeanette Wiley, Kate Dyson, Wendie Hirsch and various community members contributed to the making of this event.
Mark Baker not only knows how to entertain, but is able to transport the audience back in time. Who knew the story of service stations, is so engaging?
Snapshots of Mark’s presentation.
Businesses in ‘Servicing’ horses and buggies shifted to servicing this new transport technology that saw blacksmiths become mechanics and cans of petrol replace chaff.
Changing technology
It’s a story that’s interesting to reflect on as we transition from petrol driven engines to EVs and other alternatives.
Mark focuses his talk on the section of Ipswich Road from Annerley Road through to Moorooka.
As the ‘Bowser’ branded pump technology took off so too did service stations, and awkward filling of vehicles from the footpath.
Truck filling up on Ipswich Rd and new Bowser pumps
Eventually service stations with forecourts became the norm, enabling cars to pull in off the road.
Changing styles in vehicle access to pumps
For a time, Annerley boasted the only female service station proprietor in the state :- Peg Corbett (nee Conroy) owned the Mobil Service Station (cnr Ekibin Road & Ipswich Road) from 1944-1958. Her daughter, Michelle Hiller kindly share some photos of her mum, Peg.
Peg Corbett, nee Conroy, Queenslands first female service station proprietor
Mark stirred memories of petrol station rosters as these small family businesses managed which ones would open of a Sunday.
Changing service
Some will remember always keeping a stock of 20c pieces in the car, to shove in coin operated pumps for after hours petrol.
Driveway service became self-serve, and boom became bust, as the market and its players changed.
I grew up on Marshall Road and I have clear recollections of the three service stations at the Toohey Road intersection: a Shell, an Amoco, and BP.
None of these service stations exist today, but some of the driveway infrastructure is still discernable.
Mark covered much more than this brief post. Notes of Mark’s engaging talk can be found below.
In January Annerley-Stephen’s History Group (ASHG) moved into their new home at the brand new Community Plus+ Yeronga Community Centre.
The YCC had its official opening on Thursday 31 May at a packed event that started with a traditional smoking ceremony, followed by Welcome to Country, the ribbon cutting ceremony and a morning tea. Congratulations to Community Plus+ YCC and all who contributed to making this brilliant new centre possible.
ASHG are proud to be located in the YCC and were pleased to greet visitors in our room. The All Gauge Model Rail Group (AGMRG) also had their room open to visitors.
The outcomes of having a permanent home were apparent. On show were the current maps and documents display (thanks Mark Baker) and the Villa Street community project (thanks to the Villa Street project team and past and current residents). Visitors were introduced to our upcoming talks and walks, our publications and the opportunity to become a member. . Visitors were inspired and excited by the history room.
Thanks to the members who set up the history room and multi purpose room displays and all the members who were at the launch and who shared their knowledge and passion for local history with the visitors. Thank you Kate, Pauline and Kerry (and Brisbane Living Heritage) for the photos.
Aunty Debby Sandy gave the Welcome to Country. Mark Bailey conducted the Official Opening and the President of Community Plus+ was the MC.
The Smoking Ceremony was an invitation to all who came into the centre.
Guests listened intently at the launch held in the multi purpose room. The ASHG display is in the background.
A display of maps and documents available to local history researchers are on the display in the history room.
Proud ASHG members.
Villa Street community project …. the people, the stories.
Jim, Robin and Jeff. Enjoying the history on display. The painting on display is of 85 Villa Street. It was painted by Robin and Jeff’s daughter Sonia 35 years ago as a student at Yeronga High School.
The ASHG display window currently features a display recognising Reconciliation Week. We were pleased to be able to take Aunty Debby Sandy through the history room. Aunty Debby gave the Welcome to Country and began with Wai Bulka (welcome). She was delighted to see Wai Bulka in our displaying welcoming all to the history room.
More happy people talking history.
Talking publications – having at chat about the Women of Stephens.
Beryl Roberts and Simon Cole of Coopers Plains History Group led a walk around part of Salisbury’s industrial area as part of the Chrome St Fiesta.
It was a small group as the drizzle seemed to keep many away, but it actually made it really interesting.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but much of the story is documented in “A Closer Look at Salisbury” by Beryl.
Many thanks to Beryl and Simon for braving the inclement weather. Here are few snaps of some of the sights…
Beryl Roberts, Simon Cole, and willing assistant with speaker.
Example of war-time camouflage to disguise factories as a street. From “A Closer Look at Salisbury” by Beryl Roberts.
Reload Cafe – one of the few brick buildings, originally was an oil store.
The only private park in Brisbane – owned by the RSL.
Dust extractors – not mentioned but look impressive!
Site of a WWII munitions factory. Granite runs underneath and each section was a solid cement bunker in case of explosion, to isolate damage. Women were the labour force.
Workers cottages surrounding the industrial area.
Sawtooth roof to let the light in.
Sawtooth rooves from a distance.
Looking through a factory window at the light coming in from the sawtooth roof.
The yellow armlike structure is a gantry crane from 1965. See details below.
One of the original factory buildings modified with verandahs built in and now home to multiple businesses including dance and art studios.
Beryl’s book – looks like a good read!
PostUpdate 2.6.2024
One of our readers, Craig Justo corrected the gantry information – that it was constructed in1965.
Here’s what he added:
“The Truss styled gantry that supported a sliding Chain Block was fabricated by the owner of “Skeltcon Engineering” in late 1965 to assist with the lifting and moving of the large steel fabrications that were being constructed on that site. The building that the gantry is attached to is located at No.571, Tarragindi Road, Salisbury North with the building itself being constructed in 1962. I commenced work with “A.J. Parkes & Co” at No.575 Tarragindi Road in February, 1965 and as this was next door to “Skeltcon”, I saw that Truss styled Gantry being fabricated, erected and then used regularly.”
Craig labeled and shared aerial images from Q-imagery of the area for years 1946,1956 and 1964 to show development of the area and Skelton Engineering.
1946 Aerial image North Salisbury1956 Aerial image North Salisbury1964 Aerial image North SalisburyStreet view of Parkes and Skelton sites.
The project also shows the huge advantage that having a history room has been to ASHG – a place for people to drop by and share memories, stories, photos and things.
A number of Villa Street artefacts were on display
The project is entering its final stage of research gathering. If you have information or photos about Villa Street, past or present, let us know. You can drop by any Wednesday between 9.00 am -12.00 pm. Or drop us a line on our email: [email protected].
We are very happy to make a time to meet with you.
We’ll be ruling a line on this research stage of the project by end June 2024.
On Tuesday evening, our April Talking History was on Dickebusch Street, Clifton Hill Moorooka.
An entire street without front doors? How can that be?
There are ten houses on Dickiebusch Street, and all are accessed from other streets: no actual houses with street addresses on Dickebusch St (Flemish for thick bush).
Kate Dyson, ASHG Vice president, took us through the brief history of the land on which Clifton Hill War Services Homes Estate in Moorooka was built.
She looked at the naming of some of the streets and their connection to European First World War sites, with a focus on Dickebusch St, the street that connects Longueval St, Waterlot St and Delville Avenue.
It was then on to a brief look at the lives and stories of some of the residents: owners and tenants who lived out what might have been ordinary lives but had experienced extraordinary times.
Speaking to Kate afterwards, she expressed how finding these exceptional stories of people living in ordinary suburban streets is what makes researching local history is so important. History lurks in the seemingly every-day.
Forty-four attended Kate’s talk on Tuesday evening. If you were unable to make it and are interested in hearing more or sharing information, email us – [email protected]
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