Join us on Saturday 16 November at 2.00 pm at the Yeronga Community Centre, 62 Park Rd., Yeronga for our last and very special Talking History for 2024.
Dr Kevin Rains, Senior Heritage Consultant, Niche Environment and Heritage Pty Ltd., will present a fascinating and little documented story of the ordinary life of the residents of early Brisbane through key findings from the Cross River Rail archaeological works.
From 2018 to 2021, Niche worked on the archaeological investigation into the sites where the four underground stations (Dutton Park, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street), are being constructed as part of the Cross River Rail project.
The talk focuses primarily on the Albert Street Chinatown area where a row of Chinese shops dating from the 1880s was uncovered, and the South Brisbane Railway depot (old Sunmap/Go-Print site), which was an early rubbish dump for the South Brisbane community.
Below: Ceramic shards found below Albert Street in Brisbane.
Below: Decorated opium picks
Kevin is an historical archaeologist and heritage manager with experience coordinating and delivering a wide range of projects including heritage planning, conservation and archaeological management plans, historical heritage assessments, and community engagement programs. He holds a PhD in archaeology from the University of Queensland and his specialist skills include the assessment of places of local and state significance, and developing and implementing key heritage policies and guidelines including local government heritage registers. In particular Kevin’s expertise extends to researching, publishing on, and managing local and State heritage places, early mining and agricultural landscapes, cemeteries and the built environment of the late nineteenth century to post-war period. He is also a leading Australian researcher of Overseas Chinese settlement of colonial Queensland. He currently works as Senior Heritage Consultant for Niche Environment and Heritage Pty Ltd.
ASHG is excited to be launching a new publication, Memories of Stephens, compiled by Stephen Sheaffe AM. This is the latest publication produced by ASHG that tells the stories of the Annerley-Stephens area. It brings together the papers from the Memories of Stephens conference held in October 2023 at Our Lady’s College, Annerley. Several extra articles about the area are included.
Memories of Stephens has been edited by Stephen Sheaffe AM in conjunction with Associate Professor Gary Osmond.
The book was launched with guest speaker Dr Denver Beanland AM on Monday 2nd September 7.00 pm at Yeronga Community Centre, 62 Park Rd., Yeronga (enter via Villa Street).
PCopies of the books are on sale at the launch for $25.00.
There are 21 chapters in the fascinating new publication that features stories about the rich history of Yeronga, Annerley, Fairfield and surrounding suburbs. The beautiful cover gives a hint of the richness and diversity of the stories inside.
Expect to find a treasure trove of topics including the early history of Yeronga; the Chinese of Ekibin and Moorooka; local scouts and railways; Churches, families, landmarks and; stories of WW11 and heritage-listed properties.
The book includes wonderful images. Here is a glimpse of just some of the papers and related images. .
The photo below is a section from the Greenslopes State School mural and relates to the Chinese of Stephens written by Dr Janis Hanley and Jan Richardson. The photo is on the front cover.
Jeanette Wiley looks at Tennyson in her paper From Softstone to Tennyson. Below is an early image of the Brisbane River taken from Jeanette’s paper. The image is on the back cover of the book.
Two of the papers consider rail history: Along the South Coast Railway Line (Greg Hallam and Dr Ruth Kerr) and Railway Lines and Stations in Stephens (Railway Lines and Stations in Stephens). The image below is of the 1936 train derailment at Fairfield Station.
Bill Metcalfe takes us through the Toohey Forest Land-Use History. Below is a photo of the beautiful Frog Rock in Toohey Forest.
The launch follows the ASHG monthly meeting which commences at 6.00 pm.
There was an engaging array of speakers last weekend, at the Memory of Stephens conference held at Our Lady’s College, Annerley. The venue was bright and airy, with food and refreshments served on the deck with stunning views of Stephen’s mountain A student of the school, Layla Agora of the Gubbi Gubbi people conducted an acknowledgement of Country of the Jagera and Turbal people on which the conference occurred.
This post gives a brief run down of the themes presented in the papers. We eagerly await the publication of conference papers in the forthcoming, ‘Memories of Stephens’.
For the conference program and full author details on the papers refer below.
The conference did lose one of its speakers, a paper on Aboriginal Camp life in Moorooka, due to the Indigenous week of silence in response to the referendum, however, matters of First Nations people of Stephens still had quite a presence.
Dr Macklin turned the spotlight on Brisbane before the colonists arrived. At the time the Indigenous population of Brisbane was approximately 12,000, with a few hundred in the Yeronga area. This made Brisbane the most densely populated in Australia. He also reminded us how beautiful it was along the banks of the Brisbane River: a ‘veritable garden of Eden’. Dr Macklin emphasised how for local Indigenous people; language belonged to the land…to know the language is to know the place.
John Pearn’s paper connected in with the Stephen’s indigenous story through the story of Dr Lindsay Page Winterbottom who had a GP practice in Annerley, corner of Ekibin Rd and Ipswich Rd. He was a much-loved member of the community, often treating families for three generations. Among many other achievements, Dr Winterbottom was founder of the Anthropology Museum, at the University of Queensland. Early on he had recognised the importance of collecting and recording indigenous artefacts and languages.
Dr Bill Metcalf revisited the Aboriginal burial cave found in Toohey forest, and mentions in the paper by Ray Kerkhove, ‘Enduring Presence: Aboriginal Landscape and History in Annerley-Stephens, in Stories of Stephens, 2016. The Bones discovered in 1900 and removed from the cave were relocated in the collections of Queensland Museum. It was confirmed the bones were pre-contact. The research continues.
Of course, a conference about Stephens is primarily about place. And there are many perspectives across time, and through people of different cultures.
Georgina Dove gave insights into the origins of The Wilderness house and Tarragindi House, built by Marie and Esther, daughters of Benjamin Cribb of the highly successful Ipswich department store, Cribb and Foote. Once again, we encounter the naming of place, this time through the man Tarragindi. ‘Tarra’ as he was affectionately called, was blackbirded from New Caledonia, and eventually taken in by the Footes in Ipswich. So, the first major house in the Ekibin end of Annerley was built by Mary Cribb and her husband, and named Tarragindi House. Tarra was buried with Foote and Cribb family, and later the suburb would take his name.
The Cribb sisters had connection with the beginnings of the Annerley Congregational Church, the story beautifully told by Georgina Dove’s mother, Ronda Dove.
The paper by Jan Richardson and myself shifted focus to the Chinese people of Stephens.
From the 1880s through to the 1940s this research has uncovered over fifty Chinese residents in the area.
The impacts of the White Australia policy meant numbers slowly declined, however, it has left quite a trail of documents at the National Archives, which helps give names to many who lived in the area. Jan and Janis’s research has also uncovered places they market gardened, identified through early survey maps of Norman Creek as well as the aerial photographs. More information on this work can be found at on their Facebook page, Journeys into Queensland’s Past.
Jeanette Wiley beautifully related the history of Tennyson, situated at the southwestern end of Stephen’s where the Oxley Creek flows into the Brisbane River. Many of us remember the landmark of the power station built there. Originally named Softstone, it was renamed after the poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson, and the streets around took on names from his King Arthur poem: King Arthur terrace, Camelot, Lancelot, Merlin and so on. Sadly, many of the grand houses of the terrace have been demolished but the suburb seems to have kept some magical qualities.
What 20th century Brisbane suburb would be complete without a local scout group. Don Marshall gave an incredibly entertaining, and enlightening talk about scouting and the formation of
Stephen’s district scout group in 1919. Don demonstrated how to swing the Billy to draw the tea – then pouring it sideways into a cup. He went on to tie a knot, a Bowline no less, behind his back! He flipped flapjacks and spoke of lavishly embellishing them with golden syrup. Cross dressing scouts got a mention as did scouts learning bomb defusing, in war time.
World War 2 of course had its impact on the people of Stephen’s, and Dianne Hacker 1942 told the moving story of the brave men of operation Jaywick, and the naval vessel, MV Krait … the ‘bloody crate’ which is now held in the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
A very confronting story of WW2 was shared by Glen Dyer on a wartime tram disaster on Ipswich Rd. After a head on collision with a US army truck, a tram was engulfed in flames on Ipswich Rd. Many on the tram were women who worked at the local munitions factory in Salisbury. Five women perished.
The railway line has been an ever-present feature of Stephens. Greg Hallam spoke of how Queensland’s railway network origins were not driven from the city, as in the other states, but by country needs. It took ten years for the railway to open in Brisbane after the first stage of Queensland’s line from Ipswich heading west to Toowoomba was opened in 1865.
Finally, Tracey Oliveri and Chris Dawson Spoke on the history of the South Brisbane Cemetery at Dutton Park, partly positioned in the Stephen’s Shire when it was extended across Cornwall Street. Sadly, a Brisbane beautification scheme in the seventies destroyed 1000 headstones. Some have been found buried on the site, but so much history has been lost.
Many thanks to the panel chairs, Stephen Sheaffe AM, Councillor Nicole Johnston, Bec Langdon, President Community Plus, Councillor Krista Adams, Deputy Mayor.
Stephen Sheaffe and Glenda Sheaffe did a fabulous job in bringing the event together, backed by the Annerley Stephen’s History Group committee and members. We look forward to the forthcoming book, Memories of Stephens, based on these papers.
Full list of session, papers and authors:
Chair: Stephen Sheaffe
Dr Ruth Kerr and Greg Hallam: Railways on the Southside: The South Brisbane Railway of the 1880s and early 20th century.
Dr Michael Macklin: Indigenous Yeronga 1822.
Don Marshall: Stephens Boy Scout Group 1917-2003.
Chair: Councillor Nicole Johnston
Georgina Dove: The Wilderness and Tarragindi House.
Ronda Dove: The Congregational Church, Cracknell Road.
Jeanette Wiley: Softstone to Tennyson.
Chair: Bec Langdon
Professor John Pearn: Dr Lindsay Page Winterbottom (1887-1960).
Diana Hacker: The Forgotten, Brave Boys.
Dr Janis Hanley and Jan Richardson: Chinese in Stephens.
Chair: Councillor Krista Adams, Deputy Mayor
Dr Bill Metcalf: Toohey Forest Park and Stephen Sheaffe, Bones in the Park.
Tracey Oliveri and Chris Dawson: South Brisbane Cemetery
