February 17 1873 – Mayors at ten paces.

Today the town of Drayton has more or less been absorbed by the city of Toowoomba on the Darling Downs of Queensland. It was a town in its own right in the 19th century, a lovely little hamlet established in 1842, and was one of the oldest settlements in Queensland. Some of the charming old buildings remain.

English and German families were attracted by the cooler climate and the splendid farming land and for a while it looked as if Drayton might be the leading settlement in the Darling Downs.

Sometime in the 1870s, Toowoomba (four miles away) grew, and Drayton stagnated somewhat. It didn’t help that Drayton suffered from a particularly high incidence per capita of local government officials, which led in turn to high farce.

For some reason, the Mayoralty of Drayton became so prized an attainment that a truly spectacular stand-off between two factions lasted a year. Drayton author Arthur Hoey Davis, who wrote bucolic farces as Steele Rudd, could not have come up with a sillier scenario.

The election with the unexpected result.

On 17 February 1872, the good people of Drayton voted in their council elections. There had been some high feeling when a Mr Joseph Rüb’s seat had been declared vacant prior to the poll. Mr Rüb did not consider it vacant, and there was a degree of feeling about the legality of the declaration.

There were two candidates for Mayor – Mr Boland, the previous Mayor, and Mr Neale, his challenger. Both men decided that they had been elected Mayor and would form a council and sent in their declarations to some no doubt dumbfounded officials in Brisbane. A raucous meeting ensued, and Mayor Boland declared himself Mayor, and the motion was carried. Mr Rüb nominated Mr Neale as Mayor, and the motion was carried.

Mayor Neale called a meeting in Town Hall, and had to force the doors open, because Mayor Boland’s Town Clerk had been instructed not to let them in. Mayor Boland then arrived with his own supporters, and Mayor Neale declared that a warrant should be issued for those who had barred the door. Mayor Neale sacked Mayor Boland’s Town Clerk, and Mayor Boland refused to recognise Mayor Neale’s Town Clerk.

The following day, Mayor Boland and his supporters then went to Town Hall to hold their first meeting. The doors had been barred. Mayor Boland directed that the barriers be taken down, and proceeded to hold a meeting.

deadlock.

The next Council sittings were due for March, and the good citizens of Drayton wanted nothing more than an end to the deadlock. There was a scuffle over a chair and a pratfall, but bizarrely, some business actually took place:

THE ordinary monthly meeting of the Municipal Council took place on Tuesday afternoon, the 5th instant, when, as was suspected, any amount of disorder prevailed. There were present: The Mayor Mr Boland and the Mayor Mr Neale, together with the Aldermen Holton, Handcock, Vickers, and Mr Rüb. The town Clerk (Mr Haslam), and Acting Clerk (Mr Symes), were also in attendance.

Mayor Neale being first at the place of meeting took his seat in the arm-chair, so, when Mayor Boland arrived, he had to content himself with an ordinary chair, but not before he formally demanded from Mr Neale the stool of office, which was his, he said, by all law and right, but which the occupant, however, stuck to notwithstanding. Mayor Boland having called upon Mr Haslam to read the minutes of past meetings, that gentleman did so, which were then signed by Mayor Boland. Mayor Neale then called upon the Acting Clerk to read his minutes, which Mr Symes proceeded to do.

A scene of confusion occurred that baffles description; and to add to the storm, someone removed Alderman Handcock’s chair while the worthy gentleman was on his legs, and on resuming his seat the floor met a weight that shook the building, causing a general laugh, and which the good alderman seemed heartily to enjoy. Mayor Boland then adjourned the meeting to the 1st Tuesday in April.

When a partial quiet was being restored, Mr Symes, by order, commenced business in behalf for Mayor Neale. I believe there were some tenders opened for cutting the Bathurst Burr, and making the assessment, but at what figures I cannot say, as the din and uproar were terrible. With all credit to Alderman Vickers, I must say that he appeared the most undisturbed of the civic body; and, feeling no doubt that a continuation of the scene would not amend matters, proposed an adjournment to Monday next, when no doubt the business of Mayor Neale’s Council will be more satisfactorily carried on.

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A month later, nothing had changed, and the Brisbane Courier reported sourly on the goings-on:

In matters municipal, Drayton has achieved for itself considerable notoriety. The place has not many years to live. It is becoming “small by degrees and beautifully less,” and will soon become a sheepwalk. It has at present two Mayors and two Municipal Councils. A fierce war of words is raging between the opposing factions and fractions. One Mayor is Henry Neal, and the other is J. E Boland. The former is proprietor of the Royal Bull’s Head, whatever kind of beast or body that may be, and the latter is a gentleman of varied accomplishments and possessions. In his most recent address to the public meeting held to remove the “Drayton difficulty,” Mr Boland says, “I will not resign until death, or some other natural cause, prevents me sticking where I am. I am the Mayor who has provided all the water for Drayton, I have more stock (cattle) than all the rest of the Council put together, and no one can deprive me of my position as Mayor?”

“I will not resign until death, or some other natural cause, prevents me sticking where I am.”

Mayor Boland.

In August, the citizens were reportedly considering petitioning Parliament to dissolve the council entirely, as meetings, when actually held, were poorly attended and farcical.

By October, there was tomfoolery with the keys to Town Hall (Mr Rüb had the front door keys, and Mayor Boland had the rear door keys), the latter refused to be let in the front door by the former, and the former decided to nail one door shut and exit via the other, with the keys.

Just when we thought it would never end.

“Drayton, Jan. 7th, 1873. To the Drayton Council. Gentlemen, I beg to resign my office as Mayor of Drayton forthwith. JOHN E. BOLAND, Mayor.”

Mayor Boland

Mayor Boland resigned, Mayor Neale had given up, and Alderman Handcock was appointed acting Mayor for the remainder of the term of office.

And there was much rejoicing.

Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld. : 1858 – 1880), Wednesday 28 February 1872, page 3
Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette (Qld. : 1868 – 1919), Saturday 2 March 1872, page 3
Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld. : 1858 – 1880), Saturday 9 March 1872, page 3
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Saturday 20 April 1872, page 5
Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 – 1939), Saturday 17 August 1872, page 2
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 – 1947), Monday 7 October 1872, page 2
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Monday 13 January 1873, page 3