The first member of the Bowerman family to venture into what is now Queensland was Henry Boucher Bowerman in 1835. In the 1850s, his sons Henry, and later Frank took up residence on the Darling Downs, both keen to improve their prospects.
Henry Bowerman and Coorangah Station.
Henry Bowerman junior was a respectable, rather modest man who in January 1848, took purchased a pastoral run called Coorangah, near Dalby on the Downs. He set up a sheep run, improved some rough existing buildings, and employed some shepherds, hoping to build his fortune on the sheep’s back.
The Coorangah property had a waterhole with a hut nearby, which was a godsend for a pastoralist. Unfortunately, his neighbouring pastoralist, Colin John Mackenzie of Warra Warra, also thought that Bowerman’s waterhole was a godsend. And moved his flock onto Bowerman’s land when that gentleman was in Sydney for a few weeks. The waterhole became a point of conflict between the two men.
Henry Bowerman brought a civil case for trespass against Mackenzie in the first Supreme Court sittings at Moreton Bay in 1850, but lost his action. And the waterhole. The fact that Mackenzie was the brother of the powerful Sir Ewan Mackenzie of Kilcoy station, and that the witnesses for Mackenzie ran in the same circles, as did some of the jury, did not help.
“Thus was the aristocratic Colin Mackenzie, brother of a baronet, given the right to apply for a title to the disputed property, which Bowerman, who socially was nobody in particular, found himself deprived of land to which he had believed himself to be justly entitled by right of purchase. Mackenzie was a frequent visitor to Brisbane, and owned property there, including a public-house at Kangaroo Point; but Bowerman was practically a stranger in the town which supplied the jury.”
Early History of Queensland, 1915.
Henry Bowerman stayed and worked Coorangah for most of the 1850s, and became a Justice of the Peace for the area. He seems to have relinquished the property around 1860. Mackenzie went home to Scotland in 1858.
Mr Frank Bowerman seeks a situation.
The goldfields in the Sofala area slowed down in the mid-1850s. Various civil service positions were abolished as a result, including that held by Frank Sydney Bowerman, who had been acting as Clerk of Petty Sessions at Sofala.
Bowerman was of the belief that his superiors would arrange his reinstatement, and that he would shortly be appointed as a Magistrate. He believed that the Government had been advised of this intention. That was not the situation as the Government understood it, and he remained unemployed.
For 18 months, Frank Bowerman sat at home in Sydney, unemployed, writing dozens of letters to the Colonial Secretary. Looking for an outside job seems not to have occurred to him. He enclosed a letter from his wife’s uncle. He enclosed an article from the Bathurst Free Press, mourning his departure from that area. He enclosed career reviews. He wrote constantly.
By 8 May 1857, the Government was finally willing to pay a gratuity, if he was willing to relinquish his claim for re-employment. That became unnecessary, because on 15 May 1857, Bowerman was offered the position of Clerk of the Bench at Dalby. He was pleased to accept. How nice.
It turned out that Mrs Frank Bowerman (presumably concerned about her unemployed, obsessive, letter-writing husband) had approached her influential relatives, who approached an influential friend, who secured Frank a clerkship at Dalby.
Being Frank Bowerman, he had written to his wife’s family’s influential friend, expressing reservations about the remoteness of the position, “that it would remove me and my wife away from that influence which our friends and relatives could bring to bear on the Government.”
The influential friend, the Hon. John Hay, wrote back, advising that Dalby was “not the remote place you seem to imagine, but in the midst of a fine pastoral District.” What was more, this clerkship would undoubtedly lead to prospects for promotion – a Police Magistracy might well be in the offing. Frank took the job. [Presumably brother Henry had not been in touch in the past decade. He could have told Frank where the heck Dalby was.]
Dalby
Frank Sydney Bowerman was gazetted as Clerk of Petty Sessions at Dalby on May 28, 1857. He arrived on 8 July 1857, and took up duties immediately. Frank set to work with a will, fully expecting the career advancement Mr Hay had assured him would occur.
Fines, fees, and hopes of advancement.
Dalby was still part of New South Wales before Separation in 1859, and Frank Bowerman was still a thorn in the side of the New South Wales Colonial Secretary’s office. In April 1858, two Justices of the Peace were directed to ask Mr Bowerman why fines and fees levied at Dalby were not handed over to the Brisbane Hospital as required. Mr Bowerman claimed that the chair of the Benevolent Society at Drayton had written to him, asking him to send the fees to him instead. So he had. Was there a problem?
The Colonial Secretary replied that there was indeed a problem. Beyond its name, there was no functioning Benevolent Society at Drayton, “not so much as a hut to shelter patients and paupers.” Said patients and paupers were still making their way to the Brisbane Hospital, and the Hospital Committee would very much like those funds. Mr Bowerman obliged.
In November 1858, Charles Coxen and JC White, JPs and settlers of considerable note, recommended that Frank Sydney Bowerman be appointed as a Stipendiary Magistrate, “we may add, that we know of no other resident gentleman who is willing to accept the appointment, and at the same time qualified to undertake the duties of the Office.”
That was music to Bowerman’s ears, and he began another earnest letter-writing campaign. Separation was looming, and he was anxious to have the Coxen memorial brought to the attention of the Colonial Secretary, only he neglected to make a copy – did the Sydney office have the memorial? Apparently, no such letter could be found (it existed, and I have just quoted from it). Separation was accomplished, so the New South Wales authorities advised him to seek information from his new masters in the colony of Queensland. Who knew nothing about it.
And there the matter lay, until 1861, when a Dalby wag wrote to the Darling Downs Gazette to comment on the resignation of the Dalby Police Magistrate, and the contenders for the job. One was Frank Bowerman.
“He has been clerk of petty sessions at this town for some two or three years, and that he has conducted those arduous duties with great satisfaction to himself; and the people of Dalby think him a very harmless young man, to whom an increase of salary would be a valuable consideration without at all effecting their breeches pockets.”
Above: business in Dalby.
The appointment did not occur, and Bowerman accepted the situation for a while. Then in 1864, his name appeared in Hansard in a rather unflattering light. It was becoming clear that his view of his capabilities was not universally held:
Incensed, Frank Bowerman began another letter-writing blitz to the Colonial Secretaries in Queensland and New South Wales, seeking records of his employment before Separation. He wanted to demonstrate to the new Queensland Civil Service Board “the fact that no charge of public nature or dereliction of duty ever laid during term of office in NSW.” The Queensland Colonial Secretary’s office, in the person of Arthur Manning, referred him to the New South Wales office, where puzzled clerks tried to trace Bowerman’s career through dusty Blue Books of the Colony.
Several meetings with the great and the good of the colony appeased him, and the issue of his New South Wales career died down until 1868. That was when Frank Bowerman became convinced that he was owed a fairly large sum of money by the New South Wales government. His need for that large sum of money was pressing. And it set in motion a series of events that nearly cost a man his life.
New South Wales Colonial Secretary’s Papers – State Records Office of New South Wales. (1848-1860)
Queensland Colonial Secretary’s Papers – State Library of Queensland. (1850-1878) Contains some of the NSW correspondence as well.
Newspaper Sources:
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 – 1954), Tuesday 5 June 1849, page 3.
Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer (NSW: 1845 – 1860), Saturday 9 June 1849, page 1.
Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858 – 1880), Thursday 28 November 1861, page 3
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Thursday 9 January 1868, page 3
The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864-1933) Monday 23 March 1868, Page 4.
Dalby Herald and Western Queensland Advertiser (Qld.: 1866-1879) Saturday 18 April 1868, Page 2.
The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858-1880) Thursday 14 May 1868, Page 2.
Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858 – 1880), Tuesday 2 June 1868, page 3
The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858-1880) Tuesday 4 August 1868, Page 3.
Warwick Argus and Tenterfield Chronicle (Qld.: 1866-1879) Wednesday 23 September 1868, Page 4. Warwick Argus and Tenterfield Chronicle (Qld.: 1866 – 1879), Wednesday 7 October 1868, page 2.
Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld.: 1867-1919) Saturday 10 October 1868, page 2.
Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld.: 1867 – 1919), Saturday 10 October 1868, page 2.
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Saturday 17 October 1868, page 3.
Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld.: 1867 – 1919), Saturday 7 November 1868, page 2
The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864-1933) Monday 9 November 1868, page 2.
The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864-1933) Monday 16 November 1868, page 2.
Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld. : 1867 – 1919), Saturday 21 November 1868, page 2
Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858 – 1880), Wednesday 25 November 1868, p 2
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Wednesday 25 November 1868, page 2
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Thursday 26 November 1868, page 3
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Saturday 12 December 1868, page 4
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Wednesday 16 December 1868, page 3
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Wednesday 23 December 1868, page 2
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Saturday 2 January 1869, page 4
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Thursday 21 January 1869, page 2
Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld.: 1867 – 1919), Saturday 13 February 1869, page 3
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Tuesday 26 January 1869, page 5.
The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864-1933) Wednesday 3 March 1869, Page 2. The Courier.
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Saturday 13 March 1869, page 3
Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1908), Saturday 3 April 1869, page 3.
Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.: 1866 – 1939), Saturday 10 July 1869, page 4
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Thursday 23 September 1869, page 3
Dalby Herald and Western Queensland Advertiser (Qld.: 1866 – 1879), Saturday 28 May 1870, page 2
Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.: 1866 – 1939), Saturday 13 August 1870, page 8
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Thursday 15 December 1870, page 2
Toowoomba Chronicle and Queensland Advertiser (Qld.: 1861 – 1875), Saturday 2 May 1874, page 3
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872 – 1947), Friday 16 February 1877, page 2
The Warwick Argus and Tenterfield Chronicle (Qld.: 1866-1879), Thursday 22 February 1877, page 2.
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Friday 2 March 1877, page 2
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Saturday 2 March 1878, page 4
Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser (Qld.: 1875 – 1879), Tuesday 5 March 1878, page 3
The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872-1947), Thursday 7 March 1878, page 2. Shipping Intelligence.
Western Star and Roma Advertiser (Qld.: 1875 – 1948), Saturday 23 March 1878, page 3
The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872-1947), Monday 6 May 1878, page 2. Shipping Intelligence.
The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872-1947), Tuesday 18 June 1878, page 2.
Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 – 1933), Monday 5 August 1878, page 2
Dalby Herald and Western Advertiser (Qld.: 1866-1879), Saturday 10 August 1878, page 2.
The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld.: 1858-1880), Saturday 17 August 1878, page 4.
The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864-1933), Monday 2 September 1878, page 2. Shipping.
Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser (Qld.: 1875 – 1879), Tuesday 25 March 1879, page 2
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.: 1878 – 1954), Wednesday 21 May 1879, page 2
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.: 1878 – 1954), Tuesday 3 June 1879, page 2
Warwick Argus (Qld.: 1879 – 1901), Saturday 1 November 1890, page 3
Australian Star (Sydney, NSW: 1887 – 1909), Thursday 29 November 1894, page 5
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.: 1872 – 1947), Saturday 1 December 1894, page 5
Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld.: 1860 – 1947), Monday 3 December 1894, page 2
Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser (Qld.:1881 – 1902), Tuesday 4 December 1894, page 3
Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW: 1883 – 1930), Friday 7 December 1894, page 3
Mackay Mercury (Qld.: 1887 – 1905), Tuesday 2 January 1900, page 2
Illustration sources:
Sydney:
Sydney between1825 and 1830. Copy after an engraving “Vue de la partie meridionale de la ville de Sydney” by Victor Pillement. Plate 38 in “Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australes,” Atlas / Francois Peron. National Library of Australia.
St John’s Parramatta “View of St. John’s Parramatta,” pencil, by M.A. McHarg, 1842. National Library of Australia.
General Post Office “New Post Office, George Street, Sydney,” 1846, hand-coloured lithograph by F.G. Lewis and Edward Winstanley, Dixson Galleries, State Library of New South Wales
Majors Creek pictures
“My tent at Majors Creek, Braidwood,” 1852, pencil, by William Essington King, State Library of New South Wales.
“Majors Creek Diggins from my tents,” 1852, pencil, by William Essington King, State Library of New South Wales.
Sofala pictures
“Commissioners barracks at Sofala, diggers waiting for licences,” watercolour, 1852 by George Lacy, National Library of Australia.
“Mounted escort from Avisford to Sofala, gold carried in saddle bags, Sub Gold Commissioner in charge,” watercolour, 1852 by George Lacy, National Library of Australia.
Kelso:
Kelso parsonage, part of Series 03 Part 2: Churches – Country (N.S.W.), C-Ma volume 2, Architectural and Technical Drawings, State Library of New South Wales.
Dalby images:
Wooden Hotel Building, Dalby. Black and white photograph, State Library of Queensland.
View of the town of Dalby. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Bamford & Watt Auctioneers, Dalby. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
J Clark’s Universal Store, Dalby. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Leyburn images:
Charles Bell’s Commercial Store, Leyburn. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Leyburn Courthouse. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
James Mahony’s Store and residence, McIntyre Street, Leyburn. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Brisbane:
Frederick Orme Darvall. State Library of Queensland.
Sir Augustus Charles Gregory. State Library of Queensland.
William Thornton. State Library of Queensland.
William Street view with detail of CS office:
William street in Brisbane in 1865. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Detail of William Street in Brisbane in 1865, showing Colonial Secretary’s Office on the left. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Arthur Wilcox Manning
Arthur Wilcox Manning. Black and white photograph. State Library of Queensland.
Old Convict Barracks now used as Supreme Court
Brisbane Gaol and St Helena
St Helena at Low Tide. State Library of Queensland.
Sydney Botanical Gardens
Botanic Gardens, Sydney, N.S.W. 1890s [rustic bridge over Botanic Gardens Creek]. Author / Creator: Coxhead, F. A. (Frank Arnold), 1851-1919. Black and white photograph. State Library of New South Wales.
Gaol Description and Entrance Book photograph: Frank Sydney Bowerman, 1916. State Records Office of New South Wales.
Moreton Bay and More 