In 1871, Charles Dean married Temperance Bouchard at Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Nothing terribly unusual about that – both were single and of marriageable age. However, the backstory of their lives, and how they came to meet and eventually marry each other is quite extraordinary. The groom was a Singapore-born Chinese businessman and interpreter. TheContinue reading “The Huguenot and the Chinese Interpreter.”
Author Archives: Karen B
Amateur historian and writer.
The Mistakes of a Night.
Or, an exercise in translating from the original Moreton Bay Courier into plain English. 19th century journalists were prone to wordiness. They could use that tendency to create wildly amusing observations that bring that time and its people vividly to life. They could also use that tendency to expand a small incident into, well, this.Continue reading “The Mistakes of a Night.”
Let There Be (Electric) Light.
On this day, 9 April 1883. On 9 April 1883, the Edison company conducted the first ever demonstration of electric lighting in Queensland at the Government Printing Office, Brisbane. The representative of Edison was the wonderfully named Major S. Flood Page (General Manager, Edison’s Indian and Colonial Electric Light Company, Limited of London). The languageContinue reading “Let There Be (Electric) Light.”
On this day – the capture of John Alexander Herrlich, 8 April 1870.
A small detachment of police had been searching for a murder suspect through bushland around Toowoomba for nearly two months. The man they were hunting was John Alexander Herrlich, a German man in his fifties, who was wanted for the murder of Martin Klein on February 12. Herrlich had shot and killed the man forContinue reading “On this day – the capture of John Alexander Herrlich, 8 April 1870.”
The Editor Strikes Back.
Before the internet, algorithms, bots, moderators and so on, content moderation was the domain of the Editor of one’s paper of choice. This individual dealt with the epistles of would-be poets, seekers of ‘justice,’ scandalmongers, and the political fixations of sundry other Gentlemen with Views. Their published interactions with their correspondents ranged from helpful advice,Continue reading “The Editor Strikes Back.”
The First Circuit Court of Moreton Bay.
On this day – 10 February 1850 – Proclamation of the Circuit Court. From the introduction of free settlement in 1842 until the Gaol and Circuit Court opened for business in 1850, Moreton Bay had no place to hold trials or accommodate prisoners. There was only a Court of Petty Sessions, which was empowered toContinue reading “The First Circuit Court of Moreton Bay.”
The Flood – 1893.
On this Day – Floodwaters rise to 6 feet over Edward Street. There have been so many catastrophic floods in Queensland – whether caused by tropical cyclones, low pressure systems or, in the elegant parlance of today’s news reports, “rain bombs.” The 1893 flood was the first natural disaster to be thoroughly recorded by photographers.Continue reading “The Flood – 1893.”
Tapping the Clouds, or Professor Pepper’s Very Bad Day.
On this day, 4 February 1882. Brisbane had been drought-stricken for months. A gentleman named Professor Pepper had a scientific idea – “tapping” the clouds that had hung low over the town, but which had failed to produce a drop of rain. The idea involved an iron-framed kite, cannons and rockets. A donkey was present.Continue reading “Tapping the Clouds, or Professor Pepper’s Very Bad Day.”
The English Cricket Team bowls over Queensland, February 1883.
Ah, Summer! Time to go to the cricket. Something rather unseemly had happened in the cricketing world in August 1882. An Australian side had won the test series against the English, on English soil! A mock obituary was printed in the Sporting Times: “In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval onContinue reading “The English Cricket Team bowls over Queensland, February 1883.”
”I do not know how to describe to you the beauty of this place.”
On this day – January 27, 1842. Word reaches Moreton Bay that it is to be thrown open for free settlement. On this day in 1842, the inhabitants of Moreton Bay found out that the area was to become a free settlement. The convict settlement had been gradually dismantled with this end in mind. OnlyContinue reading “”I do not know how to describe to you the beauty of this place.””
Moreton Bay and More 