Karen B

Railways in Old Queensland, in Pictures.

I don’t know much about trains. (Early on very still mornings, I can hear the distant sound of a train horn at Grovely Station.) However, I am aware of the profound impact of rail travel in old Queensland. Goods that had previously travelled at the speed of a bullock train could arrive in hours onContinue reading “Railways in Old Queensland, in Pictures.”

Who stole the pawnbroker’s golden balls?

In the early 1860s, things went a bit bonkers – politically, legally and socially. It was as if the thrill of Separation in 1859 went to everyone’s collective head. Governing the new colony was a fraught affair. The elected members – largely of the squatter class – struggled with the mechanics of Government and aContinue reading “Who stole the pawnbroker’s golden balls?”

The man who loved horses.

Highway Robbery at Kangaroo Point Samuel Fletcher loved horses. To be precise, he loved horses that weren’t his own. A horse was an expensive proposition – why pay for one? That was Samuel’s mindset back when he was a lad in Nottingham – he worked as a groom[i], and was surrounded by fine horses allContinue reading “The man who loved horses.”

All for refusing a drink.

“Like most of his class, he continued constantly drinking.” Moreton Bay Courier, 1847 Henry Caldicott’s life was looking up. He had some money in his pocket, a ticket of leave, and some time off. He’d come from a station on the Logan after boiling down season and was in Limestone (Ipswich), and ready for aContinue reading “All for refusing a drink.”

A true Brisbane pioneer.

One of Brisbane’s notable early townsfolk was a man who set up a thriving business and raised a well-known family. He bought and sold a fortune in property, and when he passed away he was remembered as a pioneer of Old Brisbane. And he wasn’t English or Irish. His name was Dabee Singh, and heContinue reading “A true Brisbane pioneer.”

John Oxley meets Thomas Pamphlet, November 1823.

On Saturday 29 November 1823, John Oxley was taking soundings off what is now called Bribie Island. He was on a surveying journey to this this little-known part of the colony with a view to the suitability of the area for yet another penal establishment. (Nice to know that we owe our city to theContinue reading “John Oxley meets Thomas Pamphlet, November 1823.”

“One of the greatest scamps about the place.”

James Hamilton was trouble. A tough labouring man with a penchant for stealing horses, and the kind of fellow who would make life very difficult for any police officer sent to arrest him. Ipswich Chief Constable Edward Quinn had few men to spare when a warrant for Hamilton’s arrest arrived at his station. He choseContinue reading ““One of the greatest scamps about the place.””

Imagine if it happened today.

Two children are playing on a bridge. A driver, who has had a couple of drinks, gets out of his vehicle and tries to throw one of the children into the water below, tearing her jacket. He turns his attention to the younger child, a five year old boy, and throws him from the bridge.Continue reading “Imagine if it happened today.”

Ellen the Cutter – Part 2.

Sausages and insults were hurled. David Semple returned to Ipswich in late October 1858, with a Colonial Ticket of Leave allowing him to reside and work in that area. Ellen’s former partner, William Morley, had died, and she was temporarily at a loose end. It seems the couple tried to reconcile for a brief timeContinue reading “Ellen the Cutter – Part 2.”

Ellen the Cutter.

She went by many names, but the nickname “Ellen the Cutter” was the one that the press and public remembered best. How she came by that nickname was never explained but it seems to have been in common use in Ipswich when she first came to the attention of the constables in the early 1850s.Continue reading “Ellen the Cutter.”