Timothy Duffy was an Irish convict, who had been transported for highway robbery in 1822, and who became a familiar and well-liked figure in early Brisbane as the Bay Fisherman. His progress towards reform and respectability was slow, and some would say, incomplete. He liked a drink, hated a bailiff, and could curse with legendaryContinue reading “The Bay Fisherman.”
Category Archives: Characters
My Top Fives (so far).
I seem to have been posting since February 2019 (more than five years!), and I can’t help but reflect on some of the stories I’ve come across since I first bit the bullet and began to blog. (Links to the posts are in the title headings.) The following are my personal “top five” in severalContinue reading “My Top Fives (so far).”
Barry the Loafer – a Rogue and a Vagabond
James Barry was a labourer who made his way around Queensland in the 1870s. The term “labourer” might be a bit of an exaggeration – Mr Barry did not care to undertake much physical labour. He preferred to spend his time drinking, failing to pay for his board, and comforting the wives of men whoContinue reading “Barry the Loafer – a Rogue and a Vagabond”
Rowdyism in Rockhampton
Rowdyism is our most prominent fault, and this prevails most while the steamers are in. The Courier’s Rockhampton Correspondent, 1861 Rockhampton surged into existence rather suddenly, from a few demountable public buildings thrown together in response to a nearby gold rush in 1858, to a thriving and beautifully planned young city in the early 1860s.Continue reading “Rowdyism in Rockhampton”
Tales of old Dalby.
Newspaper stories of the Plough Inn era. The Wild Scotchman not apprehended at Milstead’s. A young man who, for more than a twelvemonth past, has been peaceably occupied as storekeeper on a station in the district, was captured at Milstead’s as Macpherson, by Mr. Sub-inspector Appjohn and his men, and in spite of the remonstranceContinue reading “Tales of old Dalby.”
The Milsteads of Dalby – the Plough Inn.
After travelling to Brisbane in February 1858 to support her daughter’s failed assault charge against a teacher, Theresa Whalin took stock of her life. She was a widow with a country hotel to run, a lot of land, and a wilful daughter to raise. There was another land sale afoot in Dalby in March, andContinue reading “The Milsteads of Dalby – the Plough Inn.”
The Milsteads of Dalby.
Part 1 – The early days of Dalby, and the creation of the Plough Inn. This was the beginning of the town of Dalby in 1853 – a plan that showed the selections of land made by the township’s earliest European inhabitants. All of the storied names of 19th century Dalby are there – CharlesContinue reading “The Milsteads of Dalby.”
The Career of Tom the Devil.
There were quite a few gentlemen who rejoiced in the sobriquet “Tom the Devil” in the 19th century. Tom the Devil seemed to be like the Flying Pieman or Dread Pirate Roberts – once someone was finished with the appellation, another individual would take over in the role. The Original Devil. The original Tom theContinue reading “The Career of Tom the Devil.”
Disturbing a Religious Body
How to “unlawfully, maliciously, and contemptuously, by overt act and deed, molest, disturb, vex, and trouble the preacher and congregation assembled for, and celebrating Divine worship.” How did one William Langley come to be charged with the offence of disturbing a religious body under an Act that dated back to George III? He sat inContinue reading “Disturbing a Religious Body”
Dr Norman’s Address to the Jury
(A companion piece to “And who might you be, Sir?”) In April 1876, Samuel Norman (alias Abrahams, Hope, Martin and Hunter) was put on trial for larceny as a bailee at St. George. He had borrowed a horse from a Mr Payne, neglected to return it or pay for it, and then exchanged the horseContinue reading “Dr Norman’s Address to the Jury”
Moreton Bay and More 