1850 – 1860: The answer to our economic prayers. In 1850, Moreton Bay looked forward to the arrival of 108 Chinese labourers, brought in by the ship, Favourite. All had been indentured to employers prior to landing, and competition for their services had been fierce. More Chinese workers were promised. We could hardly wait. TheyContinue reading “The Chinese Question in Queensland.”
Category Archives: Frog’s Hollow
Anti-Chinese Disorders: The Riot in Brisbane.
This is the report from the Brisbane Courier dated 07 May 1888, following a riot that spread through Brisbane City on Saturday 05 May 1888. A disgraceful feature of Saturday night’s general excitement was the damage done by a number of larrikins to the various Chinese establishments in town. It is very hard to tellContinue reading “Anti-Chinese Disorders: The Riot in Brisbane.”
The Archaeology of Old Brisbane Town
This is the first of an occasional series of posts highlighting Old Brisbane discoveries and observations made during excavations. The Commandant’s Cottage In 1986, construction workers at a site between George and William Streets discovered some of the sub-structure of the Moreton Bay Commandant’s Cottage. Although the building itself was long gone, the footprint wasContinue reading “The Archaeology of Old Brisbane Town”
Juvenile Justice in the 19th Century.
On board the Proserpine, hardened juvenile offenders mixed with small children with desperately unhappy backgrounds. Life was exceptionally harsh in the 19th century for children from impoverished families, and with no social security, crime was an option. The main difference between today’s tales of horror and the Victorian stories is that today there are Federal andContinue reading “Juvenile Justice in the 19th Century.”
February 13, 1863 – Fearful gales and wild weather
As the Severe Weather warnings roll across Queensland, a timely reminder that this is not unusual. At all. Throughout the whole of yesterday the wind blew strongly in fitful squalls from the eastward and south-east, and the rain fell without intermission, occasionally pouring down in drenching showers. As it had also rained through the previousContinue reading “February 13, 1863 – Fearful gales and wild weather”
People in the 1860s and 1870s
The colouring of this photo gives a wonderful immediacy to this photograph of a group of settlers near Gympie. Frustratingly, we don’t know why they are, and can’t trace any of their journey through archival records. This post will introduce you to some of the people of Queensland in the 1860s and 1870s, captured inContinue reading “People in the 1860s and 1870s”
A snapshot of life in Brisbane in 1866.
You can learn a great deal about life in a particular time and place from the daily newspapers, particularly the classified advertising. Here is a snapshot of life in Brisbane on 27 June 1866, courtesy of the Brisbane Courier. A suitable residence. This advertisement is designed to appeal to those who require a des resContinue reading “A snapshot of life in Brisbane in 1866.”
The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets — Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne was born in Ireland about 1853, and found herself in Brisbane in the 1870s. Circumstances drove her, like so many other young women at the time, to the streets. It was a time when there was no social security and the only work a woman could do was as a domestic, a shopContinue reading “The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets — Bridget Byrne”
The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – the life of Norah O’Donnell
Norah O’Donnell was born in 1851 in Limerick, Ireland to Michael and Catherine (Kirby) O’Donnell. She was part of a large family – ten other children – who emigrated to Brisbane in 1862, as part of the assisted migration scheme. Apart from the deaths of Bridget at 22, Mary at 42 and Norah herself atContinue reading “The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – the life of Norah O’Donnell”
The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – the death of Bridget Lynch
Bridget Lynch was found lying unconscious and near death in an old shed in Mrs Tyrell’s house off Margaret Street, Brisbane on the 26th February 1884. She’d been living there for several weeks with John Agnew, a man who treated her poorly. Once upon a time she’d been a servant of Mrs Tyrell. Bridget wasContinue reading “The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – the death of Bridget Lynch”
Moreton Bay and More 