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?”
Category Archives: Politics of Colonial Queensland
Moreton Bay elects Colonel Snodgrass.
On this day – 22 August 1848. On 22 August 1848, Colonel Kenneth Snodgrass was elected to represent Moreton Bay in the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was our second ever elected representative after free settlement in 1842. Brisbane turned out to vote in numbers. Small numbers. There were 32 votes for Colonel Snodgrass,Continue reading “Moreton Bay elects Colonel Snodgrass.”
An Eventful Year for Roma – 1873
Roma was a young and thriving western town in 1873. It was surrounded by vast pastoral holdings – these were of great economic benefit to the region, but provided something of a mixed blessing when it came to power dynamics, politics and the law. January – Escapees, Floods, Oddfellows and the Gaol. A notorious escapeeContinue reading “An Eventful Year for Roma – 1873”
January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.
On January 12, 1872, Attorney-General Ratcliffe Pring attended Queensland’s Parliament in a rather excitable condition. His behaviour in the House led to his expulsion, then his arrest in Dalby while carrying out Circuit Court duties. (This is a repost of the Ratcliffe Pring story.) A Detective hits town On Monday 22 January 1872, a plainclothesContinue reading “January 12, 1872: The Attorney-General Causes a Scene.”
How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 2.
Dr. Cumming and Politics Toowoomba and Mr. Groom If there were factions in Ipswich society, they were completely outdone by the shenanigans taking place on the Darling Downs. Toowoomba and Drayton seethed at one another. Skirmishes took place in the correspondence pages of the Darling Downs Gazette, a new A.S. Lyons newspaper, which first issuedContinue reading “How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 2.”
Moreton Bay and More 