Churches. During the convict period, prisoners were mustered on Sundays and had Divine Service read to them whether they liked it or not. Moreton Bay briefly enjoyed the services of a Reverend Vincent, but he only stayed several months, returning to Sydney after suffering a bad case of Commandant Logan. Once free settlement began, housesContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane – some “C” stories.”
Category Archives: The Moreton Bay Courier
The Prendergast Confession.
This is the published confession of William Prendergast, referred to in the previous blog post. “When I first saw Hartnett, he was between Mrs. McMann’s house and mine. I went on towards him and he was coming towards my house, I looked out at the upper side of the house towards Brunswick Street, to seeContinue reading “The Prendergast Confession.”
Not Quite as Dead as Reported
On Saturday 19 December 1846, the Moreton Bay Courier published news of a terrible occurrence on the Darling Downs: FATAL OCCURRENCE.—A short time ago, a Robert Tomlinson, a farm servant in the employ of Mr. Neill Ross, of Darling Downs, was reaping in the wheat paddock, a green snake bit him on the hand. OnContinue reading “Not Quite as Dead as Reported”
Twaddle, Nonsense and Scurrilous Doggerel: Social Media Wars in Colonial Queensland.
Rants, scurrilous personal attacks, incoherent fury – colonial Queensland’s social media had it all. The medium was not the billionaire-owned, algorithm-powered app, but the Letters to the Editor column of the newspaper of your choice. One could put fountain pen to paper, pay one’s postage, and sit back in anticipation of one’s Views being broadcastContinue reading “Twaddle, Nonsense and Scurrilous Doggerel: Social Media Wars in Colonial Queensland.”
On this day: A Night of Fires, 1866
October 8, 1866 From the Brisbane Courier. GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY. TWELVE HOUSES DESTROYED. A FIRE, only surpassed in magnitude by the two great fires of a year or two ago, occurred in Queen-street last night, being the third great conflagration which has happened in the principal thoroughfare of the city. It took placeContinue reading “On this day: A Night of Fires, 1866”
The Latest News for March 17 (1849)
The Moreton Bay Courier was published every Saturday in the 1840s, and on Saturday 17 March 1849, the edition gave readers all of the latest news (only three months late for overseas news!), letters and advertisements. As was the custom at the time, the first page was devoted to classified advertising. Readers were informed thatContinue reading “The Latest News for March 17 (1849)”
A Disgrace to her Sex
A correspondent in calling our attention to a desperate fight which took place in North Brisbane on Tuesday last, between a soldier and a sawyer, says:- “I counted no less than eight women who were present, looking on with great interest; and one disgrace to her sex was actually cheering and goading the men onContinue reading “A Disgrace to her Sex”
Policing the Colony
Policing in the early days at Moreton Bay had its challenges. There were hundreds of convicted criminals about – former convicts on tickets of leave and in indentured service. The free men and women of the town tried to foster a sort of civic pride and dignity, but their efforts were undermined by an itinerantContinue reading “Policing the Colony”
Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 3.
The Sketch Map of Brisbane Town in 1844, and the stories behind it. 31. Taylor Shappart There was no Taylor Shappart in Brisbane in 1844. There was a tailor, John Sheppard, who lived and worked at Brisbane at the time, and later moved to Ipswich. I suspect that between the Gerler’s understanding of English namesContinue reading “Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 3.”
Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 2
The Sketch Map of Brisbane Town in 1844, and the stories behind it. 16. Wright’s Hotel At first, hotels were few in old Brisbane Town. The hospitable Scot, Alexander Wright, was the proprietor of one of the larger and more respectable ones, The Caledonian Hotel, between Queen and Ann Streets. Mr Wright boasted of theContinue reading “Who Lives in a Place Like This? Part 2”
Moreton Bay and More 