Education from the convict era to Separation The Convict Era The first European school in Queensland was free, open to all, and had a very low student-to-teacher ratio – just what parents would hope for in a State School today. It was the Moreton Bay penal settlement free school, which opened in 1826. It cateredContinue reading “A Polite, English Education”
Just Call Him “Lord”
NOTABLE BRISBANE PIONEERS – ARTHUR BULGIN “The emigrants per the Chaseley resemble in character and views those per the Fortitude. They consist, first, of respectable families, going out to settle on small farms, under the auspices of the Company, and to grow cotton and other tropical productions, in addition to those of Europe; second, ofContinue reading “Just Call Him “Lord””
Courtroom Sketches
The glories of 19th century court reporting have been explored here before, with the emphasis on the flights of fancy indulged in by the Moreton Bay Courier’s scribes. As wondrous as the Courier’s prose can be, it could never compete with the Police Register columns of Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer. Here areContinue reading “Courtroom Sketches”
Portraits in Crime Part 2
Some of the Stories Behind the Longreach Collection Charles Fox was convicted of false pretences – he had passed a cheque for £4 that was valueless. He made a reasonable impression on the Judge by pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, but he couldn’t supply any character references. He’d lost them. He looks pretty confidentContinue reading “Portraits in Crime Part 2”
Portraits in Crime Part 1
In the late 1890s, Queensland Courts began granting probation orders, and regional police stations and lockups started to record the released offenders with photographs and detailed descriptions. The photographs here are from a collection at the Queensland State Archives, Photographic records and descriptions of released male prisoners – Police Station, Longreach, 01/01/1889 – 31/12/1899. ManyContinue reading “Portraits in Crime Part 1”
Reviewing a Much Sought-After Work
(From our Windmill Reporter.) This publication has at last been most unexpectedly placed in my hands. It is a second edition of a work for which the same authors had found a great demand for, but which was only indifferently got up. The new plate is a vast improvement and causes the production to beContinue reading “Reviewing a Much Sought-After Work”
After the Disappearance, Another Death.
April 19, 1879. Maryborough, Queensland. Robert Aitken’s disappearance continued to vex the Maryborough police. The river had been dragged, indigenous divers had been sent in to explore its murky depths, and no trace of the man had been found. Aitken’s personal life had been examined, and although there were some questions about the sequence ofContinue reading “After the Disappearance, Another Death.”
The Latest News for March 20 (1847)
One event dominated the news on 20 March 1847 – the recent wreck of the steamer Sovereign, and the loss of 44 lives. The murders of Andrew Gregor and Mary Shannon six months earlier still haunted the Courier and its readers. Page 1 The front page was, as usual, the place for advertising. First, MrContinue reading “The Latest News for March 20 (1847)”
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 Most Mysterious Disappearance
Maryborough, near the river. Sunday 06 April 1879. THE NEIGHBOURS By his estimation, it was around 4 am when Mr Holme was woken by the sound of raised voices on the other side of the river. It sounded like a scuffle, with a woman crying out, “Stop it! Oh, stop it!” There was a loudContinue reading “A Most Mysterious Disappearance”
Moreton Bay and More 