In October 1851, Jane Ellis was the most despised woman in Brisbane. At her first Court appearance, crowds of angry citizens jostled for a seat in the public gallery, and when she was released on bail, Mrs Ellis had to be escorted through the hissing throng by two policemen. Mrs Ellis was the wife ofContinue reading “The Most Despised Woman in Old Brisbane Town.”
National Police Remembrance Day, September 29.
In the 161 years since separation, the Queensland Police Service has kept a roll of honour, remembering the officers killed in the course of their duties. The 3rd and 4th names on the Memorial are those of Constable Patrick William Cahill and Constable John Francis Power. The two young men died on 06 November 1867,Continue reading “National Police Remembrance Day, September 29.”
A Short and Troubled Life – Tales from the Proserpine.
The immigrant ship the Susanne Godeffroy departed Hamburg on 06 May and arrived in Queensland on 06 September 1865, carrying a cargo of hard-working and hopeful immigrant German families ready to try their luck in the New World. Among them was the Ammenhauser family – brothers Johannes and Conrad and their respective wives and children.Continue reading “A Short and Troubled Life – Tales from the Proserpine.”
Poor Nancy McCoy
Murdered by her husband and blamed by society. Around 10:30 on the night of 23 June 1856, residents of Brisbane Town heard screams from a cottage near George Street. It was a working-class neighbourhood, and raised voices were common, but this time it was the voice of a woman crying out “Murder!” It turned outContinue reading “Poor Nancy McCoy”
The Image of the Bushranger
A young man poses for a formal photographic portrait. He appears to be in a drawing room, although it may be a mock-up in a photographer’s studio. He sits on a wicker chair, one arm resting on a table, near some books. The tablecloth has a floral design and a curtain can be seen behindContinue reading “The Image of the Bushranger”
The Inside Job
Thomas John Augustus Griffin was a worried man. His past was catching up with him, and he needed money – fast – so that he could satisfy his debts, get away and possibly fake his death. Again. He could access some fast money, arrange an inside job, but it would be risky. He may haveContinue reading “The Inside Job”
Mug shots – Julius Goeldner’s Turbulent Life.
The heroically named Julius Caesar Alexander Goeldner loved a drink. He also had a furious temper. An enthusiastic indulgence in the former weakness gave free rein to the latter characteristic, which brought Julius Goeldner to the attention of the Brisbane Police for thirty years. Julius Caesar Alexander Goeldner was born in Brisbane in 1862, oneContinue reading “Mug shots – Julius Goeldner’s Turbulent Life.”
Foot Races, Amateur Theatrics and an Influx of Wizards: Pre-Separation Entertainment in Moreton Bay.
How did we entertain ourselves in those first days of free settlement? In the rough and ready early years, sawyers, blacksmiths and stockmen from out of town congregated in places with names like the Sawyer’s Arms and the Bush Commercial Inn. Apart from hard-working men getting really quite drunk together, organized public entertainments took aContinue reading “Foot Races, Amateur Theatrics and an Influx of Wizards: Pre-Separation Entertainment in Moreton Bay.”
Thomas Ellison Brown, “Jack the Sponger.”
Thomas Ellison Brown was better off when people left him alone. The trouble was, they wouldn’t. People hounded him all his life, and it always went badly when they did. Born in Hull, Yorkshire in 1845 to Samuel and Hannah Brown, Thomas emigrated to Australia in 1862. He wanted to make his way in theContinue reading “Thomas Ellison Brown, “Jack the Sponger.””
School Days
Mrs Esther Roberts was Queensland’s first schoolteacher, brought up to the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement in 1826 to instruct the children of the 57th Regiment under Captain Logan’s command. The curriculum is lost to time, but it is safe to assume the children (8 boys and 8 girls) were taught reading and writing, some mathematics,Continue reading “School Days”
Moreton Bay and More 