1895 Following the murder of Christian missionaries in China, representatives of the Chinese community in Brisbane met in the St John’s Cathedral precincts to condemn the killings. This is one of the most sympathetic descriptions of 19th century Chinese Australians I have seen. Normally the Chinese were seen as a menace to mining and trade,Continue reading “Chinese Australians – 03 September 1895”
Oxley returns to the Bay- 02 September 1824
1824: Oxley establishes a settlement at Redcliffe MORETON BAY. It will be remembered that the brig Amity left this port on the 2d September for the purpose of forming an establishment, under the command of Lieutenant Miller, 40th Regt. in Moreton Bay, at which place she arrived on the 12th. It is intended to haveContinue reading “Oxley returns to the Bay- 02 September 1824”
Great Logan’s Ghost!
In the early 20th century, the ghost of Captain Patrick Logan, late – very late – Commandant of the Moreton Bay, began to appear in newspapers. Logan himself had died on October 17, 1830, murdered by indigenous people in the Somerset region of Queensland (official version), or by escaped convicts seizing an opportunity to getContinue reading “Great Logan’s Ghost!”
Lockyer’s expedition – 01 September 1825
1825: Major Lockyer leaves Sydney in the Mermaid for Moreton Bay. 1873: Importation of first hares into the Colony (well, that went well) 1885: Formation of the Trades and Labour Council, Brisbane 1887: Heads of Government departments, under pain of suspension, instructed to keep expenditure within estimates (the more things change….) 1825: Major EdmundContinue reading “Lockyer’s expedition – 01 September 1825”
Bushrangers on the goldfields – August 31 1868
On 31 August 1868, a man named – in the doubtful 19th century translation of Chinese names – Ah King Gun Woo, was returning to Bowen from the Cape River Goldfields with about 360 pounds in gold and notes and two silver watches. He was accosted by three armed bushrangers, who had blackened their facesContinue reading “Bushrangers on the goldfields – August 31 1868”
Luis Vaez de Torres charts the straits – August 30 1606
1606 Luis Vaez de Torres was on his way to Manila when bad weather forced him to take a detour below Papua New Guinea. On his way, he charted the coastline, stopped for provisions, claimed everything he saw for Spain and fought with indigenous people of the Islands, taking a small sample of the furiousContinue reading “Luis Vaez de Torres charts the straits – August 30 1606”
Brown the Bushranger and Mr Wenzel – August 29
On August 29, two German men were executed, six years apart, for crimes committed on the Darling Downs. The sentences on both men were hotly debated in the letters pages of Queensland’s newspapers. 1870 Brown the Bushranger. In 1870, a 20 year old German bushranger with many aliases, lost his short and extremely colourful lifeContinue reading “Brown the Bushranger and Mr Wenzel – August 29”
A frightful accident – August 28 1879
1879 – FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT. A frightful accident (says the Warwick Argus), resulting in the death of one man, named William John Burton, and injuries more or less serious to seven others, occurred at the Big Tunnel, on the Stanthorpe railway works, about half-past 11 on Thursday morning. From particulars gleaned from trustworthy sources, we learnContinue reading “A frightful accident – August 28 1879”
The killing of a hawker and the destruction of a church – August 27
1865: Murder of a young German hawker On this day in 1865, a young German hawker named Henry Bode went to collect some debts from farmers on the Logan River. He was not heard from again. Bode was quite young, only 21, and made his living in his new country by walking long distances, sellingContinue reading “The killing of a hawker and the destruction of a church – August 27”
A much-persecuted man with a weakness for fowls.
Isaac Alder had a long, hard-scrabble life. Born either in England or on the Hawkesbury, probably in 1826 or 1828, Alder worked as a drover and itinerant butcher in New South Wales and Queensland. He went by a number of aliases, including John King, Isaac Peter Houlder, Wright Houlder, John Smith, Isaac Alder, and JohnContinue reading “A much-persecuted man with a weakness for fowls.”
Moreton Bay and More 