The Goat Nuisance was a long-standing torment to colonial Queenslanders. Goats provided milk, small-cart transport, and a free mowing service to their doting owners. To those who lived in the vicinity of a goat-owner, the manure, noise and destruction of innocent flowerbeds was intolerable. Cats were kept to keep the mice and rats down, andContinue reading “The Cat Nuisance.”
Tag Archives: Letters to the Editor
The Editor Strikes Back.
Before the internet, algorithms, bots, moderators and so on, content moderation was the domain of the Editor of one’s paper of choice. This individual dealt with the epistles of would-be poets, seekers of ‘justice,’ scandalmongers, and the political fixations of sundry other Gentlemen with Views. Their published interactions with their correspondents ranged from helpful advice,Continue reading “The Editor Strikes Back.”
Public Enemy No. 1 in Colonial Queensland
A menace. Larcenous. Infernal. A nuisance. Horrid. Abominable. Laws were passed against it but had little effect. Newspaper letter-writers railed for decades. Vigilantism broke out. Fights ensued. Blood was shed. Men went armed. The sleep of innocent families was murdered. Jonquils were destroyed. Even orchids. What was this scourge, this menace to peaceful society? TheContinue reading “Public Enemy No. 1 in Colonial Queensland”
How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 3.
Dr. Frederick Cumming in the 1860s. Henceforth, apart from one (disastrous, of course) toe-dip in the politics of West Moreton in 1867, Dr. Cumming would be known for his medical practice. There would be controversy, financial problems and some rather questionable verse. His experience of Brisbane in the 1860s would culminate in his return toContinue reading “How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 3.”
How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 1.
Dr. Frederick Cumming, M.D. Ipswich Dr. Frederick Cumming spent sixteen years in Queensland, living and working in Ipswich, Drayton, Brisbane and on the diggings near Gympie. Due to his somewhat combative nature, combined with a perhaps misguided desire to influence local politics, his time in the Colony was a turbulent one. In later years, heContinue reading “How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People in Colonial Queensland – Part 1.”
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.”
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 Grub Train and the Emu Hunt That Never Was.
Prince Alfred visits Queensland. We bowed and scraped to Prince Alfred. We inflicted upon him massacred anthems and a series of mismanaged receptions. The children of St Mary’s at Ipswich made a banner that got his name wrong –Welcome Alfreda? We might have bored him, and almost certainly irritated him, but at least we didn’tContinue reading “The Grub Train and the Emu Hunt That Never Was.”
The Sudden Rise of Larrikinism
As seen in the Letters to the Editor. 1871 – 1875. In 1871, Larrikins rather suddenly appeared in Queensland. Dire tales of disorder on the streets of stately Melbourne had begun to appear in the Queensland press, causing pious folk to glance nervously at any seemingly under-employed young person who crossed their path. Surely theyContinue reading “The Sudden Rise of Larrikinism”
Moreton Bay and More 