Newspaper stories – Moreton Bay and More

Consulting AI to Depict the Quiet Day in Ipswich.

AI image generators are fascinating things. I knew that I probably shouldn’t have. But sometimes the temptation is simply too much. I just had to go and play with image generation software to help tell the Ipswich Courthouse stories. The first story, that of the drunken man who sells his horse for too little, thenContinue reading “Consulting AI to Depict the Quiet Day in Ipswich.”

A Quiet Day at Ipswich.

The cases before the Magistrates, translated from the original Moreton Bay Courier,1850. IPSWICH. Tuesday, 23rd July. Two of the genus homo, named respectively Arnold and Tasker, the latter commonly called “Gooseberry,” appeared on warrant this morning, before our resident Magistrate, to answer the complaints of Mrs Deborah Grocott, alias Howell, or Howard, and her friendContinue reading “A Quiet Day at Ipswich.”

Love in the Bush.

With a translation from the original Moreton Bay Courier, 1846. This is the Victorian equivalent of a gossip blind item. My one-sentence translation is below. LOVE IN THE BUSH. We have been informed that the blind god[i] has been making great havoc lately on Darling Downs; and that a sad misadventure has befallen an ancientContinue reading “Love in the Bush.”

They meant well.

They meant well. They probably did some good, they undoubtedly caused some harm. Content warning – this article discusses children who were separated from their biological parents, as well as some words used at the time to describe children of different developmental levels. In the period 1865 – April 1867 that this article covers, thereContinue reading “They meant well.”

The Huguenot and the Chinese Interpreter.

In 1871, Charles Dean married Temperance Bouchard at Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Nothing terribly unusual about that – both were single and of marriageable age. However, the backstory of their lives, and how they came to meet and eventually marry each other is quite extraordinary. The groom was a Singapore-born Chinese businessman and interpreter. TheContinue reading “The Huguenot and the Chinese Interpreter.”

The Mistakes of a Night.

Or, an exercise in translating from the original Moreton Bay Courier into plain English. 19th century journalists were prone to wordiness. They could use that tendency to create wildly amusing observations that bring that time and its people vividly to life. They could also use that tendency to expand a small incident into, well, this.Continue reading “The Mistakes of a Night.”

Let There Be (Electric) Light.

On this day, 9 April 1883. On 9 April 1883, the Edison company conducted the first ever demonstration of electric lighting in Queensland at the Government Printing Office, Brisbane. The representative of Edison was the wonderfully named Major S. Flood Page (General Manager, Edison’s Indian and Colonial Electric Light Company, Limited of London). The languageContinue reading “Let There Be (Electric) Light.”

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.”

The First Circuit Court of Moreton Bay.

On this day – 10 February 1850 – Proclamation of the Circuit Court. From the introduction of free settlement in 1842 until the Gaol and Circuit Court opened for business in 1850, Moreton Bay had no place to hold trials or accommodate prisoners. There was only a Court of Petty Sessions, which was empowered toContinue reading “The First Circuit Court of Moreton Bay.”