NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC.

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1 NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. NEWSLETTER MARCH 2013 Vol. XIX, No. 2 FEBRUARY MEETING Tammy Sneddon All aboard for the 2013 excursion to destinations in history IT was all aboard for a steam trip back in time at the first meeting for Greg Hallam, historian (pictured) at Queensland Rail and our driver for the afternoon, took a group of more than 100 eager passengers on a journey exploring the history of rail in Brisbane, with a particular focus on the Bulimba branch. The Brisbane to Shorncliffe line opened in 1882 primarily for passengers, however the city area did not begin having its own railway until This was surprisingly late considering that other towns in Queensland had a rail network before the capital city. If it were not for a strong presence from the wool industry, Brisbane may well have been waiting longer for its railway. Rail was considered to be a more reliable form of transport during those times since the roads were terrible. As Brisbane did not have an established industrial force at the time, everything had to be imported so as to build the railway, even labour. The Bulimba branch line was opened in It ran east from Bowen Hills, crossed Breakfast Creek Road, and by 1927 ended at the new powerhouse. Sidings were provided for all of the wool stores as well as the state cannery. Many remember the Flag and Bell man who made sure that trains made safe crossings of Breakfast Creek and Commercial Roads saw the last of the Flag and Bell man at those locations. As industry moved out of the area and the need for the railway declined, the line beyond Newstead closed in Soon after, the Newstead goods yard also closed. Greg s extensive knowledge of the railway made for a highly informative and enjoyable afternoon. Many disembarked from the talk eager to share their own stories over afternoon tea. FESTIVAL DIORAMA Modelling Teneriffe s contours EXPLAINING to visitors on the history bus tour at Teneriffe festivals how the suburb looked in the past always proved difficult to the tour guide. Santina Musemeci (pictured below) felt that a model would make the task much easier. This was the origin of her initiative to apply for funding to build a diorama of Teneriffe, showing in miniature 3D how it used to look. Model makers were on hand at the Society s recent meeting with examples to illustrate how the finished result may look. Studying the detail: Plans and aerial maps of the Bulimba Branch line provided a fascinating point of reference for society members who have seen the Teneriffe and New Farm waterfronts transformed in the years since the railway line was removed. Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.

2 NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. MARCH 2013 Page 2 MARCH MEETING World Expo 88 from the photo lab IS it possible that 25 years have flown by since Brisbane s Expo 88 when it seems like only the day before yesterday? Former state treasurer Sir Llew Edwards played a key role in Expo s planning and success. Peter Rasey, a former Young Liberal State Vice President, conducted a series of YouTube interviews with Sir Llew about facets of Expo. A sample may be viewed here: < foundationexpo88/>. In commenting on the interviews, Peter Rasey said, I think the odds of Expo going off the rails and the State losing hundreds of millions almost worried Sir Llew to death Offering a photographic insight into this milestone event for Brisbane will be Andrew Mason, who worked very hard at Expo s Photographic Media Centre. The remarkable advertisement (above) shows just how much things have changed since I love the small mobile phone, says Andrew. I had that exact model while working on the Expo site. Come and hear Andrew Mason on Saturday, 23 March 2013 at Merthyr Road Uniting Church Centre, 2-4pm. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Ross Garnett on HISTORY QLD MAGAZINE ISSUE 6 This issue looks at some of our fl oods over the last 100 odd years. Rockhampton had its own Florence Nightingale. The story of Annie Wheeler is remarkable. Ipswich Grammar is turning 150 this year. Watch for an upcoming book about the fi rst Headmaster, Stuart Hawthorne. Do you know the history of the Victoria Bridge which was Brisbane s fi rst linkage of the CBD with South Brisbane? Needless to say, fl oods have required several replacements. Contact: Boolarong Press, 1/655 Toohey Road, Salisbury Qld 4107 Phone (07) PRESIDENT S REPORT Ross Garnett Society talks always stir the memories WE started the year with Greg Hallam s very informative talk about railways in Brisbane and in particular New Farm. I am sure that you found the railway model fascinating and are keen to see a similar model of the Teneriffe riverfront at the Teneriffe Festival. This year, we celebrate 25 years since Brisbane EXPO 88, and if you lived in Brisbane at that time, I am sure you will have many memories which are very clear in your mind as well as those that are stored in a hidden part of your brain. Andrew Mason, our guest speaker at the March meeting, will be sure to unlock some of those hidden memories in image and in stories. Who can forget the big AUSTRALIA sign, the human factor statues and the street performers? If you have items of memorabilia to share, please bring them along to the meeting, so that they may go on display. FREE CONCERT Enjoy Music at Newstead House FREE Sunday Afternoon Concert is to be A held on Sunday 17 March 2013, 2-3pm at the incomparable setting of the Western Lawn in front of Newstead House. Come and enjoy a String Symphony when the Amadeus Orchestra plays light classics from Bach, Bizet, Mendelssohn and Mozart. Some seating will be available. Visitors are asked to bring a folding chair or picnic rug. Phone FAREWELL Salute to artist of NF scenes T HE Society takes this opportunity to farewell Gladys Fedrick (nee Blundell) of Bribie Island, who passed away on 15 February 2013, aged 91. In the 1990s, Gladys generously contributed a series of 60 paintings entitled Watercolours of New Farm based on local historical scenes. They continue to be on rotational display in New Farm Library. All gardening is landscape painting.

3 NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. MARCH 2013 Page 3 APRIL MEETING Lifelong interest in wartime Australia ANYONE who has visited Peter Dunn s superb website War < ozatwar.com> will be astonished at the quantity and detail it has about Australia during WWII. Peter will be the Society s guest in April. His talk is to be entitled War in Brisbane during WWII, and will cover the military and civilian roles carried out by women in Brisbane during It will feature many photos, historical information and oral history. Topics will include: Australian Women s Land Army Australian Women s Army Service Women s Auxiliary Australian Air Force Women s Air Corps (US) Women s National Emergency Legion. Peter s biographical details indicate why Australia s wartime activity loomed so large as an area of interest for him: I was born in Townsville in 1948 and grew up playing in some of the remnants of WWII, but not realising why they were there. There were the several large igloo hangars near Duckworth Street and Dalrymple Road, the large WWII hangars and building at Garbutt airfield, and the large deserted US Army Air Command bunker at Ramsay Street, Garbutt, which is still there! Why were there shallow trenches in the paddock behind our house? There were old rusty aircraft drop fuel tanks in the saltpan behind our house at Pimlico (now the Lakes area) and elsewhere around Townsville. The older kids were lucky enough to locate the COME & MEET PETER DUNN IN PERSON ON SATURDAY, 27 APRIL 2013 AT MERTHYR RD UNITING CHURCH CENTRE. almost intact drop tanks and turn them into small boats or canoes and use them on the weirs. One of the teenagers in our street said that his parents had told him that a P-38 Lightning had made a forced landing in the saltpan behind our house during WWII. I thought he was pulling my leg, but many years later when my interest in Townsville s military history developed, I decided to see if this story was true. After reading Dr. Rod Cardell s marvellous book Wings Around Us about the Stock Route airfield (Dalrymple Road), I discovered that the story was true. The P-38 had taken off from the Stock Route airfield (Dalrymple Road) and made a forced landing in the saltpan where the lakes are now located. I was determined to find out more about this crash and eventually received enough leads to let me track down the pilot who was still alive at that time. I rang him one day and had an interesting discussion. Townsville remained a military town after the war, with Garbutt airfield being home to the RAAF base. While growing up in Townsville in the 1950s, one could hardly miss the numerous military aircraft flying around: Dakotas, Lincolns, Wirraways, Hudsons, and the occasional Mustang. In later years there were the Sabres and Neptunes, etc. I joined No. 1 Flight of the Air Training Corps at Garbutt airfield. For our Friday night parades, I would ride my trusty pushbike from Pimlico to Garbutt. At the RAAF Recruiting building in Sturt Street after school, I would fly the Link WWII Expert: Peter Dunn, pictured in front of Spitfi re Grey Nurse operates a website which includes 860Mb of data about War. Trainer which was located in the basement. After the ATC, I joined the RAAF Reserve in Townsville. That Link Trainer is now in the RAAF Museum at Garbutt, still in perfect working order. I recently donated a Link Trainer maintenance manual to the fellow who looks after it at the Museum. He was a very happy chappy. My father, Jim Dunn, was a member of the 42nd Battalion and fought the Japanese in New Guinea and Bougainville during WWII. He was camped in the Townsville area for a while before being shipped northwards to New Guinea. My father-in-law, John (Jan) Goulevitch DFC, was a member of the famous 460 Squadron RAAF and actually flew one mission in the very famous Lancaster G for George which is housed in the Australian War Memorial. I usually march with 460 Squadron for the Anzac Day marches in Brisbane. After years chasing my family history, I eventually started a web page on 460 Squadron RAAF, then one on G for George. Next, I started a few pages about Townsville during WW2, which eventually became War. CONTINUED NEXT PAGE It is never too late to be what you might have been.

4 NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. MARCH 2013 Page 4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 wartime Australia My interest in the P-38 crash made me realise that there had been a reasonable number of aircraft crashes in Townsville during WWII, so I started a home page on that topic. I now have over 2,000 aircraft crashes which occurred in Australia during WWII, documented on my web pages. There are many, many more which I need to add, and I estimate that I might approach 4,000-5,000 eventually. My interest kept expanding, eventually covering all of Queensland and before too long, I widened the net even further to cover all of Australia during WWII. It will not expand any further. I retired from work as an electrical engineer in the power industry in September 2012 and my War web pages continue to be a part-time hobby. My research has made me realise that whilst the Southwest Pacific theatre of war was a very neglected subject in the sense of written history, what did actually get written was mostly about the New Guinea side of things. Very few authors and historians s have covered much detail about events inside Australia during WWII. * * * Come and hear Peter Dunn in person on Saturday, 27 April 2013 at Merthyr Road Uniting Church Centre, 2-4pm. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Ross Garnett on Note: Peter s War Data DVDs will be discounted on the $20 (normally $25). Cutters Landing Wharf: The long-standing Colonial Sugar Refi nery wharf was replaced in 2012 by a jetty (right) which has a series of historical plaques set into its deck, listing signifi cant past events in the area. Images: Courtesy Brady Marine & Civil. Submariners Launch Date: The Submariners Heritage Walk is to be officially dedicated by the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AC. The twilight ceremony is to take place on Saturday, 23 March 2013 at 1715 hrs (5:15pm) after the meeting of the NFDHS under the auspices of Submarines Association Australia Qld Inc. Members of the public are most welcome to attend. Book Launch (left): Author Ray Thurlow signs copies of his new book Back to The Valley (State School): Turning The Pages of History which was offi cially launched by NFDHS Life Member, David Hinchliffe at the February Meeting. Ray has invested enormous energy not only into the book but also the Fortitude Valley State School s 150th celebration which took place in For copies, please contact Ray on <rayjoe@bigpond.net.au>. A peaceful state of mind has access to every good thing

5 NEW FARM & Districts HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. MARCH 2013 Page 5 De-stress: NFDHS Life Member, David Hinchliffe demonstrates the structural qualities of the Story Bridge stress balls, which were distributed to all attendees at the February meeting. History in hand: Society Vice-President, Phil Evans, with Fiona McNamara, Labour aspirant to the federal seat of Brisbane. 90th Birthday: Congratulations to Audrey Tomlinson on achieving a truly impressive milestone. Long-distance visitor: Jeffrie Garnett came from Toowoomba to attend the meeting with his niece Anita. Railway Souvenirs: Thanks to Peter Kenzler and others from the Qld Pioneer Railway Association for setting up a display of items which are well-remembered from the past days of steam. Poster: Desley Garnett Design & Layout: Gerard Benjamin Photography: Gayle Martin New Farm & Districts Historical Society Inc The Offi ce is located at the front of the Ron Muir Meeting Room, New Farm Library, right behind the green 135 Sydney Street. Offi ce Open Hours: Every Thursday 2-4 pm Postal Address: PO Box 1141 NEW FARM newfarmhistory@yahoo.com President: Ross Garnett Phone drgarn@bigpond.net.au Vice President: Phil Evans Secretary: Lois Kennedy Phone: loiskennedy@powerup.com.au Treasurer: Peter Smith Committee Members: Denise Buckby, Barry Martin and Lynn Thompson Newsletter Editor: Gerard Benjamin ggerardb@bigpond.net.au Thanks to Robert Cavalucci, MLA for Brisbane Central, for photocopying the newsletter.

6 New Farm and Districts Historical Society presents: Remembering EXPO years on Saturday 23 rd March. 2 pm Uniting Church Centre, 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm Enquiries Photos by Andrew Mason. Andrew will speak from the point of view of a corporate sponsor (Fuji-Hanimex) and has many images and stories to share