Boosting Brisbane

Boosting Brisbane provides a treasure trove of visual delights. So if you are into history, literature, fine arts, architecture, geography, media, technology, museology or culture of Brisbane in particular this timely collection fits the bill.

1864 was a tough year for the fledgling town of Brisbane as two devastating fires swept through its commercial hub. This book is the first comprehensive historical record of both the ordinary and well-known citizens of the early settlement city who survived the fire’s ravages to lay the foundations of Australia’s third biggest city.

Like putting old wine into new bottles, this collection of 7 papers by historian Rod Fisher offers a goodly drop for anyone thirsting for the history and heritage of the Brisbane region. They were originally written from 1991-2010, only a couple having seen the light of day. That was because they were mostly commissioned at greater length – and dealt with specific issues: 1. How ‘midnight demolitions’ of the old Bellevue Hotel, Cloudland Ballroom and Commonwealth Bank brought about the 1st protective heritage legislation in Qld. 2. To what extent the oral testimony of continuity and descent of the Turrbal people around Brisbane was matched by the historical record. 3. How Yeronga Memorial Pk evolved physically and spatially since the early days and by what means. 4. What steps and actions caused Lang Pk to change from a public space to a venue primarily for a single spectator sport. 5. How to write the contextual history for a thematic study exhibition on the Brisbane River which would draw upon the disparate collections of 6 mostly non-river institutions. 6. How the whole region of SE Qld developed thematically and materially, including Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba, both coasts, major islands, many valleys and various ranges. 7. Whether heritage theory and practice should be focussed more sustainably on the character of a locality, as tested on the Killarney Estate. Having been revised as necessary and collected together, these papers are a boon for everyone interested in those aspects, places, buildings, events, related persons – and much more. If you happen to be a glutton for research, these chapters also show the way. That includes discerning patterns, analysing records, exploring buildings, interpreting parks, assessing heritage, examining localities, investigating regions and structuring narratives. Among the many historical sources are municipal records, reserve files, parliamentary papers, state yearbooks, municipal handbooks, heritage reports, judicial records, newspapers, maps, pictures, graves – and of course the actual places and people themselves. Here we see the applied historian at work. The other tie that binds all of this together is the author’s conviction that history must speak for itself, so that only when familiar with the evidence ought we evaluate, interpret and shape it in our own image. This also applies to cultural heritage, which comprises all of those tangible and intangible things we want to retain for ourselves and the next generation. As that is but one type of historical evidence, there is a dynamic reciprocity between the two. What this book really shows is how history becomes heritage through establishing its significance – unless heritage becomes history first!

This volume of eleven papers had its origins back in June 1992 when the Brisbane History Group presented a seminar entitled ‘150 years ago: Profiles of Brisbane in 1842’ at the Commissariat Stores. Most of the papers delivered on that day were published in a previous volume, Brisbane: Squatters, settlers and surveyors, BHG Papers No.16. Although it was intended that the focus of this collection would be primarily immigration, the more general term arrivals has been chosen to more accurately reflect the inclusion of some of the earlier chapters dealing with exploration, survey and settlement. Written by amateurs, professionals and academics, the chapters look at the achievements, contributions and, sometimes, the failings of a number of these early ‘arrivals’. Themes include: • John Thomas Bigge’s report and its significance for the future settlement and development at Moreton Bay • the difficulties in establishing a settlement • the work of the valiant and largely unsupported missionaries at German Station • the arrival and impact of the first free migrants to travel directly to Moreton Bay • the voyage of the Fortitude and the trials and tribulations of the Lang migrants • the life of John Clements Wickham and the many roles he performed • the life of soldier, surveyor and sugar industry pioneer Captain Claudius Whish • the rector’s daughter who helped impoverished silk ribbon weavers in the English Midlands emigrate to Australia • the effect of the short-lived immigration policy which sought to ‘populate’ Queensland with skilled tradesmen • the effectiveness of emigration agents in promoting Queensland to the Scots • the story of a Brisbane wharf which witnessed changes in shipping, cargo and the ultimate demise of the city’s industrial heritage Not all the schemes and dreams were successful, but overall the chapters tell of groups and individuals who were prepared to rise to each new challenge in their determination to make a better life for themselves in early Brisbane.

This second edition has been reviewed and expanded to include some of Australia’s best qualified historians and researchers in Aboriginal history. Many of these authors continue to campaign for more research into First Nations history and the Frontier Wars. This second edition of Brisbane: The Aboriginal Presence now comprises a foreword which examines recent research in Aboriginal studies, and seven instead of six papers on race relations in the Brisbane region between 1824 and 1860. It covers the convict and early settlement periods until the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in late 1859. The papers provide overviews of race relations during each of these periods, and highlight various themes, including: • Aboriginal occupation before European settlement • The impact of European settlement • Reciprocal attitudes and relations • Aboriginal resistance and European repression • Sexual relations between Aborigines and Europeans • The role of law, administration and the press • Aborigines in the local economy • The failure of assimilation • The fate of local clans These themes are illustrated by numerous incidents and case studies including: • The observations of explorers, missionaries and administrators • Convict, runaway and settler experiences • Violent clashes on Stradbroke Island in 1831–32 • Aboriginal hangings between 1841 and 1859 • Unrest in the ‘suburbs’ during the late 1840s to 1850s • Squatters, Governor Gipps and the Kilcoy poisonings between 1841 and 1843 • The white raid on Yorks Hollow camp in 1846 • The police attack on Breakfast Creek camps in 1846 These papers are based on detailed research of primary sources by experienced historians who are distinguished for the originality and calibre of their work. This attractive and informative volume is for everyone interested in race relations generally and Brisbane in particular, including students, teachers, schools, libraries, academics and the general reader.

Packed inside this unique collection on colonial Brisbane are no less than 22 essays by historian Rod Fisher. Most were published as scattered articles in various formats over 25 years, 3 have never seen the light of day and all are brought up to date. While stepping through the years from 1842-1901 and sometimes further as a continuum, they are grouped under 5 main themes. ‘Occupation’ deals with early settlement, employment and pursuits until the 1860s. That involves the lie of the land including the town, its old windmill, industry, photography, cultural associations and personnel. The next theme of ‘Alienation’ traverses the same years in exposing, as never before, the aboriginal experience and ethnic mix, while taking the formation of the New Church until the early 1880s as an instance of sectarianism. The ‘Separation’ section concerns several historical oversights about 1859: the time-lag in acknowledging Brisbane as the colonial capital; rediscovery of the original proclamation of Queensland; recognition of the role of its prime public servant; and ongoing history of the first colonial flag; as well as the visual means used by a sojourning artist to promote Brisbane’s new-found status in 1864-66. Then ‘Personation’ portrays the rise and fall of 4 ‘representative men’ from early colonial years to the end of the era: an Anglican brewer turned public servant and teacher; English Swedenborgian artist, musician and naturalist; Scottish Presbyterian novelist, merchant and planter; and Irish Catholic building contractor – not forgetting their supportive and long-suffering wives. Going back from the late 1880s to the 1840s and then forward into the next century, the final theme of ‘Location’ examines the iniquities of urban Frogs Hollow, origins of rustic Bulimba, trends in old South Brisbane, controversies of North Brisbane Cemetery later Lang Park, perceptions of Brisbane River and sad saga of Moreton Bay.

This book describes seminal moments in the history of the capital city of Queensland, which in just one generation has grown from country town to vibrant modern metropolis. It had a tough start. It became a separate state with less financial support from London than any other colony in the mighty British Empire. Almost a century later is was briefly the Allied Forces headquarters for the Pacific War, delighting and depressing its citizens in equal measure. Then it had to shake off corruption in high places before it could realise its great potential. There was some intrigue along the way. Early Brisbane society was enlivened by its own aristocratic Lady Di; a gruesome murder started a dynasty; the Battle of Brisbane was hushed-up to maintain morale; and the local 'Rat Pack' played a rather different Joke. Prior to European settlement - as Meanjin - it was a busy meeting place for the many indigenous clans in the Moreton Bay region.

Has anyone ever heard of Colin Munro, let alone 'Fern Vale'? Yet this was the first Queensland novel, published in London in 1862. The author, of Scottish origin, was a young mercantile clerk who, after five years in Brisbane, returned to London to seek a wife and write a book. He returned to Brisbane in 1863 to become a storekeeper, merchant and Pacific trader. He later became a farmer and, while pursuing his agrarian dream in Queensland, this extraordinary man played out the purpose of his novel. Though written as a pastoral romance on the Darling Downs, the book's real aim was to attract migrants to the new colony during the optimistic 1860s. Taking its cue from the visionary Rev. Dr John D. Lang of Sydney, the novel, set in 1856-57, expounds the controversial issues of labour, industry and capital, as well as the tropical economy, land regulation, aboriginal policy, convict origin and separation from NSW.