The Golden Years of Aviation on the Fraser Coast from 1920

First aircraft to land in Maryborough 3rd August, 1920. Site is now Neptune Street end of the Golf Course. Source: Fraser Coast Images

The Fraser Coast Region first experienced the aeroplane in the 1920s. The development of the aeroplane received great impetus from the war where it played a vitally important part. The first aircraft visit was claimed to have occurred on the 17th of September, 1919 according to The Maryborough Chronicle.

The first passenger flight to land in Maryborough was from Aeroflight Aviation and was a Finney's Aeroplane.The NN under the lower wing stands for FINNEY and is advertising. The plane was captained by Commander Snell who set the company up with S.W. Bird.  The plane took passengers over Granville, Tinana, The Pocket and Newtown flying very low over the city (no more than a few hundred feet high). The plane was built by the Royal Aircraft factory. The joy flights were supported by advertising with the plane visiting various regional cities along the coast. Captain Snell had an Air Mechanic with him A.J. Cummings.(The Maryborough Chronicle).

Plane crash in Island Plantation Road, Maryborough Source:Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Accession number: 84-4-14

Crash of the aeroplane, the Star of Cairns at Maryborough, Queensland, 31 December 1930 Avro Five plane was owned by Qantas. The plane's pilot B. P. Davidson and a passenger J. H. Higgens were killed in this crash. Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866-1939) ; Source :John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland 

Dundowran Beach also was a popular meeting place in the 1920s. Samuel Hecker of Hecker Motors was involved with the early years of aviation on the Fraser Coast. The Maryborough Chronicle claims Messrs. Hecker was a member of the Wide Bay and Burnett Aero Club,which was affiliated with the Queensland Aero Club. He was also an owner of a Moth machine and had flown about 80,000 miles in the Moth in 1934. He began an air taxi business. Samuel and Jim Caswell were often seen landing their aeroplanes on Dundowran beach. (Adams, M 2003).

Avro 504K biplane G-AUEO with an advertising sign on the side saying Queensland Air Navigation Ltd., Brisbane. The plane has landed on the beach and a crowd of onlookers have gathered to inspect it. Source: State Library of Queensland Flickr collection

The Maheno became a popular spot to land after it was wrecked on Fraser Island in 1935. Following the declaration of peace in 1945 after World War Two, Tiger Moths were plentiful and aviation on the Fraser Coast became very popular.

Avro biplane at Ululah near Maryborough, ca.1920 Source:  Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Accession number: 89-9-20

The Maryborough Military Aviation Museum plans to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the first passenger landing in Maryborough next year.

Do you have any recollections of the early years of aviation?

Tags #aviation #frasercoast #tigermoths #hecker #fraserisland #herveybay #maryborough #anniversary

References:
Adams, M (compiler) (2003) The Golden Years of Aviation Local History Collection 994.32 ADAM
Maryborough Chronicle 19th September, 1919  Our First Aeroplane retrieved from Trove 1st October, 2019
Maryborough Chronicle 5th August, 1920 Ululah as a Landing Ground from Trove 1st October, 2019.
Maryborough Chronicle 6th November, 1934 Something to Do - Flew Moth to Tasmania retrieved from Trove 1st of October, 2019

Run away horse in Bazaar Street

Run away horse damages awning. Source: State Library of Queensland 

The Maryborough Chronicle reports on the 18th April, 1907  that a "powerful horse in a lorry, owned by Messrs Elford Bros., vanmen, was standing opposite Messrs. Corser & Co.'s.,  when the horse succeeded in rubbing its winkers off against the back of another vehicle, it immediately took fright, turning sharply round, bolted across the street on the footpath" .

The reports goes on to state that just past Mr Barbeller's Shop the wheel got caught on the Aldridge's building, snapped that and five or six other posts causing the entire roof to crash onto the footpath. The terrified horse got away after the lorry got stuck on the telephone post on the corner of  Kent and Bazaar Street.

The Maryborough Chronicle continues "most of the iron posts were shattered into pieces, and the glass and the ornamental iron frieze round the verandah was smashed up pretty badly, but the big plate-glass shop windows under the verandah had all remarkable escape from destruction. Altogether about 30 or 40 yards of verandah was carried away."

The damage was estimated to between 60 pounds and 80 pounds by owner Mr W.H. Williams.

Do you know of any other horse incidents on the Fraser Coast?

References
Maryborough Chronicle 18th April, 1907 General News retrieved from Trove 12th September, 2019.

Tags #horse #crash #bolt #bazaarstreet #maryborough #lorry

History of Fraser Coast Show Society

Fraser Coast Libraries has just added the 2019 publication History of the Fraser Coast Show Society to its collection.This is a concise record of more than 114 years of an organisation devoted to people of Fraser Coast and surrounding areas.

Aerial view of the old Maryborough Show Grounds.Source: Fraser Coast Libraries image gallery.

Wide Bay Burnett Pastoral and Agricultural Society's Pavilion, 1905. Souce: State Library of Queensland 

The research for this publication started back in 2010. It chronicles the first meeting of the Wide Bay Farmers and Planters' Association in 1867 through to the new society being born in 1875; from the 1900s through to 2019.

Johnny Anderson  and silver at the show grounds. Source: Robbie Walker Collection Fraser Coast Libraries image gallery.

The book details the the impacts of drought, influenza and World War II on the annual show. The severe drought of 1902 resulted in the show being postponed and eventually cancelled. A circus trick horse jumper was crushed to death in 1905 - the same year that the plague had occurred in Maryborough.

Mary Schmidt, noted Horsewoman and Ring Mistress of Maryborough Show. Her family owned the Carriers Arms Hotel for many years. Source: Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc. Picture can be viewed in Fraser Coast Libraries image gallery.

In 1919 the show was not run due to the influenza outbreak. The outbreak of World War II saw the 47th Battalion Infantry set up headquarters on the showgrounds.

Tents of the 47th Battalion at the old show grounds. Source: State Library of Queensland

The other buildings were also used for military purposes. The show ceased for four years during this time. After the military withdrew from the show grounds much work had to be done to bring the grounds up to standard for the Victory Show of 1946.

Maryborough Show 1959 - Cavalcade of Transport display.Mr J Hallinan with Cathy Hallinan, Jeanie Husband and Clair Hallinan. Fraser Coast Libraries image gallery.

The last entry of the book discusses the 2019 show. Acknowledgement is given to Diane Wood who sadly passed away before her manuscript was finished. "This story on the History of the Fraser Coast Agricultural Show Society could not have been completed with out Diane's dedication and love for this project"(History of Fraser Coast Show Society, pg 155).

References
Wood, D.L (2017), History of the Fraser Coast Show Society
Tags #Frasercoast  #Maryborough #Showsociety #history 

Kevin Rogers - bringing back the pioneering days of early Australia.

Kevin Rogers - Local Artist

We have a highly talented artist in our local midst hailing from Howard - Kevin Rogers. Kevin is an award winning and internationally published local artist. Kevin paints and draws landscapes, portraits and specialises in bringing back the pioneering days of early Australia through his highly detailed artworks.

Kevin has delightfully enhanced some of our local history images - giving them a new lease of life. Have a look in our image gallery and see if you can find the original images!

Opening of the Burrum River Traffic Bridge, 1926

Kevin Rogers with his collection.

Kevin was born in Brisbane, raised at the Gold Coast and left it at age 18 for life’s great adventure. This adventure had Kevin living in every State and Territory in Australia, travelling the world and living for six years in Malaysia.

William Street, Howard, Queensland c. 1900

Kevin has always had an interest in art and photography and since his first success at an art competition at the age of 13 in 1970, he has honed his skills to the level he enjoys today. He has amassed a portfolio of winning artworks in many competitions around Australia and overseas.
He brings the history of Australia back to life, through highly detailed large pen and watercolour pieces along with pencil artworks on paper and vellum. Kevin classifies himself as an Historical Artist who lovingly brings old photos back to life reflecting what life was like in Australia's pioneering past

 Scarness Hervey Bay, Queensland c. 1930

Australian Artists is a Facebook page Kevin began and has administered since 2013. The group has around 10,000 members across the country. Kevin enjoys imparting his knowledge and time to art and receives the same in return from the talented members of his group.
Kevin’s exhibitions encompass works from as little as a postcard to as big as a metre wide pieces and the eclectic range has something for everyone. Kevin recently was awarded Master Member of the Coloured Pencil Community of Australasia Inc. He joins the elite crowd of 21 such artists worldwide and is the only Queenslander out of five Australians to have this honour.

The Esplanade, Hervey Bay, Queensland c. 1930

 Van Cootens, Howard, Queensland

Garden Party, Brooklyn House, Howard, Queensland

Kevin will have an exhibition running from November to late December this year at the Maryborough Art Gallery at 282 Kent Street.  The exhibition will have over 80 artworks in it and will be called Eclectica.
Published with permission from Kevin Rogers
#history #historical #art #watercolours #howard #images #frasercoastlibraries #australianartists.

Find out about local history through Geocaching

A game called letterboxing – which began in 1954 in Dartmoor (Dartmoor Letterboxing), has taken on a new form called geocaching.This is an outdoor recreational activity a bit like orienteering, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and combine this with various navigational techniques. Containers called caches are hidden for others to find. Coordinates are used to identify the location of the cache. The game involves using clues and references to landmarks embedded in stories – often local history stories. According to the History of Geocaching, the first documented placement of a GPS-located cache took place on May 3, 2000, by Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon.
The cache often has novelty items of not much value. This first cache contained software, videos, books, money, a can of beans and a slingshot.  These items are not to be damaged or removed.
More information can be found at the Website.

@GoGeocaching is also the official twitter handle.

There are lots of treasures around the Fraser Coast to be found and you can learn a lot about the local history of the area this way also!

Do you participate in geocaching? Have you found many treasures?

References:

ABC (June, 2009) Ask and Expert How Does GPS work? retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/06/18/2602027.htm on the 28 August, 2019.

Groundspeak, Inc.(2019) History of Geocaching retrieved from https://www.geocaching.com/about/history.aspx on the 28 August, 2019.

Dartmoor Letterboxing (2019) What is Letterboxing retrieved from  https://dartmoorletterboxing.org/
on the 28 August, 2019.
Tags #localhistory #geocaching #frasercoast #gps #treasurehunt