1923 Class Photo Nikenbah School. Source: Fraser Coast Chronicle (2013)
According to Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum member John Andersen, so much of our early European history originated in the Nikenbah area of Hervey Bay. The original Nikenbah School still stands in the school grounds opposite the Animal Refuge corner on Nikenbah-Dundowran Road, Nikenbah. The school was originally called Bunyah Park and was on the corner of Main Street and Booral Road before it was shifted in 1915 to its present site. In 1963 it was closed (Fraser Coast Chronicle, 2013). It is now cared for by the Nikenbah Progress Association and leased to the Spinners & Weavers. It is a link to the beginnings of Hervey Bay.
Danish Lutheran Church Aalborg (Nikenbah). Source: Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum.
The first European settlers from Denmark settled in the area we now call Nikenbah. They had arrived with thousands of other immigrants from their motherlands in Denmark, Germany and the British Isles at the pioneering township of Maryborough after escaping the harsh conditions of Europe.
They called the area Aalborg after a town in Denmark and built their homes, a church and established a cemetery. So it was that Aalborg, now called Nikenbah, became the first European settlement in this district. There are still many descendants of these early pioneering families living in Hervey Bay today.
Bullock Team Loading Cane Nikenbah. Source: Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum.
With the opening of the railway line connecting Pialba to Maryborough in 1896, the golden sands and beaches of the Bay attracted the influx of new settlers and saw the area rapidly develop into the thriving city of today. During all this time, Nikenbah was the forgotten suburb. The station and railway yards were always busy transporting the sugar cane, fruits and produce to Maryborough. The Nikenbah School looked after the children of the farmers, but very little development occurred.
Original Keen Store Nikenbah. Source: Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum.
Les Keen delivery groceries around 1918. Source: Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum.
Central to all of this was the Keen Family General Store, with the property still controlled by the fifth generation of the family. With the advent of supermarkets, such stores no longer exist but, in their time, they served the local community very well with grocery deliveries, supplies and hardware items. Before local hospitals, doctors and chemists, even all the local babies were regularly weighed on the scales in the shop. These actual scales are now on display at the Hervey Bay Historical Village & Museum.
The local farmers formed the Dundowran Fruit Growers Association and operated a shop in the railway yards at Nikenbah. Eventually road transport overtook the rail network and the Association closed.
After decades of peaceful country-style life, Nikenbah has recently seen the developed Hervey Bay area expand to change its character forever. Development that the early pioneers would never have dreamed about, has seen large residential areas opened, major multinational companies set up businesses, coffee shops established, the men’s shed opened, animal refuge centre and market days held. The newly opened Sports Precinct adds to the importance of the entire region. Nikenbah is a large regional recycling area and other large projects are already in the planning stage.
As the founding settlement for the large city of Hervey Bay, Nikenbah indeed holds a special place in the history of this region.
Fraser Coast Chronicle 13th May, 2013 Nikenbah State School Centenary, retrieved on 28th April, 2020.
The Butchulla People are the Traditional Custodians/Owners of the Land, and their continued connection to the land on which we walk, work and live is acknowledged. Fraser Coast Libraries acknowledges and pays respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.
Marilyn researched the Benevolent Society and found early
Australian hospitals not only catered to those who had been injured through
accident, but also for invalids with chronic illnesses. She found that these
hospitals became repositories for the aged who had no family to care for them,
as well as for younger, disabled folk until purpose-built asylums were
constructed. Those who could afford it received attention from a doctor
privately. Those who could not afford to pay were not required to do so, as
some Government subsidy was allocated annually to hospitals to be distributed
in charity. However, to gain admission to a hospital they had to be certified
as destitute by a reputable person, such as a clergyman or
magistrate, and required the word of a doctor that their admission was
essential.
Lennox St Hospital, Maryborough Qld, after 1875.
The early Maryborough Hospital was no exception. The minutes of the
Hospital's Management Committee regularly indicate funds being allocated to
those who were deemed in need from their Benevolent Fund (Marilyn Jensen, 2018).
The Committee also referred individuals to other care institutions such as the
Benevolent Asylum in Brisbane, orphanages, and other shelters. This is noted in
a section of the minutes from the Maryborough Hospital Committee of Management
dated 9th March 1875:
…. correspondence
was read from the Colonial Secretary, stating that the application made by the
Hospital authorities for the admission of John Barkley to the Benevolent Asylum
must for the present be refused, owing to the crowded state of that
institution. The application could, however, be renewed at any future time. A
second letter from the Colonial Secretary's office was read, granting application
for admission of two children (Wise) to the Orphanage. The Hospital
authorities, however, would have to arrange for sending the children to
Brisbane. Mr. S. G. Hill said he had sufficient funds in hand on account of the
children to pay for their passage down.
But the Government allocation was becoming inadequate as Maryborough's
population increased. By the mid-1870s, the greatest burden on the hospital was
the number of sick and indigent persons brought to the town by each immigrant
ship. Deputations were made by the Hospital Committee to increase the
allocation. A public voice for a separate Benevolent Society was also becoming
increasingly heard (Wide Bay Hospital Museum Inc.).
The article in the Maryborough Chronicle cites the case
of Mrs Jones. It is claimed that cases such as this highlight the need for a separate
benevolent association for Maryborough.
We fear that the case
of Mrs. Jones, brought before the Hospital Committee at their last sitting, is
not an isolated one in this good town of Maryborough. She is the mother of four
young children, one being an infant but ten days old. It is possible, or even
probable that the poor woman or her children might have perished from want — of
absolute starvation — had it not been that her state of destitution became
accidentally known to Mr. S. G. Hill, on the occasion, of her registering the
birth of her youngest one, and who, noticing her extreme debility questioned
and elicited the following facts, reluctantly told. With her husband and
family, she had arrived in the colony by the Star Queen. The husband had
obtained a few days' work, but, as a stranger, had failed to secure any
permanent employment. At last he determined to start upcountry, promising to
write to his wife as soon as he should be in a position to forward her any
money. He has not, however, been heard of since he left. Meantime, the wife has
been confined, yet has almost managed to keep the wolf from the door by selling
the few sticks of furniture she had collected, and the clothes which she and
her children so much needed. Now even this miserable expedient fails her, for
she has parted with everything that would fetch money. The Hospital Committee
allowed her five shillings a week — as large a sum as they could with justice
spare from the Benevolent Fund in their keeping. From this (sic) five shillings
a week she has to pay rent, and feed and clothe herself and her four children!
It surely but requires such a case as the above to be made known for relief to
be freely accorded. But this is not enough. It requires an organised committee—
an association who will seek out those who 'suffer grief and pain,' and who,
like Mrs. Jones, don't know of the existence of the Benevolent Fund, or
knowing, refuse to seek its aid. Such an association might, work in unison with
the Hospital Committee. There would be no difficulty in collecting money in
such a cause. How much money has been collected during the past twelve months
to 'grease the fat pig,' and thus to follow the Bible teaching, 'To him that
hath shall be given'? How much pain and physical distress might have been saved
had that amount, or even the tenth part of it, been placed to the credit of a
Ladies' Benevolent Association? We repeat, there is no lack of funds for such a
cause, for, from the frailest to the purest — from Nell Gwynn to Florence
Nightingale — all would subscribe, for 'One touch of nature makes the whole
world kin ?' Mrs. Jones vegetates near Mr. Berry's, at Irish Town.
Miss
Melville is an example of a benefactor that looked to support the local
community. In her will she included a gift of 500 pounds to the Maryborough
Benevolent Society towards the erection of an Alms-house for old people. This
sum was increased through fundraising and the Government then offered the sum
of two pounds for every pound raised. The Government made available several
acres between the Maryborough West School and the Newtown Police Station. Cottages
were built to honour Miss Melville's contribution, as this was considered more
suitable for the old people than the Alms-house. Later, a pair of
Eventide Homes were added as accommodation for the elderly (Maryborough Wide Bay Burnett Historical Society Inc.).
Nurses have a history of supporting our community in crisis. Lex Tudman is a former Nurse and Midwife. Lex's amazing story of supporting our Community as a Nurse, Midwife and Deputy Mayor is an example of the selflessness of nurses throughout the region. She features in our Oral History series.
References: Commonwealth of Australia (2016) A Thematic Heritage Study on
Australia’s Benevolent and other Care Institutions.
Maryborough Chronicle 18th December, 1875A letter to Mr D.J. Byrne retrieved
from Trove 16th
April, 2020.
Fishing from the Jetty Maryborough. Source: State Library of Queensland
Did you know Fraser Coast Libraries' local history online access is available from the comfort of your own home? Resources include our image gallery comprising thousands of images from the local area. You can also discover Local History talks or Oral History talks on our YouTube page. Do you know about the Burrum Coalfields or the Black Death in Maryborough? Do you want to share your stories? To find out more about local history stories go to Fraser Coast Libraries Local History Blog. You can choose to follow on the top right hand side of the blog and never miss another entry. You can also access Trove to research digitised newspapers and much more. Simply type "Trove" into your browser and you have access.
Queensland Archives have some great Indexes which are lists of names and other information they have transcribed from a selection of registers (lists) in their collection. This is only a small part of the collection so if you don't know what you are looking for, you would start your search here . Brief Guides are also a great source of research information. Shipping guides are a source of family history information. Information particularly helpful includes:
If you are wanting to find historical maps Qimagery is the Queensland Government's online collection of photographs since the 1930's.
State Library of Queensland has lots of resources for Family History research here to research from the comfort of your lounge. Now is the time to start (or keep) doing your family history! State Library is providing our Queensland residents with free at home access to Ancestry Library until 30 April. Just log in here with your State Library membership.If you're not a member you can join online.
33 Amity Street, Maryborough. Source: State Library of Queensland
If you are interested in houses we have some of those resources too! Did you know Fraser Coast Libraries is participating in a project called Homes on the Fraser Coast? Our slide show has images from the Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society Inc. collection and the State Library of Queensland digitised collection found on the Corley Explorer .
The Corley explorer is a collection of over 61000 photographs of homes taken during the 1960s and the 1970s. These photographs were taken by Frank and Eunice Corley who drove around suburban streets from Bundaberg to Beenleigh taking snapshots of the fronts of houses, which they would then attempt to sell to the occupant in a calendar or greeting card. If you know some interesting history about the houses in this collection or any house on the Fraser Coast, please share it here.
If you are wanting to find out more about the history of your house there is a great guide here.
Find our more about our local history collections here
New enlistees to the W.R.A.N.S., Brisbane? Queensland, 1942. Source: State Library of Queensland.
Are you interested in Genealogy? Did you know you can access Find my past in the libraries at Hervey Bay and Maryborough? Find my past has released two brand new collections of women's records that have never been
available online until now.
British Army, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps 1917-1920
Uncover details of the remarkable women who served during the First World War
with these military records. They've been published online for the first time
ever, only at Findmypast. Taken from the National Archives' WO 162 and WO 383
series, the records include:
WO 162/54 women emigrating
after the war
WO 162/58 WAAC administrators
in France
WO 162/62 lists of female
motor drivers
WO 162/65 recommendations for
honours and mentions in Peace Gazette
These transcripts and original
document images are highly detailed and contain extraordinary information for
genealogists. The medical papers will give users a full physical description of
their ancestors and information related to her own health and family medical
history. Various other forms will include addresses, parents' nationalities and
next of kin details, all excellent material to help users grow their family
tree.
British Armed Forces, First World War Disability and Retirement Payments
for Officers and Nurses
Another online first from The National Archives, these records are packed with
information on Great War officers and nurses, In particular, you'll uncover
details on the pay and gratuities that were given to invalided officers from
the three branches of the Armed Forces, as well as nurses' disability
payments.
The collection comprises of 40 pieces from six series:
Brooweena is a rural town in the Fraser Coast Region that has a rich history. One of the special sites in Brooweena is the Queensland Heritage Listed War Memorial Bridge. Local clergyman Rev Hardingham and Mrs A Brown (mother of fallen son) officially opened the bridge on the 21st May, 1921. It honours nine local men who died in the First World War (Queensland Heritage Register) .
A large part of the Wongi State Forest and Wongi National Park are part of Brooweena. Wongi Waterholes, located in these parks, were used by Aboriginal people travelling from Mount Bauple to Urangan and Fraser Island (Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing, 2013).
The area was first settled by Europeans around 1849. The railway line went through around 1889 and this resulted in expansion of the area. The Maryborough Chronicle details difficulties regarding this line. Since 1860, the Wongi area has had significant connections with the timber harvesting industry. According to Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing, 2013 "the old Maryborough-Gayndah, Golden Fleece and Convict roads run through the (National) park and were major carriageways for the transport of produce to the port of Maryborough. Campsites and small settlements were built along the roads".
Other interesting heritage aspects of Wongi area include
the remains of an old Cobb and Co. coach road
Yellow Waterhole Forestry Campsite
Billygoat Mountain fire cabin site
Brooweena Forest Station site
The history of this area can be discovered at The Brooweena Historical Village and Museum. The museum houses memorabilia, equipment, musical instruments and aboriginal rock carvings in 12 heritage buildings located on Smith Crescent. It is open on the second and fourth Sunday of the month from 10am – 3pm.
The Butchulla People are the Traditional Custodians/Owners of the Land, and their continued connection to the land on which we walk, work and live is acknowledged. Fraser Coast Libraries acknowledges and pays respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.
A delightful article in Maryborough Chronicle discusses the early days of Pialba. The article from Friday 10th March, 1950 talks about the first time the reader went to Pialba in 1882 at the age of four and half years. The reader lived at Pialba until she was fifteen.
"My father (or strictly speaking my step-father), W.H. Caldwell, was appointed from Brisbane as post and telegraph master there to relieve Mr Dear who had only been there for a short period" (Maryborough Chronicle). The father had gone ahead of the family and they travelled to Maryborough by steamer and were met by Mr Horsburgh. He took the family to Hervey by mail coach -which ran a mail and passenger service to Pialba twice a week- the next morning. The reader recollects that it was a horribly tiresome trip by canvas covered wagonette. They stopped at a halfway house kept by Mr Sinfield and had lunch and a change of horses. They travelled till dark. "It was and ordeal for my mother with a young baby and three others" (Maryborough Chronicle). The neighbour Mr McLiver let them stay overnight. "Mr McLiver gave us our first taste of wild plums or congerines which grew lavishly along the water front" (Maryborough Chronicle). "We beat the sun the next morning to the beach, but when we caught sight of the blacks we went back quicker, than we came. However, we soon lost all fear of them and quite loved it all" (Maryborough Chronicle). The post office was one room of the dwelling they lived in. Pialba had a very small population. "At Nikenbah, Danish and German people who were wonderful farmers ...grew pineapples, bananas, citrus fruit and produce and vegetables which they carted in German wagons to Maryborough" (Maryborough Chronicle). The reader says that "Pialba was generally spoken of as the Bay, starting with the Pialba Hotel, there was a stretch for about half a mile to Mr Watson's house (which he had bought from Mr Boyle Martin)" about one mile to Mr Southerden's, with Mr McLiver's home next. The latter was care taker and butcher and conducted a one-room general grocery store. Then another half a mile or so was the Vernon Hotel kept by Mr Antcliffe, half a mile or so on was Mr Corser's residence and care takers cottage. That at the time constituted The Bay" (Maryborough Chronicle). She goes on to explain that Maryborough people bought seaside houses and these filled in between the above mentioned buildings. Torquay was started by a Mr W. Bennett who built a galvanised dwelling and a Mrs Bennett who conducted a small store and later a post office. Mr Wylie was put in charge of the post office. A German couple Mr and Mrs Scheffler started a farm and orchard around where Zephyr Street is now. When Mr Scheffler died, Mrs Scheffler oversaw a boarding house (Maryborough Chronicle). A cable test house where cables which crossed to Woody Island and Fraser Island were tested by the readers step father was next. "Further inland Sergeant King (retired) took up an area of grazing land, and with him lived his two sons, Nat and Tom. who entered the police force and who were called to help capture the Dora Dora Blackfellows who had run amok. Tom King helped to capture the Kelly Gang"(Maryborough Chronicle). Mr Bromiley began growing coffee on his farm at the back of where the Vernon hotel was. "My late husband, Duncan Martin was the first white child born at Pialba. This was in 1868".
The Mimosa or Cafe Mimosa has been a popular hang out spot for locals up until recently. Anne Scheu – Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland has posted a blog about this lovely cafe. Even in the 70s bands would play in the cafe and a reader remembers her teenage sisters going to the Mimosa to chat and listen to music.
The SLQ blog tells us Brothers Jim (Dimitris Anargeros) and George Andronicus and
their families built their position in the township based on the tradition that
people “go where they get quality, lowest prices, prompt attention, civility
and cleanliness”. Café Mimosa had a reception lounge above the café which was
large enough to host sporting teams, wedding receptions, musical events and the
Philharmonic choir during its practice sessions.
Irene Andronicus with her children, Katie, Ada and Mary, behind Cafe Mimosa Counter, Maryborough, 1930. From 32173 Andronicus Family photographs. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 32173-0001-0011.
Read the full State Library of Queensland blog here Do you remember the cafe? Do you have any photographs of events held there?
Tags: #Cafe #localhistory #Mimosa #Frasercoast Fraser Coast Libraries receives financial assistance
from the Queensland Government through State Library of Queensland.
