Queensland Parliament House foundation stone was laid in 1865.
Lucinda Bar memorializes Premier Samuel Griffiths’ Lucinda paddle steamer, which has a unique place in the formation of our Commonwealth.
We will join the 4pm free public tour of Parliament and adjourn for cocktails at the Bar when it opens at 5:30pm, followed by dinner at Stranger’s Restaurant from 6pm. The tour ends at 4:30pm so I invited our local member Peter Russo to meet us while we wait for the bar to open, but he declined. However, we are hopeful another member – possibly even the opposition leader – will appear for us. Date and Time: Friday February 9th at 4pm.
All visitors for tours should enter the parliamentary precinct via the Parliamentary Annexe Building, located on Alice Street (opposite William Street). Tours commence from the visitor information area located on the ground floor, inside the Annexe Building.
All visitors to Parliament House require government-issued photo identification.
If you intend to dine at Stranger’s Restaurant, please call and book: 3553 6386. Let them know you are with the Coopers Plains History Group and they will probably arrange a group table for us. The menu for Lucinda and Strangers’ can be seen here. I’m told no bookings are needed for the bar. Please RSVP by Wednesday February 7thfor the tour by commenting below (you may need to click the heading above to bring the comments field into view) or by texting a message to Simon 0405587988. We need to know numbers because there is a limit of 15 people on tour groups and it cannot be booked, so no more than 10 of us can join it. You may join us after the tour for cocktails and/or dining.
Monthly Meeting Tomorrow
January 20th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below. Agenda:
1. Heritage & Environment – proposed change of emphasis and name for CPHG up for discussion.
2. City & Qld centenary and bicentenary commemorations
3. Convict Camp
4. Dutch Houses
The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.
The January newsletter comes a little late but with some enticing news.
Dutch Houses Heritage Overlay
Good news. After years of raising the profile of the Dutch Houses in Coopers Plains; the City Council has confirmed that it will protect ‘a pocket’ of the houses. Cr Adam Allan stated in a letter to Dr Neville Buch on the 1st Dec, 2023, “I can advise that on 6 September 2022, Council decided to make a qualified state interest amendment to include over 230 proposed Local Heritage Places on the Heritage Overlay in Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan). This proposed amendment included the addition of a number of ‘Dutch Houses’ in Sunnybank. It is expected that Council will be undertaking community consultation on the proposed amendment in 2024.” Where this pocket is, is a mystery. Whether it includes 9 Macdevitt Street, CPs – the prime example CPHG has ear-marked – is unknown. Members and interested people are encouraged to engage in the consultation process when it occurs. A notice will appear this newsletter.
Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains video on YouTube by WalkaboutWithRob
We are very fortunate to have as aspect of our area featured on YouTube by local history documentary maker, Robert Braiden. It’s called “Brisbane’s VANISHING Suburb!” As I write, it’s already had 32K views and 253 comments. My comment, in brief, stated: “Great job, Rob … there other were building projects like this contracted out to foreign companies – the French in Zillmere and Chermside, the Swedish in Acacia Ridge and Ipswich and the Italians in Carina and Toowoomba. There are about 40 of the Dutch Houses outside the Cornerstone Living development. Whilst there is much to be desired in both the old and new iterations of development, the best one can say is that foundation engineering has improved. For more information and a petition, go to …. https://equanimity.blog/dutch-house-community-gardens/.”
Cowper’s Convict Camp Investigation update
Further work by our mapping and geo-referencing expert, Adrian O’Connor suggests the convict station or “Hut” may have been a bit closer to the mythical Musgrave Road area as rumored by local folklore and handed down oral history. This map shows it at the 859 Beaudesert Rd “Fortuna” factory.Dr Buch has drafted a paper summarizing this work for presentation and publication in an appropriate journal. Watch this space for an event showcasing this research. In recognition of this work, A Coopers Plains History Group Research Fund will be set up and either a grant applied for or donations called for in a crowd-funding campaign.
Queensland Bicentenary and BCC Centenary Commemoration Planning
Last month I met with the full committee of the Brisbane History Group and presented my concerns about the apparent absence of any official plans to commemorate Brisbane City Council’s centenary. I presented a draft letter for them to submit to the Lord Mayor. The committee is of a like mind and will act at a time of their choosing.
Heritage and Environment
To me, history is not, as Peter Turchin (Cliodynamicist) says, ‘just one damn thing after another’. There are patterns and from them we can learn. Therefore, history is not just about preserving the past for the sake of it, it is about the present and the future. It is also entwined with culture and ethnicity which is better embraced by the term ‘heritage’. The important work of preserving the past overlaps, for me, into prudent resource use and sustainability. This matters on a continent and planet straining under the demands of 8 billion people. I propose that we rename this group the Coopers Plains Heritage and Environment Group. I ask you to consider this and send in your feedback. saimoncole@gmail.com
Events
Parliament House and Lucinda Cafe Tour
The Lucinda Care in Queensland’s parliament house is named for Premier Griffiths’ paddle boat that played an important role in the Federation of Australia’s colonies into the world’s first and still only ‘continent for a nation and a nation for a continent’. Come and enjoy a tour of Parliament and cocktails in the cafe where some relics of the boat are preserved. Details to be announced.
Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
January 20th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by text to 0405587988. Thanks to the friendly and helpful staff of the Coopers Plains Library for printing out these newsletters and offering them to anyone who wants to keep in touch without going online. The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.
