December News
Sunnybank/Cooper Plains Heritage Trail
Dutch Park at Cornerstone Living
Naming Quarry Park, Lillian Avenue, Salisbury
Soden Homestead
Sunnybank/Coopers Plains Heritage Trail
We submitted to Council via Cr Kim Marx’s office, a draft description for Council’s Heritage Trails in Sunnybank and Coopers Plains. We have confirmed that brochures about the Heritage Trails should be available at the Library and Local Ward Offices. We continue to advocate for QR codes in public places such as parks and active transport routes (bicycle paths, etc.). The Heritage Trails can be found on the BCC website. It’s a great resource – a veritable treasure trove of information!
Dutch Park & History Board
The park in the centre of Cornerstone Living on McKoy Street
We are urged Cr Marx’s, Runcorn Ward, to name the central park in Cornerstone Living development “Dutch Houses Park” as it is central to the original Dutch Housing Project. We asked that a board be erected in the park with its name, two photos and a basic history with a QR code. A draft of the history reads:
After the war, the ten hectares between Banoon and Coopers Plains Railway Stations this side of the line was the site of a significant public housing project in the early 1950s. Three-hundred concrete ‘Dutch Houses’ were constructed by the joint Australian-Dutch company, Concrete Developments Pty. Ltd. under contract to the Queensland Housing Commission. These houses were built from designs produced in The Netherlands during their post WWII recovery to address their housing shortage. Most of the materials and the machinery to make the concrete building blocks onsite were brought over from the Netherlands as were many of the labourers. The houses illustrate how QHC, established in 1945, sought to alleviate the housing shortage arising from Brisbane’s post-Second World War population growth and contributed to the City’s suburban development in the 1950s through collaboration with international contractors. Several examples remain nearby and a number of protected public houses are located on Lawford Street, Sunnybank, behind St Thomas Moore College.
The good news is that Cr Marx is all in favour of it and, with a petition signed by numerous local residents, it will go to Council’s first Committee meeting next year, on February 4th, for approval.
Naming Lillian Avenue Park
After receiving our research, Cr Steve Griffiths’ office created a petition to name the park at 313 Lillian Avenue, Salisbury “Quarry Park”. A history board is requested with this text:
In the 1930s, Beaudesert Road and Boundary Road in Coopers Plains were the only sealed bitumen roads in these outer communities. Salisbury expanded east along Lillian Avenue. At the time, all roads were constructed by hand with picks and shovels. Archie Hastie and Bob Cordingley were dray men who used drays to cart gravel from a quarry on this site to where the road gangs were working. It was slow and somewhat tedious work but eventually, due to their efforts, basic roads connected the small communities of Salisbury, Coopers Plains and Rocklea.
The ePetition will end on 13th December. It can be signed here: in person at Steve’s office at 2/122 Beaudesert Road, Moorooka or online a https://www.epetitions.brisbane.qld.gov.au/petition/view/pid/1390
Soden Homestead, Hungry Jacks, Salisbury
In 1869, the Soden family built a homestead on the site where Hungry Jacks, Salisbury now stands. The Sodens, who ran an Omnibus business, were significant contributors to the development of southern Brisbane. The homestead was dismantled in 1982 when Raiwena Road was put through for the Commonwealth Games (Roberts, B. 2005. A Closer Look at Coopers Plains, p. 29 – 30) CPHG has written to Hungry Jacks management to inquire as to whether they would be amenable to placing a memorial plaque at their entrance.
Newstead House renovations are complete! It’s a great time to visit!
Ongoing projects:
- Composition of a publication of the Origins of Coopers Plains from before British settlement (Moreton Bay Penal Colony) to promote Coopers Plains as the first crossroads of Brisbane.
- Plaques in Salisbury about the WWII Munitions Works, specifically the corner of Evans Road and Project Street in front of the still extant South Guard House. Also, recognition of the nearby Art Deco Rocklea Munitions Works Laboratory (former). Cr Griffiths’ support to be procured.
Events
Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
Saturday 21st of December at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting on this post below (if you can’t see the comment field, click the heading above). 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. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/