Recognizing Queensland’s Bicentenary
Origins Project
Events

History groups around Brisbane (including ours) are marking the very beginnings of our state with events and conferences. We are building up our ability to hold information stalls at events. Our efforts to engage local and state government is bearing some fruit.

Recognizing Queensland’s Bicentenary

The CPHG-led letter to the Premier and Opposition Leader calling for action to commemorate the founding of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony in 1824 got no reply – until this week. Just as I was beginning to draft and submit the petition to parliament, I was invited to speak with the opposition spokesperson for heritage, Mr Sam O’Connor. The Shadow Minister for the Environment is a member of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland. I will report back on our meeting in the next newsletter. So far, no word from the Premier, so the petition will go ahead.

I attended a Wednesday lunchtime presentation at the RHSQ’s home, the Commissariat Store on William Street by Professor John Pearn. “The Moreton Bay Settlement 1824 Bicentenary”. Last week at the New Farm Historical Society, Tamsin O’Connor gave a very eloquent presentation describing how the Brisbane (Moreton Bay Settlement) centenary was celebrated in 1924.

Origins Project

The Origins Project is now on our website. It will also be in print form at our information stalls.

I spoke to Cr Griffiths (Moorooka Ward) about marking significant sites with informative plaques and he is supportive. We have his office to thank for printing some of the material for our event on Saturday 11th. Cr Marx (Runcorn Ward) is also receptive to the idea of placing plaques in front of two of the best examples of the Dutch Houses. We missed the deadline for the Lord Mayor’s history grant so we’ll now have to wait until July. Annerley Stephens History Group has offered to auspice our application. In the spirit of Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3), I will visit kuril dahgun, the Aboriginal meeting place at the State Library Queensland, to connect with any knowledge-bearers of the Coopers Plains area.

Events

Bicentenary Events happening around Brisbane:

Saturday 7th September – Wunya Ngulum Welcome Everyone: The Moreton Bay Bicentennial Commemoration. History Redcliffe is working with the Royal Historical Society of Queensland and Bribie Island Historical Society to present a one day conference. The cost is $65 and includes lunch and loads of wonderful presentations and loads of inclusions in the conference satchel. PO Box 370 Redcliffe Qld 4020

Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th September – Representations of Meanjin and Moreton Bay 1824-2024: A Bicentennial Symposium. Griffith University and the Harry Gentle Resource Centre will be hosting a two-day symposium at the Ship Inn, South Bank. See harrygentle.griffith.edu.au

State Library Queensland blog series commemorating the 200th anniversary of John Oxley first entering Maiwar, the Brisbane River.

Commonwealth Day in the Park

Our biggest event to date – coinciding with the first opening of Federal Parliament – an opportunity to introduce our group to the community and provide fun, educational material for all ages. Saturday 11^th of May 12 – 3pm, Beryl Roberts Park. We’ll also have an information stall at St David’s Autumn Festival from 8:30 – 11:45. Volunteers needed. Thank you to Peter Russo MP and Graham Perrett MP for assistance.

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 18^th of May at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below. 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 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Saturday May 11th from 12 noon

Marking a significant day in the calendar – the anniversary of the First Opening of Federal Parliament.

Do come along and enjoy a day out at Beryl Roberts Park, Barham St., Coopers Plains.

Volunteers needed on the day – please contact us.

We’ll also be at St David’s Neighbourhood Centre in the morning.

Event

Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
April 20^th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below (if the field isn’t there, click on this post’s heading and try again). 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 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Items on tomorrow’s agenda include:

• Origins Project grant auspicing and application
• Marketing materials for two up-coming outdoor events:
• Commonwealth Day Saturday May 11th and OCCA Peaks to Point Family Day Sunday 21st July
• Bicentennial petition to state government

Coopers Plains Origin Project Update
Heritage & Environment

Origin Project – incorporating the Dutch Houses

We are waiting on word from St David’s Neighbourhood Centre as to whether we will be auspiced for an application to Brisbane City Council’s Lord Mayor’s Better Suburb Grants. This is essential because our group is not a legal entity as such with a bank account. Once that assurance is given, the grant will apply for funds to cover expenses incurred by our plans to promote the area as the First Crossroad of Moreton Bay Penal Colony as part of this year’s Bicentenary of Queensland’s conception. That will include authoring the investigation into the ‘Cowper’s Convict Government Camp’ or ‘Hut’, its publication and presentation for education to the wider community, a cairn monument to be erected in the vicinity of the Hut, plaques around the suburb at historically significant locations (aided by our local Ward representative) and marketing material for our group. We need marketing material to, for example, hold an information stall at Oxley Creek Catchment Association’s Peaks to Point Family Day opening event this year on Sunday 21 July at the Oxley Creek Common.

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, we identified 4 McKoy Street, Coopers Plains as a much better Dutch House to set aside for public access in the form of a history cafe. Better, that is, than 9 Macdevitt Street where OCCA is currently housed. in the Cornerstone Living area. However, it is privately owned by small-time investors, which makes any possibility of public access very difficult. Therefore our strategy now is to call on City Council to place an information plaque in front of both Dutch Houses (at Macdevitt and McKoy Streets) describing their unique place in Brisbane’s public housing and migrant history. This will be pursued by the Coopers Plains History Group as part of the Origin Project.

Heritage and Environment

At our March meeting, my call to add Heritage and Environment as a subtitle to our group was approved. It now appears on our homepage.  It states that “We include heritage and environmental concerns in our critique of the past, present and future.” This brings our group’s interests and concerns into the modern era. It is fitting, also, that our first public information stall with proper marketing material will be at OCCA’s Family Day, which “invites catchment, bushcare, community, history and wildlife groups as well as local businesses that have a focus on environment to host an activity or have a stall.”

Neighbour Day

Sunday, March 31st saw our group attempt to host an information stall at Beryl Roberts Park as part of Relationships Australia’s Neighbour Day of Action. Local realtor, Smith & Li has promised us a banner and flyers, but unfortunately their printing machine ran out of ink. Mr Smith has promised to send out a promotional flyer throughout the suburb to give our group exposure. He has also promised to provide us with a pull-up banner showing our logo:

Events

Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
April 20^th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below (if the field isn’t there, click on this post’s heading and try again). 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 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Changed Start Time – 10AM

Neighbour Day Sunday – 31st of March at Beryl Roberts Park

Apologies for the late notice, but our stall at the Neighbour Day tomorrow will begin at 10 am with Easter celebrations. It will go until 11am or longer, depending on numbers.

There will be a free sausage sizzle, Easter Egg bags for the kids and a prize for the best Bunny Ears on the day (a template was letterbox-dropped last week you can use if you want).

Coopers Plains History Group will have an exciting display and Fruitful Suburb will be there with produce to share. Please feel free to bring along your won and share it with the community.

The late notice is a result of the rain disrupting our plans. We look forward to see you tomorrow.

Neighbour Day Stall

We will meet at the usual time and place this month.

March 23^rd Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below (if the field isn’t there, click on this post’s heading and try again). 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 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Neighbour Day Stall – Sunday March 31st from 11am Beryl Roberts Park

Relationships Australia‘s big annual event is Neighbour Day which I have been hosting annually in Coopers Plains for about 6 years.  This year, local realtor Smith & Li is supporting the event to make it bigger than ever in Beryl Roberts Park.  They are very kindly providing our history group with marketing material – a poster and flyers – for us to promote our group at our own stall.  We need volunteers to mind the stall and answer inquiries.  Very simple really and a fun way to meet locals.  If you can help please either comment below, come to our meeting this Saturday.  Smith & Li are providing advertising, equipment and refreshments on the day.  There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddies, sausage sizzle, drinks and a Fruitful Suburbs sharing market where you can bring your excess garden produce or crafts to give away and take a morsel of what might suit your needs, for free. Bring a generous spirit (:>).

Our DL flyer:

Our Poster:

Letter to the Premier & Opposition Leader

The following letter was sent yesterday and 27 Brisbane history and cultural groups were included:

While a positive response is anticipated, a state government ePetition and paper petition will be launched, coordinated and promoted to give added impetus to the campaign. The petitions will close in November, after the state election in October.

Cooper Plains Origins Project
Dutch History Cafe Projects
More Local Support

We skipped last month’s meeting and this newsletter comes 2 weeks late due to personal reasons the Chair has had to endure. Project business stalled. Nonetheless, there have been some minor developments regarding external support, the Dutch Houses and the Convict Camp.

Parliament House and Lucinda Bar Tour

The small contingent of members and fans who joined the tour of Parliament were impressed and pleased with it. We learnt a lot and were proud to find our very own former President Beryl Roberts’ book He Made His Mark – Joshua Jeays enshrined in the foyer display cabinet. Thus so because he designed the building.

Coopers Plains Origin Project

No progress to report on this but I was giving my neighbour a little history tour down Musgrave Road when we noticed a carefully maintained pile of rocks next to the WaterEquip factory on Stable Swamp Creek.  This is uncannily close to the legendary Convict Camp ‘Hut’.  It’s surrounded by fencing but open to the public.  It could be just flood-mitigation.  If anyone can put us out of our mistery, please do.

Dutch House History Cafe Project

A small group of my neighbours are interested in supporting the history cafe project, so I took them for a tour and viewing of 9 Macdevitt Street and 4 McKoy Street. Their skills include carpentry, glazing, building, pizza-oven chef, barista, manicurist, accounting and computing. Between us, we can do this.

We collectively agreed that 4 McKoy Street is the superior candidate because of its prime location front, centre and overlooking the Cornerstone Living McKoy Park where there is some street parking. It is also in better condition and very original.

Local MP Peter Russo responded to our inquiry into the current ownership of the properties saying they did not belong to the Department of Housing. This isn’t particularly helpful because we know 9 Macdevitt Street is being sold by the developer back to the housing department; it probably hasn’t finalized. I made inquiries about 4 McKoy Street and it appears to be privately owned and rented.

Local support from Smith & Li

Real estate agent Jon Smith has kindly offered to provide us with some marketing materials. We will have a stall, banner and flyers ready to display at Neighbour Day in Beryl Roberts Park on Sunday 31^st around midday. Do come along.

Events

Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

March 23^rd Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below (if the field isn’t there, click on this post’s heading and try again). 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 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

The CPHG February Meeting is cancelled.

The March meeting will held on Saturday 16th at 4pm at Coopers Plains Library meeting room.

Heritage & Environment
Cooper Plains Origins, Dutch History Cafe Projects
Parliament & Lucinda Bar Tour

This month includes thoughts on our group’s focus, an event and progress on the Convict Camp and Dutch House History Cafe projects.

Heritage and Environment

At last month’s meeting, I promised to provide an explanation to members of my proposal to broaden the group’s scope. I suggested our focus include not just the past, but the cultural dimensions of history and the ecosystems that affect how we live today. I think of the first part as heritage, or legacies. We are all a product of the actions of those that went before us. We are both blessed and burdened by them and we are responsible for how we manage these bequests and legacies and how we use them to inform our future actions.
In preserving our architecture and documenting the changes in our landscape, there is opportunity to leave a better environment for future generations. Future development should learn from and improve upon past experience, from indigenous knowledge to the mid-century Dutch Housing project. Development should incorporate existing robust and retrofittable buildings such as the Dutch Houses. What is not deemed salvageable can be replaced with higher density, better designed structures.
In July last year, I proposed – and the group agreed – to change the group’s name by dropping the word ‘Local’. There were various reasons for this, but one was brevity. To maintain this, I am now asking the group to agree to a subtitle to our branding – “Heritage and Environment”. More information is in a News post this month on our website entitled “Heritage and Environment”. Please send in your feedback by commenting on that news post or below (you may need to click this post’s heading to bring the comments field up).

Coopers Plains Origin Project and Dutch House History Cafe Project

Further progress towards the application for two grants is being made. CPHG will apply to the Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Community Facilities grant for funds so set up a Dutch House History Cafe. Another application is being prepared under the Community Support category to provide funds for the Coopers Plains Origin Project. This includes the work already done to locate Dr Cowpers’ Convict Camp which will be written up, published and presented in conjunction with the commemoration activities of Queensland’s Bicentenary this year. This, we hope, will also see more educational signage around our area and promote Coopers Plains as the “First Crossroad of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony”.  Possible auspicing organizations include St David’s Neighbourhood Centre and the Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.  CPHG has also taken a leading role in lobbying the state and local government to be more active in commemorating both Queensland’s origins and the Brisbane City Council’s amalgamation nearly 100 years ago.

Events

Parliament House and Lucinda Bar Tour

Date and Time: Friday February 9th at 4pm.
RSVPs for the event close on Monday 5th. Please see HERE for details.

Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

February 17th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below.  Thanks to the friendly and helpful staff of the Coopers Plains Library for printing out 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.