Brisbane 100
Camp Columbia Symposium
Dutch Houses Park Opening

Brisbane 100 is the Brisbane-wide local history group organized Centenary commemoration of the formation of the Greater Brisbane City Council in 1925. A History Hub will be held in the Sherwood Room, Town Hall on October 1st. The Hub will tell the story of the creation of Greater Brisbane and major milestones since with installations for each of the shires that were amalgamated. Current History groups related to former Shires will represented by volunteers. Coopers Plains History Group will represent Yeerongpilly Shire. Volunteers are to be nominated by August 18th so if you have some knowledge of Yeerongpilly Shire, do please get in touch. The role of history group volunteers will be to answer questions visitors have about the old Shires or the subsequent history of the areas. History groups may also promote themselves with flyers.

List of Yeerongpilly Chairs – https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Yeerongpilly_Shire_Council

Dutch Houses Park Unveiling The park on McKoy Street, Coopers Plains in the Cornerstone Living area will be officially unveiled at the end of this month. We are preparing the event in conjunction with Cr Kim Marx’s office and the Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.

Events

Camp Columbia Symposium: Allied co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands

30th & 31st August
2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II in the Pacific—a defining moment in global history and in Brisbane’s legacy as a key Allied command centre.

For details, go to https://campcolumbia.com.au

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 16th of August at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by by commenting on this post below (if you can’t see the comment field, click the heading above). The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Moorooka History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 6th of September at 10am
St Brendan’s Church (entrance at the left hand side)
Hawtree Street, Moorooka
Please RSVP to confirm venue by text to Barbara on 0422 287 425. The Moorooka History Group meets 1st Saturday at 10am. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/moorooka-history-group/

Arthur Bennett Lewis
25 Rosedale Street

Arthur Bennett Lewis Last month’s newsletter mentioned Arthur Lewis. More information has since come to light from his neighbour, Wally McLean. 21 Hammersmith Street is where Arthur Bennett Lewis (1920 – 2013) lived with his wife Pearl. They built the house in 1941. Next door at number 19 was the very first house in Hammersmith Street, built by his parents John and Alice Lewis in about 1900. They were the first of the early settlers to buy land and build a humpy in 1996 in the subdivision of the Soden’s large block, on the corner of Hammersmith and Orange Grove Road. They used Stable Swamp Creek nearby to wash their clothes. After Arthur and Pearl died, Beverly and Keith Wardle lived next door to Wally. Apparently Arthur helped build Wall’s Farmhouse adjoining the property on Nyleta Street.

Wally

Arthur and Pearl Lewis’s home today

25 Rosedale Street This now derelict house in front of Coopers Plains railway station was built in around 1905 and probably belonged to a wealthy family. Contrary to some rumours, it wasn’t the station masters’ office, according to owner Dennis Weisz, which was on the other side of the rail line. Born 1954, Dennis had a battle with Council to stop heritage listing during Lord Mayor Jim Soorely’s tenure.

Events

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 19th of July at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by by commenting on this post below (if you can’t see the comment field, click the heading above). The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Moorooka History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 2nd of August at 10am
St Brendan’s Church (entrance at the left hand side)
Hawtree Street, Moorooka
Please RSVP to confirm venue by text to Barbara on 0422 287 425. The Moorooka History Group meets 1st Saturday at 10am. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/moorooka-history-group/

St David’s Autumn Festival & Chrome Street Fiesta
Rocklea Station
Sunnybank Absorbed
Lewis Hill Neighbours

St David’s Autumn Festival. We were at this event and thanks to Barbara for setting up and minding the information stand where many people stopped for a chat and some very interesting reminiscences. We had flyers available and some books for sale.

Chrome Street Fiesta. It was a very wet day, so the History Walk was cancelled, but we found a great spot inside the FoodConnect Shed that was quiet and cosy. Dr Neville Buch joined Barbara and I, so visitors had three historians’ minds to pick.

Rocklea Station. This 1885-1914 waiting shelter dates back to when the Yeerongpilly to Beenleigh line was put through. It was preserved thanks only to the efforts of Railway Preservation Society of Queensland and incorporated into the 2022 upgrade as part of the Cross River Rail project. CRR would have trashed it and now, disgracefully, their online page does not credit the RPSQ at all! Local resident, Max Hooper recorded the story in the Southern Brisbane Suburban Forum’s Facebook page.

Sunnybank District History Group. Our group’s Area Map now takes in Sunnybank. Some of the archives from the SDHG were transferred to our collection at the library.

Arthur Lewis Place.  A group in Coopers Plains has been formed to represent the interests of residents in what is known locally as Lewis Hill. At the southwest corner lies a small park named Arthur Lewis Place. Arthur Bennett Lewis was the last of the 11 children born to John and Alice (nee Waite) Lewis who were the first of the early settlers to buy and build a home in the subdivision of the Soden’s large block, on the corner of Hammersmith and Orange Grove Road.

Events

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 21st of June at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)
All welcome. Please RSVP by text to 0491 737 603. The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/

Royal Historical Society of Queensland

A Dart Centenary – Professor Raymond Dart and the Origins of Humanity
Friday, 20th June, 8:30am start at 308 Queen Street
Professor Raymond Dart, discoverer of the species of pre-homo Australopithecus africanus. Will discuss his findings on the Taung Child, uncovered in South Africa. His article was groundbreaking and a huge leap forward in our collective understanding of the origins of humanity.
For more information, or to reserve your spot, call (07) 3221 4198 or follow the link:
https://raymonddartcentenary.

Moorooka History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 5th of July at 10am
St Brendan’s Church (entrance at the left hand side)
Hawtree Street, Moorooka
Please RSVP to confirm venue by text to Barbara on 0422 287 425. The Moorooka History Group meets 1st Saturday at 10am. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/moorooka-history-group/

Victory Park
Sunnybank District History Group

Victory Park.  Moorooka History Group and CPHG met at Cr Griffiths’ office to discuss the building of a shelter shed and history boards at Victory Park, cnr Beaudesert and Evans Roads.  We were given parameters for photos and text that can go on about 3 or 4 boards, telling the story of Moorooka and it’s war time associations, its Aboriginal history, settler history and transport. Barbara and I went and scouted the park for a suitable location. We found a clearing between Gratwick and Beulah Streets that is a flood-free and a short walk along Cutler Street to nearby Moorooka Playground Park.

Later in the meeting I flagged all the history projects that will raise the historical profile of Coopers Plains; these are itemized on Our History and in previous Newsletters.

Sunnybank District History Group. SDHG became inactive some years ago. Archives from the SDHG were transferred to us last week and are now stored with our own in the library’s cupboards. At the next meeting (May 17th, 4pm – see below), one agenda item will be whether or not to absorb the area into CPHG. It is our group’s custom to steward history activity in Coopers Plains and its surrounding suburbs, of which Sunnybank is one – in fact the only one we don’t include in our homepage map.

There are some great events happening this month.

Events

Meet Jack Sim – Ghosts of South Brisbane Cemetery

Jack Sim, local historian, draws on his collected history, folklore and tales to unveil the haunted heritage of the second largest cemetery in Queensland through stories of those buried there, their ghosts and where they haunt. Join Jack as he shares in these stories and much more. Books will be available for purchase, or bring your copy from home to be signed. Suitable for young adults, Adults (30+), Seniors. Free. Bookings essential. To reserve your place, visit Eventbrite or call the library on 34031530.
Sat 10 May, 10:00am – 11:00am
Coopers Plains Library

The Moreton Bay Settlement Conference –
Celebrating 200 Years Since the Relocation of the Colony from Redcliffe to the Brisbane River

Saturday, 17th May 2025, 8:30am – 4pm

Join us on Saturday 17th May for a day jampacked full of historical talks at the Commissariat Store! Talks will centre around the early colony with topics ranging from convicts, soldiers, botany, medicine, and more.
For more information, or to reserve your spot, please follow the link:
https://moretonbayconference.eventbrite.com.au

CPHG Information Stall at St David’s Neighbourhood Centre Autumn Festival stall – Call for helpers,

Saturday 17th May 2025, 8:30am – 12:30pm

This is always a big, fun day and we need some kind people to help Barbara with our information stall. Please get in touch by commenting on this post below (if you can’t see the comment field, click the heading above).
The Festival is open to all – just rock up!
https://www.facebook.com/share/16Uan96KUD/

Chrome St Fiesta.
Saturday, 31st of May from 2pm

CPHG & MHG will lead a history walk around the area. We will have a table of information and we need volunteers to help mind it and answer questions. Any assistance is appreciated. Please contact us at 0491 737 603.
https://www.facebook.com/ChromeStFiesta/

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
Saturday 17^th of May 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).  The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Moorooka History Group Monthly Meeting
Saturday 7^th of June at 10am
St Brendan’s Church (entrance at the left hand side)
Hawtree Street, Moorooka

Please RSVP to confirm venue by text to Barbara on 0422 287 425. The Moorooka History Group meets 1^st Saturday at 10am. https://coopersplainshistory.bshn.org/moorooka-history-group/

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.

CPHG Talking About ‘Dutch Houses Park’

Tune into to Kat Feeney’s Queensland Afternoons

CPHG Chair, Simon Cole will answer Kat’s questions about our latest success – the naming of a park in Coopers Plains after the mid 20th Century Dutch Houses project.

Monday 14th at about 1:20pm
ABC Radio Brisbane broadcasts on 612 AM.

Special thanks goes to Cr Kim Marx (Runcorn Ward) and Mr Paul Budde, Chair, Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.

Brisbane’s Dutch migration heritage recognised

The Coopers Plains and Sunnybank areas will soon see a key part of their rich migration history recognised, with Brisbane City Council supporting the naming of a park on McKoy Street in Coopers Plains to ‘Dutch Houses Park’. The decision marks a significant step in acknowledging the post-World War II Dutch Housing Project—one of the most unique examples of international collaboration in Brisbane’s suburban development.

Following a proposal by the Coopers Plains History Group and supported by the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre, Council has agreed that the new park name will honour the legacy of the Dutch-designed concrete houses built in the early 1950s. These houses were part of a joint initiative between the Queensland Housing Commission and the Dutch-Australian company Concrete Developments Pty. Ltd.

Over 300 homes were constructed as part of this ambitious housing solution for Brisbane’s rapidly growing post-war population. Designed and manufactured using innovative materials and construction techniques imported from the Netherlands, the houses introduced Dutch building methods to Brisbane. Today, about 70 of these homes still stand in Sunnybank and Coopers Plains and remain a powerful symbol of Brisbane’s post-war migration story. While only a handful are in private hands as cherished homes, some are still public housing owned by the state government.

Six of these publicly owned Dutch Houses, located near Lawford Street in Sunnybank, have been nominated for inclusion on the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register, despite alterations having been made to them. This proposed listing would help ensure their protection and ongoing recognition for future generations.

While ideally a commemorative park would be placed closer to this cluster of heritage-nominated homes, Brisbane City Council has acknowledged that few naming opportunities exist in the area. As McKoy Street Park sits within the original boundary of the Dutch Housing Estate, and retains a strong historical link to the project, it has been selected as the most suitable site for this lasting tribute.

“This initiative is a great example of how local stories of migration and lessons about globalized development can be preserved and shared in our public spaces,” said Simon Cole, Chair of the Coopers Plains History Group.

“We’re delighted that Council has recognised the historical importance of this unique housing project. The park renaming, together with the proposed heritage listings, helps tell a broader story about how post-war migration shaped Brisbane’s suburbs,” added Paul Budde, Chair of the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.

The naming of the park will be accompanied by interpretive signage outlining the historical significance of the Dutch Housing Project and its role in shaping Brisbane’s southern suburbs. The park will serve as a focal point for residents, visitors, and future generations to reflect on the area’s diverse and vibrant history.

For further background:

Read more about the Dutch Housing Project and the proposed heritage listings here:
👉 Six Dutch Houses in Brisbane Proposed for Heritage Protection

👉Stories of Preserving the Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains

Media Contact:
Simon Cole – Chair, Coopers Plains History Group   saimoncole@gmail.com
Paul Budde – Chair, Dutch Australian Cultural Centre  paul@paulbudde.com 0418438183

Council Response to Park Naming
Ongoing Projects

Council Response to renaming Lillian Avenue Park

At the invitation of Cr Steve Griffiths, we submitted a petition to Council calling for Lillian Avenue Park in Salisbury to be renamed Quarry Park. The park is at 313 Lillian Avenue next to the Salisbury Baptist Church. The Council is asking for information that meets its Parks Naming Procedure.  The historical records and neighbours show it was a quarry used to extract gravel to build local roads. One issue is the need to distinguish the park from other parks of a similar name. Our suggestions are Salisbury Quarry Park and Lillian Quarry Park.

We are still waiting on Council’s response to our call and petition to name McKoy Street Park, Dutch Houses Park.

Dr Neville Buch has been lobbying local government on the issue of affordable insurance PLI for incorporated associations.

Simon has been working with Barbara Ravenswood, Chair of Moorooka History Group on draft text for a history board at Victory Park, corner of Evans and Beaudesert Roads.

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 crossroad of Brisbane. The online news source brisbansuburbseonlinenews.com.au has offered a monthly column.
• 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. History board at Soden Place where Aldi and Hungry Jacks currently sits. Cr Griffiths’ support to be procured.

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting
Saturday 15^th of March 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 their assistance. The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3^rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.

Council Responds to Heritage Submission
Ongoing Projects

Council Responds to Heritage Submission

We submitted to Council’s review of the Qualified State Interest Amendment-Heritage back in June, supporting the proposed protection of five properties in Salisbury (including the factory at 11 Engineering Road) and six Dutch Houses in Coopers Plains behind St Thomas Moore College. We called for protection of two much better and original examples on McKoy Street and Macdevitt Street that are more accessible, but this was rejected. The proposed protections now go to the State government for approval.

This aerial photo of the former Rocklea Munitions Works Laboratory at 21 Engineering Street, Salisbury, shows the heritage protected part of the building, which is all that remains of it now. The extensions on the western side have been demolished. Image from Brisbane Heritage Trails.

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 former Rocklea Munitions Works Laboratory, the only building with an exterior design flair (aerial image above) in the munitions area. Cr Griffiths’ support to be procured.

Events

Coopers Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

Saturday 18th of January 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.

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 13^th 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/