NEWS
One of Ross Garnett’s duties as president of the New Farm and Districts Historical Society is to field questions from near and far from those who used to live in the suburb.
A typical inquirer phoned from Canberra recently to say her husband was once commanding officer of the Naval Reserve at HMAS Moreton. In fact, both of their sons had been baptised in HMAS Moreton’s Chapel.
Ross quickly discovered that her real question was about her grandmother who passed away in the 1930s at The Laurels private hospital in New Farm. “I have never been able to find its location,” she told him.
According to Ross, other calls are from people who just want to express their appreciation for the suburb, such as the lady who explained that the best six months of her life were spent in New Farm before “I had to return to boring old Chapel Hill”.
Sometimes the caller is the one who provides valuable snippets of historical intelligence.
One such caller told Ross she had been adopted by “Nurse Austin”. She was alluding to Nurse Mary Jane Austin’s Maternity Hospital which once stood behind the Village Twin theatre in Barker Street.
She told Ross that if he looked closely at the photo of the lady hosing the garden on page 88 of Reflections on New Farm, that was indeed Nurse Austin herself.
Ever since the historical society started in 1994, there’s been a steady flow of photos, documents and
anecdotes from historically minded folk.
“But once we published Reflections on New Farm, the flow turned into a torrent,” Ross said. “That’s why we’re updating our methods of archiving material. We’ll soon be better prepared for all sorts of “gold” to aficionados of past events.
Denise Buckby, one of the history society’s committeewomen and onsite manager of Freshwater was delighted to hear a caller announce she was a descendant of William Ruddle, “the earliest known owner of your Freshwater site”.
Not only this, but the caller offered to show Denise a trove of photographs and heirlooms, and had contacted another branch of the family.
“History isn’t just about past dates and places,” she told Denise. “It’s about people and that’s why I love it so much.”
Considering that the name Ruddle is connected with the Royal George Hotel and one of the Valley’s early photographers, you are sure to hear more about that story in 2011. Meanwhile if you’re still wondering where The Laurels used to be, it was on Brunswick Street near Harcourt Street.
The fire that damaged the private hospital in 1928 left a nearby vacant allotment on which “Avalon Flats” was soon to be built.
“Reflections on New Farm quickly answers most of our far-flung inquiries,” Ross Garnett says, “So if you have friends or relatives who used to call New Farm home, then here’s a book that they will treasure."
Above: Before Coronet Court on Brunswick Street was built in the early 1930s, architect Richard Gailey Jr chose the spot for his residence. (The Queenslander, 1922, courtesy of Russell Duncan)
Disclaimer: This article was kindly provided by the book’s authors which in no way detracts from Reflections being a bloody good read and a fine Xmas present. - EDITOR
