Queanbeyan & District - Land & People
“Mrs Soares has lately given birth to a boy but his palate is split into three and he has no roof to his mouth”. 1
“She has no milk and the child is a most pitiable object”, continued Emily Wilson Hutchison in her letter of 7 March, 1860 from her home in Queanbeyan to her family in England. 2
Hon. Sir Austin Chapman MP declared:
“… if any man were entitled to be known as the Father of Canberra, it was veteran Queanbeyan journalist John Gale.” 1
Charles Studdy Daley OBE wrote:
“… John Gale lived to see his vision realized when he attended the opening of Parliament in Canberra in 1927, and was presented to Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of York … who would wish to dispute his right to be acknowledged as The Father of Canberra.” 2
Sir Austin Chapman told AK Murray, editor of the Federal Pioneer Magazine:
“… Canberra… Many are accredited wrongly with the initiation of the movement for its establishment; but they cannot deny the author … [John Gale] the title of ‘The Father of Canberra’. The late Sir Austin Chapman acknowledged that to me.” 3
Hon Sir John Forrest, Federal Minister and Western Australian Premier
“… The late Sir John Forrest, representing Western Australia in those days opposed the choice of Canberra; but when chosen he wrote and acknowledged that it was mainly Mr Gale’s famous pamphlet on ‘Dalgety or Canberra, Which?‘ a brochure published in 1907, and distributed to every member of the Commonwealth’s seven Parliaments, and amongst other prominent members of the communiy – that won the day for Canberra.” 4
AK Murray, editor of Canberra’s Federal Pioneer Magazine, wrote:
“… Mr Gale is, first, the oldest living journalist in the English-speaking world; and secondly, by his persistent advocacy of Canberra as a site for a Capital City, has earned the title of ‘The Father of Canberra’.” 5
Queen Nellie Hamilton was an honoured guest at the Tharwa Bridge opening in March 1895.
The official photo of the Tharwa Bridge Opening, shows what a “grand” occasion this was and the importance of Queen Nellie Hamilton to the community and within the community, at that time:
‘ … after a photograph was taken of the group of distinguished persons present, among whom was Nellie the Aboriginal Queen, the military formed a background …’ 1
When expatriate and political activist and artistic satirist Caroline Ambrus dipped out of Queanbeyan and sought new pastures across the border, she thought she would get a better deal in community justice and consultation. 1
Instead of retiring on a political holiday away from the action she has spent the past six years on investigative journalism resulting in her recent addition to the art-political scene - a book aptly named “Capital Tyranny – Governance Gone Wrong”, 2
Indian Jugglers were performing at ‘The Harp of Erin Inn’ located in Macquoid Street, Queanbeyan, when one of their juggling team went missing in November 1861. 1
The missing Indian Juggler was about 40 years old and it was believed that he had been “murdered … shortly after giving a juggling performance”. 2
A body was found at White’s Saw-pit Gully, on 14 January, 1863 although it was never identified it was presumed to be the missing Juggler. 3
Places of worship were and still are art works in themselves, created as edifices to deity as examples of the faith, creativity and unusual work ethic and patronage that achieved the final result.
In some of the oldest places of worship in the world, the workers and perhaps some unbelievers painted and carved and decorated the timber and stone detail with their own perception of reality and imagination that included the strange and grotesque. 1
If not on the outside, religion has always been an opportunity for people to place something creative of themselves inside the buildings and the area the congregation faces is sometimes a feature wall, decorated with sculpture, paintings or stained glass windows – Queanbeyan’s Uniting Church, opened in 1994, is no exception. 2
Who will be the new Queanbeyan Mayor?
Anyone can have a go now that votary, Councillor and Mayor, Frank Pangallo has announced he will step down and move across the border into Canberra, ACT to further his political career
Who will have the numbers to take over and make over Queanbeyan City Council after 13 September, 2008 depends on how the people vote in the elections on election day and is purely hypothetical at present. 1
The two most popular Aboriginal meanings 1 for our town Queanbeyan are ‘clear water’ and ‘beautiful woman’ 2 but the pronunciation of Queanbeyan using the recorded phonic spelling made by white people during the early contact period, make the Aboriginal pronunciation less clear.
Cu-Um-bean is the phonetic spelling used by Stewart Mowle for ‘Queanbeyan’ and has credibility because of Mowle’s linguist skills in many Aboriginal languages and his long 70 years of close association with local Aboriginal people from 1838 when he was just 16 years of age until 1908 when he died aged 86 years. 3
With three Mayors in the family it is easy to understand why the ‘Land’ family are known locally as Queanbeyan’s Mayoral Family. 1
Edwin Land senior was born in 1827 at Devonshire, England and was 15 years of age when he arrived in Sydney Cove in 1842. 2
Over the following 80 years the name Edwin and Henry were popular family names but that is only part of the reason why this article about Edwin Henry Land, born 1858, will use his full name. 3
During the great depression of the 1930s four Aussie blokes met on the road and as they walked they kicked rocks and ate the dust that rose from under their feet. 1
As time passed and the long paddock stretched on and on with no opportunity of bludging 2 a bite to eat, the blokes dropped their swags under an old gum tree and each bloke remembered better times.