Dot-point Summaries No.1:

RICHLANDS/ SPRINGFIELD INDIGENOUS & NON-INDIGENOUS HISTORY

Ray KerkhoveEnoggera 2014

A. INDIGENOUS SITES (OVERVIEW)

1. Old Pathways

- Old Ipswich Road cuts through Richlands (Richlands, Inala History 2005)

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- Old Logan Road pathway to east of region probably significant (Mynott 2009: 8)

- Woogaroo Station important crossroads for tracks west to Darling Downs, and south-east to Coopers Plains (Kaeys 2006)

2. Inala/ Durack sites (closest camps to Richlands)

- St Mary's Primary School/ Church area (Fones 2006:6)- Oxley Golf Club area (“several camps” on hills spotted by Fraser 1828) (Gammon et al, 1988)

3. Kertes Road Camira bora ground (adjoins Springfield)

- Kertes Road end Camira – 180ms SW lay smaller ring (Subd 36 of 53 on S1328) (Satterswait 1992: Table 1.1)

4. Gailes/ Goodna/ Redbank sites

- Ceremonial site: Southside of Old Logan Road & Brisbane road intersection, Gailes – (oral local residents’ tradition) large tree marked spot but now developed (Sattherswait 1992:Table 1.1 )

- Camp: flat south of Goodna Railway Station below Bertha St (Sattherswait 1992: Table 1.1 ) - original source written = Teague

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- Major camp: Goupong (Namatjira) Park/ Rifle Range, Redbank – above Goodna Creek opposite park within west boundary of rifle range – many artefacts – large camp=- 1000ms square Aboriginal oral tradition –presence of artefacts corroborates oral tradition People were moved from here to Ripley then Deebing Creek – Bob Anderson (record-breaking runner) born here 1885 (Sattherswait 1992: Table 1.1 & 3.9); permanent camp and crossroads where the main track from South Brisbane via Cowper’s (now Cooper’s) Plains met the track to the Darling Downs (Kaeys 2006)

- Ceremonial grounds – Railway workshops Redbank – oral Aboriginal & written – reference to gathering – oral = bora – CM Welsby 1930 describes 1870 flat near Redbank Hotel large gathering – within current railway complex – game plentiful – can’t locate on contour 098K (Satterswait 1992: 3.10; Six Mile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014)

- Camp & gathering: Ward’s reserve (up to 100) now Greenwood Village/ Village Road, Redbank Plains (Redbank Plains Pioneer has Many Memories, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 30 April 1947: 7 

5. Springfield/ Woogaroo Creek (artifactscatters)

- Two artefactscatters: towardsjunction Oppossom &Woogaroo Creek (SixMile Woogaroo andGoodna Creek 2014)

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- Artefact scatter:1 km east of Eden Station (Joseys' property, Springfield) (Six Mile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek 2014)

6. White Rock/ Spring Mountain (nearby)

- Area of mythic ceremonial significance (White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

- White Rock = Women’s area – called Nugum/ Boogun (Dog) (White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

- Dreaming connects to Ivory’s Rock, Flinder’s Peak & Camira bora ground (White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

- Artworks once in White Mountain caves(White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

- Artworks once at Spring Mountain (White Rock-Spring Mountain20??)

- Artifact scatters below (north of) White Mountain - between Six Mile Creek and Bundamaba Creeks – on ridgeline , and along Six Mile Creek (White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

- Once a refuge (hideaway?) for Aboriginal people (White Rock-Spring Mountain 20??)

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7. Inala: Contemporary Site

- Kev Hooper Park, Inala- important contemporary Indigenous gathering places – associated with bush games,recreation etc for community for decades (Greenop 2009: 15) NB this is very close (once part of?) the former Inala campsite.

B. INDIGENOUS HISTORY OVERVIEW

1. 1830s-1850s: Early clashes

- 1843: “Woogaroo Tribe” numbered c 40 & “Ipswich tribe” numbered 150 (Sattherwait 1992: 2-9)

- Uncle Marney (leader of raids) caught @ Redbank 1846 (Country News (From the Moreton Bay Courier, August 8), The Australian (Sydney) 22 August 1846 p 4 )

- (Vicinity of Ipswich/ Goodna): Woodend raided & Raceview:purported poisoning (Satterswait 1992: 2-8)

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- Sentry boxes erected on “plateau” of Ipswich to keep watch(Sattherswait 1992: 2-8)

- Tinker” Campbell (connected with Multuggerah) settled heremid-1850s & started coal industry The Campbell Family, The Brisbane Courier 15 June 1918 p 12

- Blacks regularly driven out of town (Ipswich, Redbank) bypolice 1850s-1860s; settler kept guard dog back door in case of sneaking in (Old Ipswich. Mr. J. Weldon’s Memories Queensland Times (Ipswich) 8 November 1924: 7) 

2. 1841-1850s: Dr Simpson's (Aboriginal Protector's) base @ Woogaroo

- Woogaroo - ‘whirling around’, suggestive of a whirlpool inthe river (Kaeys 2006)

- Woogaroo Station important crossroads Downs/ Coopers Plains (Kaeys 2006)

- Aboriginals visit from many places (Mynott 2009: 8 )

- Convicts James Davis (or ‘Duramboi’), and David Bracewell,(‘Wandi’) – wild white men/ translators for Indigenous - help build Woolston House (Kaeys 2006)

- Aboriginal horse theft from Woogaroo – escape along Old Ipswich Road (now Richlands) – pass Oxley Creek to re-capture The "Queenslander" Reminiscent. Looking Back Fifty Years. (A Review of the "Queenslander" of May 26, 1866.) TheQueenslander 27 May 1916 p 3 

- Aboriginals “numerous” to 1860s-1870s Mrs. H. Finney. TheBrisbane Courier 22 June 1933 p 13

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3. 1864 - 1900s: Wacol Asylum

- batches of Aboriginal inmates sent here Aboriginal Reserveat Durundur. To the Editor., The Brisbane Courier 1 May 1903 p 5

- from all over Queensland

- including important elders- locals worry about black escapees Aboriginal Reserve at Durundur.

(To the Editor., The Brisbane Courier 1 May 1903 p 5)

4. 1865: Native Police move to Woogaroo (Simpson’s)

- to protect Albert, Logan and western areas (NB this is their "swansong years")

5. 1880s: Aboriginal work at Forest Lake (Durack) & elsewhere

- Forest Lake area: Michael Stumpy Durack 1882 – prospered from Aboriginal and Kanaka labour (Kucer-Dolan 1998: 3)

- Mr Bishop “encounters” (clashes?) whilst farming round Redbank ( Mr. C Bishop. The Brisbane Courier 18 August 1931 p 10)

6. 1889: Deebing Creek (Ipswich) set up

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- absorbing many local Jaggera etc. (Habermann 2003)

- has scores by 1890s (Habermann 2003)

- Industrial school etc set up by 1900

7. 1910: Purga Mission

- Inmates from Deebing Creek sent to (Habermann 2003)

8. 1950s/1960s: Inala (Housing Commission area)

- Mid-1950s Aboriginals amongst first to settle Housing Commissions (Greenop 2008: 30)

- By early 1960s many Aboriginals moving to new housing Acacia Ridge & Inala – often from WWII Negro serviceman’sarea in South Brisbane (Jensen 2010)

C. GENERAL HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

1.Exploration (1823-1828)

- Oxley, Fraser, Logan, Cunningham, Lockyer (Kaeys 2006)

- “Redbank” one of earliest-named areas in Moreton Region (1825 by Oxley)

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2.Redbank convict outpost

- Oldest settlement in entire region (Starr 1988: 30)- 1825 (est by 1832)– Govt convict farm station Red bank –

floggings there – bred sheep and cattle (Teague 1966)

3. First settlers: Woogaroo and other Massive Properties

- Dr Stephen Simpson one of earliest settlers – hut 1841 (Teague 1966)

- Simpson home “under fig older than house” (= rainforest) (Teague 1966)

- Simpson’s land 1851 creeping towards Brisbane – large Wacol blocks(Starr 1988: 32)

- Jones family – Sir Conan Doyle stayed 1921 (Starr 1988: 32)

- Joshua Jeays (early Mayor) also lived here

- James Josey “father” of district (Starr 1988: 32)

- 1859: James Josey “Eden Station” – originally 1000 acres – later 420 acre property on Opposum Creek – junction Woogaroo Creek? (Redbank Plains State School 1974; Six Mile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014)

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- Josey ex-convict, numerous streets etc named after Joseys(History of Springfield Lakes 2011)

- James ‘Tinker’ Campbell built village 1850s & Campbells head mining (Redbank State School 1981:25)

- Michael Durack (Irish) – Archerfield/ Forest Lake – horsebreeder, began Qld Tattersell Club (Kaeys 2006)

4. Coach/ stock route and bushrangers

- Woogaroo 1st main site as crossing point and first stop oncoach route (Kaeys 2006)

- 7 January 1868 bushranger William Jenkins held up coach nearby Woogaroo (Kaeys 2006)

- The track from Gailes to Redbank via Camira was the last part of the stock route from Logan (Kaeys 2006)

- Drovers’ camping places were Half Way Camp, Sandy Creek, and Coogan’s Lane on Woogaroo Creek (Kaeys 2006)

5.Long mining & pottery history

- 1843: Queensland's first commercial mine (coal) opened @Redbank by John Williams (Satherswait 1992: 2-20)

- Mining revived from 1910-1932(Satherswait 1992: 2-20)

- Queensland’s first Industrial dispute (leading to court case) – Campbells vs coal miners August 1861 Now 125 Years

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Old: Redbank One of First Centres Named in Qld, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 5 July 1950 Edition (daily), p 2

- Redbank Old Pottery

6.Rural industry: mostly cattle grazing/ fattening/ slaughtering/ boiling down/ skinning…. some timber, sugar,maize, cotton, tobacco, oranges

- Boiling down works 1847 Long Pocket and fellmongary (Satherswait 1992: 2-20)

- Meat, hides – thousands sheep & cattle (Redbank State School 1981: 29)

- Meat preserving – 35,000 sheep by 1870 (Kaeys 2006)

- grazing maize sugar cotton (Starr 1988: 30)

- Chinaman’s garden east of creek @ Redbank (Redbank State School 1981: 34)

- 1860s local industry “saved” and boosted by global shortage of cotton due to American Civil War (Sattherswait 1992: 2-10)

- Dairying rich loamy soil

- Tobacco (Kucer-Dolan 1998: 3)

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7.Port/ wharf and steamer transport/ trade

- Since 1846 (Sattherswait 1992: 2-20)

- substantial wool store, port & wharf built by Petries @ Redbank (Kaeys 2006)

- Race of steamer Sovereign – hit Seventeen Mile Rocks (hence name) 1846 (Kaeys 2006)

- Steamers and punts bulk of transport (Redland State School1981: 34)

8.Wacol (Woogaroo/ Goodna) Asylum

- Australia's oldest and largest asylum (Inside Australia’s largest, oldest asylum….Goodna, 11 July 2008)

- Opened 1865

- 50,000 inmates over the years (Inside Australia’s largest,oldest asylum….Goodna, 11 July 2008)

- Farmers had daughters trained here in nursing (Kaeys 2006)

9.1940s-1970s: Military bases (Wacol/ Springfield/ Greenbank/ Spring Mountain)

- 1941 Americans obtained land at Wacol, on either side of Ipswich Road, on which to build their Camp Columbia barracks (Kaeys 2006)

- Up to 5000 stationed here

- Numerous Dutch soldiers

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- Experiment in National Service – first in Australia to be vaccinated for TB Wacol Trainees Make History, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 8 January 1952 Edition: Daily p 1 ; 282 Trainees in first drill The Courier-Mail 7 August 1951 p 3

- A Wirraway from No 23 Squadron crashed on Springfield site, killing 5, during early 1940’s (History of Springfield Lakes 2011)

- WW1 & WW2 gunpits from rifle ranges towards White Rock SixMile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014

- In 1942 and 1943 approximately 80 000 soldiers from the US32nd Division based at Camp Cable, Jimboomba trained around White Rock and Spring Mountain, particularly the area where the Redbank Plains Library and Recreational Reserve are today. Six Mile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014

- 1966: soldiers from 6RAR (6th Royal Australian Regiment) trained at Spring Mountain - fought in the Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War, 1967. Six Mile Woogaroo and GoodnaCreek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014

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10. 1 950s-1960s: Migrant camps

- since c.1950 - numerous ethnic groups& Housing Commission estates

- 32 nationalities at camp in 1950 (Attractive display in children's handwork The Courier-Mail 27 June 1950 p 8)

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- All learning English (There are no tears with this English,The Courier-Mail 14 April 1950 p 2)

- still prominent - Dutch, various Polynesian, German, Polish, Russian etc

11. 1990s: Springfield Development

- Australia's largest privately-organized housing

- Begun 1991 (Redbank State School 1981)

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

282 Trainees in first drill The Courier-Mail 7 August 1951 p 3

Aboriginal Reserve at Durundur. To the Editor., The Brisbane Courier 1May 1903 p 5

Attractive display in children's handwork The Courier-Mail 27 June 1950 p 8

Country News (From the Moreton Bay Courier, August 8), The Australian (Sydney) 22 August 1846 p 4 

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Fones, R., 2006, A History of a Suburb with Attitude 1850-1950 Corinda: Oxley-Chelmer History Group

Gammon S., et al, 1988, Algester & Surrounding Suburbs: Local History (Coopers Plains Ward Community Bicentennial Committee 1988)

Greenop, K., 2008, Inala traditions: People, places and history in urban Indigenous communities. Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Working Paper Series, 216: 26-48

Greenop, K., 2009, Place Meaning, attachment and identity in Indigenous Inala, Queensland. In: Perspectives on Urban Life: Connections and Reconnections, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Conference, Australian National University, Canberra, 28th September - 2nd October 2009.

Habermann, D., 2003, Deebing Creek and Purga Missions 1892-1948 Ipswich: Ipswich City Council

History of Springfield Lakes, 2011, Springfield Lakes Online (Lend Lease) http://www.springfieldlakesonline.com.au/Springfield-Lakes-History-of-Springfield-Lakes/default.aspx

Inside Australia’s largest, oldest asylum….Goodna, 11 July 2008, All in the Mind blog (life and beyond through the mind’s eye), ABC Radio National http://blogs.abc.net.au/allinthemind/2008/07/stories-from-au.html

Jensen, L., 2010, A Celebration of Culture: A Social History of Darra Darra: Living in Brisbane

Kaeys S., 2006, Stories of the Suburbs: the Origins of Richlands ‘Servicetown’ / Inala Area on

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Brisbane’s Western Fringe, The Pacific in Australia; Australia in the Pacific Conference 23 – 27 January 2006 Carseldine Campus: Queensland University of Technology Centre for Social Change Research

Kucer-Dolan, D., 1998, The History of Forest Lake n/p

Martin D., 2009?, Carole Park – Living Stories from the Forgotten Suburb n/p

Mr. C Bishop.The Brisbane Courier 18 August 1931 p 10 

Mrs. H. Finney. The Brisbane Courier 22 June 1933 p 13

Mynott, V., 150 Years: Richlands, Inala and Neighbouring Suburbs in Brisbane’s South-west Richlands, 2009, Inala Height: Inala and Suburbs History

Now 125 Years Old: Redbank One of First Centres Named in Qld, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 5 July 1950 Edition (daily), p 2 

Old Ipswich, Mr J. Weldon’s Memories. Fear of the Blacks, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 8 November 1924 Edition: DAILY. p 7 

Redbank Pioneer Has Many Memories, Queensland Times 30 April 1947 Edition (daily), p 7 

Redbank Plains State School, 1974, Redbank Plains State School Centenary 1874-1974 & Supplementary Booklet Redbank Plains: Redbank Plains State School

Redbank State School, 1981, Redbank State School Centenary 1881-1981 : A History of Redbank State School and District Redbank: Redbank State School

Richlands, Inala & Suburbs History Group, 2005, Ipswich Road: 1839-2005 Richlands, Inala & Suburbs History Group

Sattherswait, L. (ed)., 1992, Ipswich Heritage Study Vols 1 – 3 St Lucia: University of Qld Archaeological Services Unit & Ipswich Heritage Consultancy Team (Report No 200)

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Six Mile Woogaroo and Goodna Creek, in Healthy Lifestyles (Waterways), 7 Jan 2014, Ipswich City Council http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/residents/healthy_lifestyle/waterways/swag/

Starr, J., 1988, Moreton Shire Queensland – Discovery and Settlement Ipswich: Southern Cross

Teague, D R., 1966, A History of the Goodna District and State School Goodna :D R Teague

The Campbell Family, The Brisbane Courier 15 June 1918 p 12

The "Queenslander" Reminiscent. Looking Back Fifty Years. (A Review of the "Queenslander" of May 26, 1866.) The Queenslander 27 May 1916 p 3 

There are no tears with this English, The Courier-Mail 14 April 1950 p2

Thorn, E. 1876, The Queen of the Colonies or Queensland As I Knew It London: SampsonLow

Wacol Trainees Make History, Queensland Times (Ipswich) 8 January 1952Edition: Daily p 1 

Watson, P.J., Aboriginal Nomeclature: To the Editor of the Courier Mail, The Courier-Mail 8 September 1933 p 21

White Rock – Spring Mountain Conservation Estate 20??, Ipswich: Environplan/ Ipswich City Council

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