Contact Person: Andrew Darbyshire
Email Address: [email protected]
Contact Phone: (07) 3368 1828
Website: http://brisbanehistorygroup.org.au
Postal Address: PO Box 2118, Brookside Centre, QLD 4053

******

The Brisbane History Group Inc. is the most scholarly of the city’s local history organisations. Its work
has covered both sides of the river for over 35 years, but its main focus has been the old Brisbane
town of nineteenth century. Nevertheless its work is wide-ranging and at considerable depth; thanks
to many professional historians and professional writers in other disciplines over the decades.
Founded in 1981, the organisation owes its existence to the late Rod Fisher, the former Director of
the now defunct Centre of Applied History at the University of Queensland. It was Dr Fisher’s
ground-breaking work in professional local history for Brisbane that set the benchmark very high
from previous eras of history-writing for the city. The older work of John Laverty, and other
colleagues associated with the University of Queensland, did have a high standard and these
historians were, in fact, members of the Brisbane History Group in the early years. Rod Fisher,
however, took the field to a new level with particular insight from English social history. It inspired a
productive period in history research and writing never seen before in Brisbane.

The Brisbane History Group Inc., with sound research methodology, has produced numerous
seminars and publications, too many to fully account here. As the local history organisation that
drew upon members on the history communities of the University of Queensland and Griffith
University, it would be too presumptuous to attempt to list the names of noted historians associated
with the Brisbane History Group Inc. A number of those names are captured in the selected
bibliography below.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Most of the Brisbane History Group Inc. publications are bounded collections of papers or articles.
The following is reproduced from the Brisbane History Group Inc. with permission.

A diverse range of topics has been covered over the years, broadly grouped by BHG as follows:

Series 1 – Historical Papers, the volumes in this series consist largely of presentations made at BHG
seminars and other events

Series 2 – Heritage Tours, these tour guides/maps were initially conducted as walk/drive tours by the
BHG

Series 3 – Historical Sources, include indexes, reprints and extracts from original publications

Series 4 – Historical Facsimiles, copies of selected documents

Series 5 – Historical Studies, publication of original research by individuals.

The list from Series 1, 2, and 5 are below. Consult the Brisbane History Group Inc. website for the full
list.

SERIES 1: HISTORICAL PAPERS

No 24, 2015, Brisbane and World War II (280 pages) edited by Barry Shaw.

Brisbane River in World War II (David Jones); Advanced land headquarters at St Lucia during World
War II (Marilyn England); Moreton Bay anti-submarine harbour defences in World War II (Richard
Walding); Torpedo Hill – The US Navy at Mt Coot-tha (Jack Ford & Brian Rough); The role of Fort
Lytton during World War II (Brian Rough); Women at war in Brisbane during World War II (Peter
Dunn); Brisbane’s submarine war (David Jones); Hitler’s first military defeat on land: A reassessment
of the 2/15th Battalion’s role (John Mackenzie-Smith); ‘A Cameron never yields’: The 61st Battalion
Queensland Cameron Highlanders (Janet Hogan); Colonel Kenneth Fraser and the 2/2nd Australian
General Hospital, Kantara (Jean Stewart); 2/9th Battalion AIF memorial: The background story (Paul
Sayer); Saving Eagle Farm’s Hangar 7 (Bob Livingstone); Bring home the images (Roger Marks)

No 23, 2014, Brisbane – Schemes and Dreams, Nineteenth Century Arrivals (202 pages) edited by
Jennifer Harrison and Barry Shaw.

Mr Commissioner Bigge and Moreton Bay (Colin Sheehan); Settling in at Moreton Bay, 1824-25 (Paul
Sayer); Missionaries of German Station (Margaret Outridge); The forty-niners (Jennifer Harrison);
The voyage of theFortitude (Elaine Brown); John Clements Wickham: A man of many parts (Mervyn
Royle); Captain Claudius Whish of Caboolture and Cleveland (Alfred Cocksedge); ‘Thank God for the
rector’s daughter’: Emigrant silk- ribbon weavers from Bedworth (Mervyn Royle): Bounty hunters
and mechanics (Robyn Roylance); Selecting emigrants for Queensland: A case study of Scots
migrants 1885-88 (Elspeth Johnson); The long story of Short Street wharf ((Noel Field & Annabelle
Stewart-Zerba)

No 22, 2010, Brisbane – Houses, Gardens, Suburbs and Congregations (324 pages) edited by Rod
Fisher.

Recreating the house … in Annerley (Rod Fisher; The Imrie house at Spring Hill (Val Donovan);
Interiors between the wars (Nicola Stairmand); A new way of living (Maureen Lillie); Discovering the
garden … in Brisbane (Jean Sim); Dissecting Victoria Park (John Laverty); Assessing the
Acclimatisation Gardens (Peter Osborne); Superintending the parks by Harry Moore (Jean Sim);
Reflecting the suburb … of New Farm (Gloria Grant & Gerard Benjamin); New Farm from quality
street to mixed assortment (Helen Bennett); The Happy Valley of Stafford (John Mackenzie-Smith);
Wilston to Grange in retrospect (Barry Shaw); Researching institutions … of Anglicanism (John
Mackenzie-Smith); Baptists in colonial Queensland (Les Ball); The Jewish community in Queensland
(Morris Ochert); The Catholic cathedral that never was (Jennifer Harrison)

No 21, 2010, Brisbane – People and places of Ashgrove (349 pages) edited by Barry Shaw.

You can’t step in the same river twice (Nurdon Serico); The making of Ashgrove (Manfred Cross); The
Woodlands precinct (Janet Hogan); Glimpses of pre-separation Ashgrove: Landscape, land use,
access (Dick Paten); Alexander Stewart and the evolution of West Ashgrove (Helen Bennett);
Alexander Stewart of Glenlyon: Foundation for empire (Dick & Del Paten); Alexander Jolly (John R
Laverty); Town planning and the Glenlyon Gardens Estate (John R Laverty); Hogan’s half acre:
Woodlands, Ashgrove (Janet Hogan); Ashgrove State School: A tale of two sites (Paul Sayer); This
other Eden: George Rogers Harding of St Johns Wood (Paul Sayer); Robert Little: More than a local
solicitor (Paul Sayer); Daniel Rowntree Somerset: ‘A scrupulously upright and conscientious
gentleman’ (Paul Sayer); John Laskey Woolcock: Lawyer and scholar (Paul Sayer); A childhood in
wartime Ashgrove (John Mackenzie-Smith)

No 20, 2008, Brisbane – Water, Power and Industry (174 pages) edited by Carolyn Fitzgerald.

The arrival of a profession: How the engineer reached Brisbane (Ray Whitmore); Cleansing waters:
The battle for the Enoggera catchment pine trees (Bill Oliver); The politics of Brisbane’s early water-
supply schemes (John Laverty); Floods, water quality and river crossings, Mount Crosby 1890-1931
(Bill Oliver); The 1893 floods and Mount Crosby waterworks (Ray Whitmore); The Brisbane coal
wharf (Ray Whitmore); A short history of the Darra cement plant (Judith Anderson); West End’s
horse drawn buses (Beryl Roberts); Trams, tramways and termini (Garry Ford); The power behind
the trams (John Laverty); And then there was light … in Brisbane (Jim Simmers); Lightning: And there
was darkness in Brisbane (Doug Mercer); Battle lines: The struggle for public electricity supply in
Ipswich, 1917 to 1967 (Doug Mercer); Electricity sales and promotions: Brisbane 1920s to 1950s (Jan
King); The South Brisbane Gas & Light Co Ltd: An abridged history (Brian King); From boots to ballet
shoes: The story of the Thomas Dixon Centre (Judith A Anderson); Rise and decline of the toy
industry in Brisbane (Marjory Fainges)

No 19, 2002, Brisbane – Moreton Bay Matters (148 pages) edited by Murray Johnson.

Dunwich: Convicts, Passionists and shattered hopes (John Mackenzie-Smith); Whose guilt? What
reward?: The loss of the ‘Sovereign’ 1847 (Murray Johnson); ‘Sweet surrender’: Sugar production at
St Helena penal establishment 1867-89 (Yvonne Reynolds); ‘A modified form of whaling’: The
Moreton Bay dugong fishery 1846-1920 (Murray Johnson); ‘Nothing beyond myself and Mr.
Watkins’: James Hamilton and the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum 1865-85 (Joseph Goodall); ‘Keep
them away from Brisbane’: Bribie Island Aboriginal reserves 1877-79 and 1891-92 (Shirleene
Robinson); ‘Leading lights’: The first Moreton Island lighthouse communities (Rosemary Ahearn);
Patrick Roche and HM prison farm on St Helena 1926-31 (Yvonne Reynolds); ‘The leper shall dwell
alone’: A history of Peel Island lazaret (Thom Blake); The whalers of Tangalooma 1952-62 (David
Jones); Layers on the landscape: Dunwich Benevolent Asylum (Nonie Malone); The history of
Moreton Bay: A saga of lost dreams (Rod Fisher)

No 18, 2001, Brisbane – Our Federation 1901, Patriotism, Passion and Protest (109 pages) edited
by Barry Shaw.

Brisbane: The key to federation? (Katherine McConnel); Federation: The view from the Chief
Secretary’s Department (Joanne Scott); Queensland local government in the federation decade (John
Laverty); ‘Intelligent Progress’ or ‘Injurious Curse’? Manufacturing and the business of federation
(David Cameron); Brisbane engineers at federation: The men and their institutions (Bill Oliver); Two

Queensland federation poets and the Red Page Razor (John Mackenzie-Smith); Brisbane at
Federation 1899-1902 (Raymond Evans)

No 17, 2001, Brisbane – Relaxation, Recreation and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Popular Culture 1890
to1990 (156 pages) edited by Barry Shaw.

The Brisbane River: A source of recreation 1890-1900 (Patricia Jones); Cricket and cycling in the
1890s (Ian Jobling); Train excursions for the masses in the 1890s (John Kerr); Southport in the 1890s:
Decline and temporary fall from favour (Robert Longhurst); Sandgate in the 1890s: Attractions and
minor irritations (Barry Shaw); Painters and patrons: Art in Brisbane 1890-1906 (Pam Barnett); Books
and reading in the 1890s (Shirley McCorkindale); Proliferating habits: Leisure and clothing in the
1890s (Margaret Maynard); Brisbane by night: Al fresco 1900-1914 (Sue Ward); Brisbane on the
visitors’ circuit 1870s-1940s (Tim Moroney); Popular culture: Radio to television in the 1950s
(Jennifer Harrison); ‘Crazy News’: Rock ‘n’ roll in Brisbane and Bill Haley’s ‘Big Show’, 1956-57
(Raymond Evans); More than a passing trade: The social role of pubs (Maureen Lillie); Brisbane’s
Irish brewers and cordial manufacturers (David Larkin); Legislation and hotels (Judy Rechner)

No 16, 2000, Brisbane – Squatters, Settlers and Surveyors (158 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and
Jennifer Harrison.

Too good a site for a gaol (Colin Sheehan); The Brisbane scene in 1842 (Rod Fisher); Athenians v
Thebans: Brisbane by Ipswich journalists (Robyn Buchanan); The fifty-mile limit (Colin Sheehan);
Down rode the squatters (Val Donovan); Shepherds on the Stanley (Murdoch Wales); Simpson’s
settlers (Jennifer Harrison); Andrew Petrie: Father of Brisbane (John Mackenzie-Smith); John
Williams: Merchant adventurer (Helen Gregory); Thomas Dowse: Brisbane’s Samuel Pepys (Mark
Gosling); Pioneering surveyors of Moreton Bay district (Roma Draper); Surveying early street levels in
Brisbane (Evan Richard)

No 15, 1997, Brisbane – Corridors of Power (214 pages) edited by Barry Shaw.

Brisbane’s first Town Hall: A case of aldermanic bumbling and jobbery (John Laverty); Civic temple or
tower of Babel: A history of Brisbane’s City Hall (John Laverty); Brisbane City Hall: History and
heritage (Peter Newell); The renovation of City Hall (Ron Baker); ‘A somewhat rash experiment’:
Queensland Parliament as a microcosm of society (Lyn Armstrong); From penal depot to colonial
city: Queensland Houses of Parliament and the Second Empire style (Paul Jolly); The planning and
design of Old Government House (Paul Jolly); The renovation of Parliament House (Ian Charlton); Is
history repeating itself here in Queensland? (Ross Fitzgerald); Queensland Parliament in the 1890s

(Peter Beattie); The constitutional conventions of the 1890s and the role of Samuel Griffith (Ken
Wiltshire); The 1890s constitutional debates through the eyes of the Queensland press (Rod
Kirkpatrick); Feminist issues in Queensland in the 1890s (Kay Saunders); William Alfred Jolly: A slave
to duty (John Laverty); Alfred James Jones: Labor’s first lord mayor (Manfred Cross); John Beals
Chandler: The little man at City Hall (John Laverty); J C Slaughter: Brisbane’s quintessential town
clerk (Doug Tucker)

No 14, 1995, Brisbane – People, Places and Progress (180 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and Barry
Shaw.

Sandgate before the railway (John Mackenzie-Smith); Bald Hills: From pioneers to pastoralists (Barry
Shaw); Coorparoo: The development of a shire (John Laverty), The tramways and Coorparoo (Garry
Ford); Going to the flicks around Coorparoo (Pat Reuschle); Landmarks of the Coorparoo district (Jim
Bruce), A family view of the Nicklins of Coorparoo (Don Nicklin); The King Family and Erica,
Coorparoo (Patricia Ryan); A trusted officer and worthy gentleman: Judge Alfred Lutwyche of Kedron
(Paul Sayer); Woolloongabba transported: Its changing face (Anthony Smith); Subdivision boom,
building bust: The slow settlement of Norman Park (Kevin Conmee); Saturday night at the movies:
The picture theatres of Morningside, Bulimba and Balmoral (Karen Cox); Spotlight on Lang Park: The
recycled cemetery as a socio-political football (Rod Fisher); From town to metropolis: Contemporary
visions of Brisbane (Vivien Harris)

No 13, 1994, Brisbane – Cemeteries as Sources (141 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and Barry Shaw.

Cemeteries: Footprints in stone (Jennifer Harrison); Tantalizing tombstones (John Clements); They
were left behind: Some northern insights (Lori Harloe); Life and death on the Ipswich – Toowoomba
railway 1865-67 (Greg Hallam); That controversial cemetery: The North Brisbane burial grounds
1843-75 and beyond (Rod Fisher); Cemetery life at Toowong in 1877; Governmental graves at
Toowong (Manfred Cross); Toowong and some heroes (Judith McKay); Gow’s funeral business since
1910 (A R (Bert) Gow); Ives monumental works at Lutwyche1924-80 (Edith Ives); Cemetery
regulation at Lutwyche in 1878; Introducing Nudgee: Suburb, institutions and cemetery (Helen
Gregory); Irish graves at Nudgee cemetery (David O’Lorcain); Some notable Irish in Nudgee
Cemetery (David O’Lorcain); Cemetery survey worksheet; Cemetery symbolism

No 12, 1993, Brisbane – The Ethnic Presence Since the 1850s (130 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and
Barry Shaw.

The Welsh in Queensland (W Ross Johnston); Irish immigration and settlement in Queensland (M E R
MacGinley); A willing community: Early Irish immigration to Queensland (Jennifer Harrison); German
immigration to Queensland (John A Moses); The beginnings of German immigration to Queensland
(Margaret Jenner); Italians in Queensland (Fiorenza Jones); Italian immigrants of the 1870s (Don
Dignan); Political characteristics of Russians in Brisbane in the 1900s (Olga Doubrovskaya); Early
Greek eating places in Brisbane in the early 1900s (Denis A Conomos); The Jewish enclave in
Brisbane (John Trone); Nazis abroad? Internment in Brisbane in the second world war (Kay Saunders)

No 11, 1992, Brisbane – The Aboriginal Presence 1824 to 1860 (106 pages) edited by Rod
Fisher.[Out of Print]

The Mogwi take Mi-an-jin: Race relations and the Moreton Bay penal settlement 1824-42 (Raymond
Evans); From depredation to degradation: The Aboriginal experience at Moreton Bay 1842-60 (Rod
Fisher); The theatre of justice: Race relations and capital punishment at Moreton Bay 1841-59 (Libby
Connors); The Kilcoy poisonings: The official factor 1841-43 (John Mackenzie-Smith); Snakes in the
grass: The press and race relations at Moreton Bay 1846-47 (Denis Cryle); Wanton outrage: Police
and Aborigines at Breakfast Creek 1860 (Raymond Evans)

No 10, 1991, Brisbane – Mining, Buildings, Story Bridge, The Windmill (198 pages) edited by Rod
Fisher.[Out of Print]

Geological development of the Brisbane region (Laurie Hutton & Andrew Stephens); Rock and stone
materials of the Brisbane region (David Trezise); The sand and gravel industry in the Brisbane region
(John Malempre); Coal in the Brisbane region (Ray Whitmore); Gold mining in the Brisbane region
(David Trezise); Silver and lead mining at Finneys Hill, Indooroopilly (David Rowlands); The history of
the Queensland State Library (Colin Sheehan); Theatre in Brisbane and provincial Queensland
(Richard Fotheringham); Callender House, 355 Wickham Terrace (Fiona Gardiner); A Wickham
Terrace household before the first world war (Elizabeth Marks); Ross Roy, Indooroopilly (Helen
Fridemanis); Brisbane’s timber houses in Queensland context: Towards a dynamic analysis (Rod
Fisher); Nineteenth century municipal masonry (Evan Richard); John Arthur Manus O’Keeffe,
Irishman: Stombuco’s building associate in boom time Brisbane (Rod Fisher); The Story Bridge: Social
history (Libby Connors); The Story Bridge: Traffic and planning (Allan Krosch & Adam Pekol); The
Story Bridge: Design and construction (Albert Contessa); Brisbane’s historic windmill (Janet Hogan);
The old windmill: A haunting heritage (Rod Fisher); Brisbane’s tower mill: A new look at an old friend
(Ray Whitmore); The old windmill: An account of the conservation process (Peter Marquis-Kyle)

No 9, 1990, Brisbane – Local, Oral and Placename History (158 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of
Print]

Historical records in the local community: Oscar Badke and the city of Troy (Angela Collyer); An
urban history case study: Involving the community in local history projects (Patsy Cloake); Doing the
heritage walk (or ride) (Rod Fisher); Communicating with the membership: Editing a local history
newsletter (Jane Williamson-Fien); Organising a local history session (Rod Fisher); Oral history and
local history (Roberta Bonnin); Oral history and family history (Jennifer Harrison); Voices on the dark
side of the moon: Oral research and Aboriginal informants (Thom Blake); Oral history exposed (Ross
Johnston); Oral history as a method of contemporary research (Helen Fridemanis); What’s in a
placename? (Jennifer Harrison); Aboriginal placenames in Brisbane: Misplaced, mispronounced and
misunderstood (Elizabeth Dann); Placenames of the Nundah district (Denis Cleary); Process in place
naming southeast Brisbane (William Metcalf); Toowong, or should it be Banerba, or even West
Milton? (Helen Gregory); Plotting the placenames of Petrie-Terrace (Rod Fisher); Placenames and
historical maps (Paul Wilson); The potential of placename research (Rod Fisher); You too have
archives (Roslyn McCormack); Photographs as historical sources (Robert Longhurst); Presentation
and preservation of artefacts (Daniel Robinson); Creating a local history collection and centre (Rod
Fisher)

No 8, 1988, Brisbane in 1888 – The Historical Perspective (170 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of
Print]

Queen Street, North Brisbane (Jennifer Harrison); Old Frogs Hollow: Devoid of interest, or a den of
iniquity? (Rod Fisher); Night of broken glass: The anatomy of an anti-Chinese riot (Raymond Evans);
South Brisbane: The making of a city (John Laverty); Immigrant health and reception facilities (Helen
Woolcock); Nurse training comes to town (Helen Gregory); The state of science (Ray Sumner);
Foundations: The Queensland Institute of Architects (Don Watson); ‘A temple of industry’: The
Courier building of 1887 (Denis Cryle); Building a house in 1888 (Fiona Gardiner); Sport in 1888: An
historical perspective (Ian Jobling); ‘Cheerily doth he push northward, the black coat and shining
topper of civilization’: Dress and the urban experience (Margaret Maynard); ‘New, brawny, uneven
and half-finished: Brisbane among the Australian capital cities (Graeme Davison)

No 7, 1988, Brisbane – Archives and Approaches 2 (180 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and Margaret
Jenner. [Out of Print]

Local history sources at Queensland State Archives (Lee McGregor); The Queensland Museum for
local historians (Dan Robinson); The John Oxley Library: Historical sources in new premises (Colin
Sheehan); Church and related records in the John Oxley Library (Roslyn McCormack); The Anglican
Archives (Patricia Ramsay); Westpac Banking Corporation archives: A case-study of bank records
(Brian Randall); Historical resources of the Department of Geographic Information (Les Isdale);
Researching the history of a Queensland house (Fiona Gardiner); Directories to people, places and

patterns in Queensland since 1868 (Rod Fisher); Queensland Railways: A journey round the
resources (John Kerr); Mining archives in Queensland (Ray Whitmore); Local history, social history
and the law: Early criminal records in Queensland (Libby Connors); Death in Queensland: The
administration of deceased estates (Paul Sayer)

No 6, 1987, Brisbane – People, Places and Pageantry (200 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of
Print]

The squatters of Kilcoy and district (Gerry Langevad); Early squatters in the Moreton Bay
environment (Kevin Carmody); Evan Mackenzie of Kilcoy and the foundation of Brisbane 1841-45
(John Greig Smith); David Cannon McConnel’s second ‘bump of hope’: Bulimba House and farm
1849-53 (Rod Fisher); Amalie Dietrich and Queensland botany (Ray Sumner); John Moffat: A South
Brisbane entrepreneur in the late 1860s (Ruth S Kerr); The Toohey family: Irish Catholicism and land
speculation in early Brisbane (Alan Hill & Bill Metcalf); Archbishop James Duhig: Leadership in the
Queensland community (T P Boland); Brisbane, Ipswich or Cleveland: The capital port question at
Moreton Bay1842-59 (Dushen Salecich); The foundation of Kangaroo Point 1843-46 (John Greig
Smith); ‘Oh-ver’ there: Early days on Brisbane’s Southbank (Rod Fisher); Southwest Brisbane in the
1840s and 1850s: Land ownership and usage patterns (Helen Gregory); The first Sydney-Brisbane
steamship service 1841-45 (Ray Whitmore); The politics of Brisbane’s first waterworks 1859-71 (John
Laverty); The Old Botanic Gardens of Brisbane: An historical survey 1828-1984 (Ross D McKinnon);
South Brisbane: The forgotten city (Jane Williamson-Fien); Future uses of Brisbane’s Southbank (Phil
Heywood & Tom Randall); Ritual and custom in the Lutheran tradition at Bethania (Stephen Nuske);
Brisbane theatre and the Southbank (Jennifer Radbourne); The Princess Theatre: From then to TN
(Heather Jones); Brisbane during the festive season: A dialogue with the colonial dead (Rod Fisher)

No 5, 1987, Brisbane – Aboriginal, Alien, Ethnic (170 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of Print]

Mi-an-jin: A re-creation of Aboriginal lifeways on the Brisbane River (Peter K Lauer); A short
prehistory of the Moreton region (J Hall); ‘Snakes in the Grass’: The press and race relations at
Moreton Bay 1846-47 (Denis Cryle); ‘Wanton outrage’: Police and Aborigines at Breakfast Creek
1860 (Raymond Evans); The earliest photographs of Queensland Aborigines?: Amalie Dietrich’s
collection for Museum Godeffroy 1863-72 (Ray Sumner); Excluded, exhibited, exploited: Aborigines
in Brisbane 1897-1910 (Thom Blake); The alien presence in early Brisbane 1840-60: A preliminary
survey (Rod Fisher); German immigration to Queensland 1838-1981: A survey (John A Moses); Irish
immigration and settlement in Queensland: An overview (M E R MacGinley); Early Greek eating
places in Brisbane1900-20 (Denis A Conomos); Some political characteristics of Russians in Brisbane
(Olga Doubrovskaya); A preview of the Italian presence in Queensland (Fiorenza Jones); Towards a
history of 4EB: Ethnic radio in Brisbane (Con Castan)

No 4, 1986, Brisbane at War (90 pages) edited by Helen Taylor[Out of Print]

The battles of Brisbane: The conscription struggle 1916-17 (Raymond Evans); ‘The memory of the
Anzacs…’: Implications of World War I for Queensland schooling to 1939 (Libby Connors); Racial
conflict in Brisbane in World War II: The imposition of patterns of segregation upon black American
servicemen (Kay Saunders); ‘Rifles or running shoes – which is it to be?’: Brisbane 1942 (Helen
Taylor); Putting the Digger on a pedestal: Queensland commemorates the Great War (Judith McKay)

No 3, 1985, Brisbane – Housing, Health, River and the Arts (160 pages) edited by Rod Fisher and Ray
Sumner. [Out of Print]

An overview of the Brisbane house (Don Watson); The small Brisbane house (Richard Allom); The
elite Brisbane house (Janet Hogan); The Brisbane house in historical context (Ray Sumner); The
Brisbane house in environmental context (Bal Saini); In search of the Brisbane house (Rod Fisher);
Casualties of Brisbane’s growth: Infant and child mortality in the 1860s (Helen Gregory & John
Thearle); Saving the children: Brisbane and medical triumphs of the 1890s (John Thearle & Helen
Gregory); When the plague came to Queensland (Lorraine Cazalar); A geological history of the
Brisbane River (Gerald Sargent); Future use of the Brisbane River ((Phil Heywood); Early bridges
across Brisbane (Colin O’Connor); Queensland Art Gallery in historical perspective (Janet Hogan); ‘A
humble beginning’ for Queensland’s National Art Gallery (Bettina MacAulay); Decorative arts in early
Brisbane (Dianne Byrne); Aspects of early photography in the Moreton Bay region (Rod Fisher)

No 2, 1983, Brisbane – Archives and Approaches I (90 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of Print]

Brisbane’s civic records: Factors affecting an historical policy (John Cole); Historical resource
materials of the Department of Mapping and Surveying, Queensland (Les Isdale); Historical records
at the Titles Office, Brisbane (John Stafford); Research materials, procedures and access at the John
Oxley Library (Mamie O’Keeffe); Research collections, policy and access at the Fryer Library
(Margaret O’Hagan); Locating the people of Brisbane in time and space (Rod Fisher); Family history
and its relation to local history (Jennifer Harrison); Themes and questions for historians of sport in
Brisbane (Spencer Routh); Sport and local history: A computerised information and retrieval system
(Ian Jobling); The photograph as artefact (Julie Brown); Putting poets in their places: A personal
perspective (Val Vallis)

No 1, 1981, Brisbane – Public, Practical, Personal (80 pages) edited by Rod Fisher. [Out of Print].

Local government in Brisbane: An historiographical view (John Laverty); The built environment an
historical source (Richard Allom); Schooling in urban context (Tom Watson); Martyrs to civilisation?
Problems of nineteenth century art in Brisbane (Margaret Maynard); Preserving the industrial and
engineering heritage (Ray Whitmore); Tracing the Brisbane water supply (Geoff Cossins); The
evolving railways of Brisbane (John Kerr); SEQEB and the perpetual record (Fred Annand);
Delineating the character of the Queensland house (Meredith Walker); Early occupation of land in
south-west Brisbane (Helen Gregory); Studying a community concept: Late nineteenth century
Toowong (Helen Bennett); Devising research strategies for historical society: The lifecourse approach
(John Cole); Imagination versus documentation in urban evolution (John Wheeler); The mosaic of
source material (Colin Sheehan)

SERIES 2: HERITAGE TOURS

No 27, 2013, A Robin Dods Brisbane Heritage Tour (28 pages) compiled by Paul Sayer.

Robert Smith (Robin) Dods (1868 – 1920) was one of Queensland’s most innovative architects in the
early years of the twentieth century. His work was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement
inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and Augustus Pugin. This booklet, which examines Dods’
work in the commercial, religious and domestic spheres, contains two tours. The first looks at Dods’
work in the CBD and nearby suburbs, with an excursus to Wynnum; the second focuses on his
domestic architecture in Brisbane’s northern and western suburbs. Illustrated

No 26, 2009, Sites of Separation Brisbane Heritage Trail (78 pages) edited by Rod Fisher.[Out of
Print]

This volume consists of a walking trail and a drive trail. The walking trail through the Brisbane CBD
runs clockwise around the town, viewing past sites and present structures in the north, east, south,
centre and west, and back via Wickham Terrace. The drive trail by bus takes in South to East
Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley, around New Farm to Hamilton and Windsor, then
back via Spring Hill, Petrie Terrace, Red Hill and Milton. Each tour takes approximately 1¾ hours. This
booklet edited by Rod Fisher consists of articles written by 35 contributors and covers more than
100 significant sites. Illustrated

No 25, 2006, Ashgrove Heritage Tour (28 pages) edited by Dick Paten.

A self-drive tour of one of Brisbane’s early western suburbs, tracing the pathway to the Ashgrove of
today from a past of country estates, dairy farms, market gardens and the rural homes of city
professionals, businessmen and workers. Residential suburban subdivision in Ashgrove east dates
from the 1880s, but in the west this did not begin for the most part until the mid-1920s. The
resulting diversity of house styles gives Ashgrove a particular quality that is well worth exploring.
Illustrated

No 24, 2005, Bardon Heritage Tour (28 pages) compiled by Barry Shaw.

An illustrated self-drive tour of one of Brisbane’s older western suburbs, with its wealth of
architectural styles from lowly timber houses to the surviving architect-designed residences of the
elite in a sylvan setting

No 23, 2002, Brisbane’s Commercial Heritage 1900 to 1940, Three Walking Tours of the CBD (72
pages) edited by Helen Bennet.

Researched by historians expert in writing about Queensland’s cultural heritage, this handy tour
booklet contains three self-guided walking tours full of interesting notes and illustrations. Each tour
explores a different part of the central business district. It is fully referenced with an overview essay,
and is also a handy reference tool for classroom use

No 22, 2001, Our Federation, Brisbane HeritageTrail (108 pages) edited by Rod Fisher, Janet
Haywood, Chris Gabbett, Denise Austin and Vanessa Norimi.

Prepared by historical experts with federation funding, this heritage trail includes a timeline, two
route maps and 70 illustrations, covering 94 significant buildings and sites in town and suburbs. It
shows that Brisbaneites were deeply and personally involved in the process of federation, especially
during the climactic years of 1899 and 1901

No 21, 1999, Stombuco Heritage Tour (44 pages) compiled by Caroline Smith, edited by Rod Fisher.

Many of the sculpturesque buildings designed by Andrea Stombuco, the extravagant, flamboyant
and volatile Italian who changed the face of booming Brisbane. Illustrated

No 20, 1998, St Lucia Campus Heritage Tour (32 pages) compiled by Sylvia Bannah.

Visit central circuit, colleges and lakes circuit, sports and social sciences circuit and greenhouse
circuit. Four self-guided walking tours that provide a first-hand experience of past and present
highlights of the university and its environment. Illustrated

No 19, 1997, Spring Hill Heritage Tour, Wickham Terrace (28 pages) compiled by Judy Rechner.
Doctors, their homes and hospitals, boarding-houses, schools, engineering marvels, clubs and
discovered much more on this walking tour. Illustrated

No 18, 1996, Yeronga Heritage Tour (44 pages) compiled by Bronwyn Price.

Historical overviews, architectural commentary, historical photographs and user-friendly directions
with a map. Illustrated

No 17, 1995, A Brisbane Historical Pub Tour (24 pages) compiled by Barry Shaw.[Out of Print]

The history and heritage of some eighteen of our finest 19th century watering holes and early
breweries. Illustrated

No 16, 1995, Stafford and Grange Heritage Tour (48 pages) compiled by Barry Shaw.

An exploration of two suburbs from rural beginnings, including tanneries, slaughter yards, piggeries,
churches, shopping centres and houses. Illustrated

No 15, 1994, Brisbane City Churches Heritage Tour (28 pages) compiled by Paul Sayer, Margaret
Jenner and Pam Cory.[Out of Print]

Fourteen city churches, including All Saints, the Brisbane Synagogue, St Andrews, St Johns, St Pauls
and St Stephens. Illustrated

No 14, 1993, Northern Suburbs Heritage Tour (27 pages) compiled by Mervyn Royle.[Out of Print]

People, heritage places, important landmarks, street name derivations and events in Windsor,
Wooloowin, Lutwyche and Kedron. Illustrated

No 13, 1993, Bald Hills Heritage Tour (28 pages) compiled by Barry Shaw.[Out of Print]

The history of a suburb as revealed by its churches, schools, settlers, radio station, farmhouses,
shops, businesses and events. Illustrated

No 12, 1993, Spring Hill Heritage Tour, St Pauls to Gregory Terrace (24 pages) compiled by Rod
Fisher.

The cultural heritage of houses, hotels, schools, playground, pool and more are described for this
small locality, many illustrated.

No 11, 1991, Colonial George and William Street Heritage Tour (24 pages) compiled by Rod Fisher.

Twenty heritage places, including government buildings, hotels, terraces and parks, fully illustrated

No 10, 1991, Brisbane River Valley Heritage Tour (24 pages) compiled by John Mackenzie
Smith.[Out of Print]

Places, people, preoccupations, from Wivenhoe to Woodford, especially the squatter homesteads of
Bellevue, Caboonbah, Cressbrook, Kilcoy and Durundur

No 9, 1991, The Old Coorparoo Shire, a Heritage Tour (30 pages) compiled by Judy Rechner.[Out of
Print]

People, places, events, street names, dwellings, the history of Coorparoo shire including parts of
Camp Hill, Norman Park and Greenslopes

No 8, 1990, The Sandgate/Shorncliffe Heritage Tour (40 pages) compiled by Barry Shaw.[Out of
Print]

Schools, houses, churches, hotels, public buildings, transport, beaches, the pier and eating places,
the history of Sandgate, the Brighton of Brisbane

No 7, 1990, Eastern Suburbs Placenames Drive (20 pages) compiled by Jennifer Harrison and Rod
Fisher.

Estates and subdivisions, pioneers, churches, houses, history and heritage sites of East Brisbane,
Bulimba and Norman Park, concentrating on their placenames, including locality, street and building
nomenclature, plus a quiz

No 6, 1988, Brisbane 1888 Heritage Tour (108 pages) compiled by Rod Fisher.[Out of Print]

Drive includes North Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Toowong, Red Hill, Spring Hill, Breakfast Creek,
Hendra, Ascot, Hamilton, Kangaroo Point, East Brisbane and South Brisbane

No 5, 1986, From Town to Toowong, Riverpath Heritage Tour (42 pages) compiled by Rod Fisher
and John Mackenzie-Smith.[Out of Print]

Roads, buildings, gardens, creeks, drains, bridges, industries, families and sights on both sides of the
river from the Bicentennial bikeway/path

No 4, 1986, Caboolture to Kilcoy Heritage Drive (16 pages) compiled by John Mackenzie-Smith.[Out
of Print]

The original routes, pastoral runs, settlements and pioneers from Caboolture to the Upper Brisbane
River Valley

No 3, 1986, A Tour of Historic South Brisbane, Southbank Heritage Drive (27 pages) compiled by Bill
Evans.[Out of Print]

Historic Homes and buildings in the suburbs adjacent to South Brisbane, especially West End, Hill
End and Highgate Hill since the 1860s

No 2, 1985/86, A Tour of Historic South Brisbane, Civic Precinct Heritage Walk (16 pages) compiled
by Rod Fisher.[Out of Print]

Historic buildings and features, especially the old South Brisbane Town Hall, South Brisbane School
of Arts complex, first railway, dry dock (Maritime Museum), Ship Inn, Memorial Park, Collins Place,
Eden Villa, The Grange and Cumbooquepa since the 1880s

No 1, 1989, The Ups and Downs of Petrie Terrace, Walk/Drive Heritage Tour (25 pages) compiled by
Rod Fisher.[Out of Print]

Historic houses, public buildings and precincts of Petrie Terrace, Caxton Street, Hale Street and side
streets since 1861

SERIES 5: HISTORICAL STUDIES

No 8, 2012, Best of Colonial Brisbane,(396 pages), Rod Fisher.

Packed inside this unique collection on colonial Brisbane are no fewer than 22 essays by historian
Rod Fisher. Most were published as scattered articles in various formats over 25 years, 3 have never
seen the light of day and all are brought up to date. While stepping through the years from 1842-
1901 and sometimes further as a continuum, they are grouped under 5 main
themes.Occupation: The Brisbane scene: A convict legacy; The Old Windmill: A haunting heritage;
Early industrial enterprise: Against all odds; Photographers at Moreton Bay: Through a glass darkly;
Cultivating culture: Pearls before swine?Alienation: The Aboriginal experience: Depredation to
degradation; The ethnic presence: Odd ones out? Planting the New Church of Jerusalem: A struggle
for existence. Separation: How Brisbane became the capital: An ugly colonial duckling; The
proclamation, administration and Moriarty: Kick-starting Queensland; Flying the first Queensland
flag: More than a token gesture? Boosting Brisbane’s image: The artful Richard

Watt.Personation: John Stuart Beach: A brewer who went broke; Silvester Diggles: A man for all
seasons? Colin Munro: A clever man who tried anything; John Arthur Manus O’Keeffe: A boom-time
builder. Location: Frogs Hollow: Devoid of interest or den of iniquity? Bulimba: David McConnel’s
bump of hope; South Brisbane: Early days oh-ver there; North Brisbane: That controversial
cemetery; Brisbane River: Past perceptions Moreton Bay: A saga of lost dreams.

No 7, 2011, The Hume Family in Colonial Queensland,(256 pages), Hilary Davies.

Colonial Queensland was the stage on which the Hume family achieved success between 1863 and
1901. The scenes were set on the Darling Downs and in Brisbane. After serving in the merchant
marine with the P&O Line, Walter Hume migrated to Queensland from England in 1862 to train as a
surveyor. Soon he was joined by his widowed mother and four siblings; then in 1866 by his fiancée
Katie Fowler. The varying fortunes of each family member reveals how the social, economic and
political conditions in the colony and each individual’s personal attributes and social background
determined success in the colonial context. Walter and Katie Hume coped with isolation from family
and the deaths of five infants while working to establish their financial future, secure promotions for
Walter and create a place for themselves among the colonial elite. They attained the ideal middle-
class family life with Walter’s career success providing sufficient income to educate their children
overseas, reside in elite homes, and engage in genteel and philanthropic pastimes. In 1901, following
almost four decades of service in the Department of Public Lands, Walter retired to England with his
family and commenced travelling widely. They visited family and friends from India to Argentina,
returning once more to Queensland in 1907 where they noted many changes since federation. Since
completing masters and doctoral theses in Queensland colonial history, Hilary Davies has worked as
a heritage officer involved in local and state heritage.

This is an exceptional exposé of the social aspiration and elitism of an upwardly mobile family in
colonial Queensland. Dr Rod Fisher

No 6, 2009, The Making of a Metropolis, Brisbane 1823-25,(256 pages), John Laverty.

This is a history of Brisbane within its regional and national setting from the time of the exploration
of the area by John Oxley in 1923 until the greater City of Brisbane was established in 1925. The first
section deals with the convict establishment and the economic, social, cultural and political aspects
of the development of the town of Brisbane within its regional context until it was incorporated as a
municipality in 1859. The second section covers the development of the town as part of the
urbanisation process which was occurring across Australia during the years 1859-1925. During this
period it slowly grew until it reached metropolitan status during the 1920s. The first part outlines the
economic context of Brisbane’s development; the second the social aspects of that development

and the third the cultural aspects of Brisbane’s social development. The third extensive section of
the book deals with the organisation of municipal government in Brisbane during the years 1859-
1879. It covers the operation of municipal government in Brisbane under local government
legislation which was enacted during this period; the development of the council’s structures,
operating procedures, staffing arrangements, the council’s relations with the government and the
chequered nature of its activities. The final section offers an account of the works and services
undertaken or provided during the years 1859-1879.

No 5, 2005, The Scottish Presence at Moreton Bay 1837-59, Collected Insights, (206 pages), John
Mackenzie-Smith.

Twelve papers, ten of which have previously been published in the Royal Queensland Historical
Society Journal, Brisbane History Group Papers and the Genealogical Society of Queensland’s
journal, Generation. The papers deal with Andrew Petrie, Rev John Gregor, Rev John Dunmore Lang,
Evan Mackenzie, William Augustine Duncan, Scottish immigrants before separation, the foundation
of Kilcoy, the Kilcoy poisonings and Mackenzie’s labour force from Scotland’s Black Isle.

No 4, 2004, The Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains, a Post-war Housing Debacle at Brisbane,(120
pages), Alfons Vernooy.

Research on the history of public housing in Brisbane after the Second World War has been severely
hampered, as records of the Queensland Housing Commission were severely pruned before being
handed to the first State Archivist in 1959. Little hope was left that detailed information on mass
house-building projects could be recovered. This study on the Dutch Houses of Coopers Plains is a
surprising exception. It is based on the recently recovered personal archive in The Netherlands of
Alfons Vernooy Snr who was the Dutch assistant general manager of Concrete Developments Pty
Ltd. This Australian-Dutch company built the 300 concrete houses in Coopers Plains in 1951-55. The
project ended as a near debacle in those unstable economic years that brought hardship to many
building companies, Australian and foreign. The study is primarily based on the Dutch archive, but
placed in Australian context by additional research in Brisbane. It is a valuable contribution to the
history of Brisbane, and especially of Coopers Plains, at a time when the Dutch Houses are under
threat.

No 3, 2003, Diggles Down Under, Brisbane via Sydney from Merseyside 1855-80, Rod Fisher.

This publication features the man himself, his family and their movements on either side of the
globe, the associated British, European and Indigenous persons and transplanted cultural

institutions. These include schools of arts, musical and scientific bodies, schools, churches, lodges
and exhibitions – as well as art, photography, science, music, education and religion in context of the
Victorian age. While focusing on the exploits of a single versatile man, this is a tale of three cities and
a long migration from Merseyside to Sydney and then Brisbane. Their imperial culture was planted
on the colonial frontier by the time of his unfortunate death. The Manual introduces the subject, the
man and the parameters plus timeline, maps, family trees, glossary and bibliography for both the
Book and the CD (106 pages). The Principal CD covers Diggles’ life and times in a History of 13 areas,
Library of related texts and Gallery of images of people, places and products plus resources (about
750 pages and 400 images). The Supplementary CD contains full transcripts of Diggles’ journal,
letters and bird descriptions plus the complete sketchbook, insect drawings, bird plates and bird
drawings (over 550 pages and images). The History Book of the CD reproduces the History section
with selected black-and-white images, especially for readers needing a hardcopy or not accessing
modern PCs (330 pages and 250 images). The Library Book of the CD presents all the texts from the
Library section of the CD in 28 categories, for those wanting a hardcopy or not necessarily using the
CD (254 pages). The CDs are not available in a Mac version.

No 2, 1998, Brisbane House Styles 1880 to 1940, A Guide to the Affordable House,(76 pages), Judy
Gale Rechner.

A lavishly illustrated comprehensive guide to identify and dating house styles which were popular in
the Brisbane region from 1880 to 1940. Based on detailed research of state housing records, street
survey of suburban dwellings and using the year houses were actually built to establish time frames
for changes in styles and features. Includes over 150 photographs of houses when first built and
some original plans, illustrated glossary of technical terms and a bibliography for further reading and
research.

No 1, 1992, Brisbane’s Forgotten Founder, Sir Evan Mackenzie of Kilcoy 1816-1883,(260 pages),
John Mackenzie-Smith.

An excellently researched analysis of one of the first Scottish settlers, his pioneering role at Brisbane,
Kangaroo Point and Kilcoy during the 1840s and personal difficulties, commercial enterprises and
Aboriginal poisonings.[Out of Print]