1961 Water Supply Switching On ceremony

 On 4 November 1961, a "Switching On" ceremony for Bribie Island's water supply was held at Bongaree. The following article describes the day's events.

Switching on Ceremony [water supply] 

Vice-Regal Triumph at Bribie

In clear ringing tones came the final words of His Excellency Sir Henry Abel Smith K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., D.S.O., as he concluded his speech at the opening of the Bribie Island water scheme on Saturday: “It is now my privilege to switch on the fresh water supply to Bribie Island”.  And then the irrepressible, effervescent humanity of the Vice-Regal visitor broke through. Sir Henry, with a twinkling smile, a mercurial flick of the hands, and a whimsical chuckle, turned and said: “I don’t know where the switch is – someone will have to show me!”

The crowd loved it. It cheered and then it chuckled too, as the chairman of the Caboolture Shire (Cr. S.A. Clayton), piloted His Excellency down the gentle incline to where the switch stood.  A pause, a twitch to the switch, and then another chuckle came as three jets of water sprayed dramatically to a height of thirty feet to proclaim the official reticulation of water to Bribie Island. Again the crowd roared but it had eyes only for the Governor. He had won their hearts as he has wherever he has “performed” in any part of the State.

"Three jets of water sprayed dramatically to a height of thirty feet
to proclaim the official reticulation of water to Bribie Island"
Photo: Caboolture Shire Council
Repository: QSA id 305320

Sir Henry’s humanity had asserted itself early in the piece when he chatted informally with the Guard of Honour provided by the Bribie Island Surf Life-saving Club headed by President Les Boyland, and again when he stepped away from the official party to congratulate Kathie Eliasson, drum-major of the Caboolture State School’s Drum and Fife Band on their playing. 

BRIBIE CELEBRATES ITS GREATEST DAY
And so the day wore on – with the Governor winning more and more hearts, stopping to chat with old Bribie identifies on his way to the Bongaree Bowling Club pavilion; and again, while there, mixing informally with as many persons as he could and making himself completely at home.  It was a great day for Bribie – and the Shire of Caboolture – for it was the first occasion on which His Excellency had paid an official visit to the Shire and it was the first occasion on which a Governor of Queensland had officiated at any ceremony on historic Bribie Island.

The island did itself proud for the day – and so did the weather despite a threat of rain earlier in the morning.  The day was radiant, the waters of the Passage sparkled in the sunshine; the spectacular plum-shaded masses of the Glasshouse Mountains beckoned to the north; the ladies wore their gayest frocks and the Marching Girls and the school-children from both Bribie Island and Caboolture in their colourful attire bedecked the sylvan scenes with freshness and warmth.

DISPLAYS
Mr. D. McNaught, head-teacher of the Bribie Island School, had charge of the pre-ceremony programme and his pupils gave a note-worthy display of folk-dancing in between programmes of recorded music which kept the crowd in good humour.  The Caboolture Marching Girls, marshalled by Mr. H. Shew and Mr. C.Duffy, instructor of the senior team, gave several displays of marching which amply demonstrated the excellent progress the girls are making.  Their eye-catching uniforms of blue and vieux rose, and lemon and green, gave added zest to their demonstrations.  The Caboolture Drum and Fife Band, in white uniforms with olive-green forage caps and green sashes, marched seventy strong prior to the official ceremony giving a number of tuneful selections which were true crowd-pleasers, too.  With the arrival of His Excellency, they “piped him in” with “Advance Australia Fair”.

To all these people a vote of thanks was carried by acclamation at the conclusion of the ceremony on the call of Cr. E. Bateman, (deputy chairman of the Shire of Caboolture). Apologies for non-attendance were announced from the Premier (Hon. G.F.R. Nicklin), Mr. D. Low, M.H.R. (Maroochy) and Mr. Sewell (Director of Local Government). The Shire chairman (Cr. S.A. Clayton) was ably assisted by Mrs. Clayton with the reception of the guests both at the official enclosure and at the Bongaree Bowling Clubhouse.

Governor Sir Henry Abel Smith chatting informally with the
Guard of Honour provided by the Bribie Island Surf Life-saving
Club headed by President Les Boyland.
Photo: Caboolture Shire Council
Repository: QSA id 305320

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME
The chairman of the Shire of Caboolture, Cr. S.A. Clayton, extended a very hearty welcome to His Excellency and expressed their pleasure at having him with them that day to turn on the water supply to Bribie Island. “It is, I believe”, said Cr. Clayton, “the first time that a Governor of Queensland has been the guest of the Caboolture Shire Council and the number of people assembled here today shows how much your visit is appreciated.

The turning on of the water supply to the island, said Cr. Clayton, marked the completion of another stage in his Council’s progressive water supply policy.  It meant that the towns of Caboolture, Bongaree, and Woorim now had treated water supplies reticulated to each house. Construction work was in progress for supplying treated water to Woodford and plans had also been completed and approved by the council for a similar supply to Deception Bay.

GREAT PROGRESS
With the completion of the bridge across Pumicestone Passage both Bongaree and Woorim would grow rapidly, added Cr. Clayton, and he knew of one development company that would have 200 blocks for sale when the bridge went across.  There were others, too, no doubt, that would also have large quantities of land for sale.  This would inevitably mean that the size of the water treatment plant would have to be increased and more bores connected to the system. “To this end”, said Cr. Clayton, “the council is having comprehensive records kept which will show the drawn down and recovery rates of each bore which will give the necessary information for the extension of the scheme.

COUNCIL’S THANKS

The extensive works that were required to provide the water supply for Bribie Island were carried out for the council by various contractors supervised by Messrs. John Wilson and Partners to whom his fellow councilors and he were very grateful.  While he was diffident about singling out anyone for special thanks, he felt that he had to voice the council’s appreciation of the yeoman work done by Mr. Derek Stringfellow during the period that the works were in progress.

UNIQUE SCHEME

Some added information on the unique nature of the Bribie Island water scheme were given in a short address by Mr. R.D. King-Scott, Chief Engineer to the Local Government Department, who said that 650 acres of land had actually been resumed for water supply purposes but to date only 135 acres had been utilised.  The bores which provided the supply were each 8-inch tubes surrounded by 15-inches of gravel and spaced 700-ft. apart. The system of collection of water was in use nowhere else in Queensland. Bundaberg and Mackay, although they too drew their supply from underground, actually tapped river sources, where Bribie Island’s scheme derived from a great saucer or sponge which retained the great mass of rainfall which accrued on the island.  This rainwater, despite losses from evaporation and from other causes, was retained in the sand to the extent of between 20 and 30 percent of the yearly fall (which, in the case of Bribie was about 45 inches) and thus provided the bores with an adequacy of water for all the needs of the island.

BIG RETENTION

Pointing out that one inch of rain on one acre yielded 22,000 gallons of water, Mr. King-Scott said that the figures for complete yield very quickly went into more than the million-gallon mark on the resumed area.  The accumulated water was pumped from the six bores 30-ft. below ground level to the treatment works at Woorim and from there, after treatment, it was pumped into the two towers at Woorim and Bongaree and then into the reticulation system.  Mr. King-Scott congratulated the council on their enterprise in undertaking the scheme to supply the island and on their successful achievement in bringing it to the stage where the water could be turned on that day.

SIR HENRY SPOKE OF ISLAND PRIDE AND THE QUAINT HISTORY OF BRIBIE
The peculiar pride that resides in the hearts of Island people and a colourful resume of the quaint history of Bribie Island were features of the official speech by His Excellency at the opening of the Water Scheme.  “It is indeed a pleasant task which you have given me to perform this afternoon”, said Sir Henry in opening his address.  “What is there about an island which makes its inhabitants regard it with a peculiar pride?  “It has always been so in history from the time of the ancient Greeks, who placed their earthly paradise not on any mainland but in what they called the Fortunate Islands – somewhere out in the western ocean. “What is it that gives an island the special charm? I think the main reason is that an island has its clear physical limits and the mind is able to grasp it and make a picture of the whole.  Our imagination may be kindled by big things – the vastness of Australia – but it is on little things that our affections lay hold.

“Your island is historic in the annals of Australian history.  Only eleven years had elapsed after Governor Philip landed at Botany Bay, when Flinders set foot on these shores whilst he was looking for the entrance to the Brisbane River. An affray took place with the local aborigines, Flinders named the location Skirmish Point.  “Accompanying Flinders on this voyage of discovery was his devoted and loyal servant Bongaree – King and Supreme Chief of the Sydney Tribe.  Such was Flinders’ regard for Bongaree that he took him on all his navigating and exploring voyages.

“I pray that the historic island of Bribie will bring health, happiness, and recreation to many thousands of our people in Queensland and that when its noble forests have grown up they, too, will bring work to many thousands of other people”.

REFERENCES

Governor Wins All Bribie Hearts. Switching on Ceremony [water supply]. Vice-Regal Triumph.
North Coast & Stanley District News, Thur 9 Nov 1961, p. 1 & p. 4.

Photos. Caboolture Shire Council Scrapbook 1924-1965.
Queensland State Archives ID 305320