1923 Bribie Incident

 The following article describes a medical emergency which occurred in 1923 to a visitor to Bribie Island and the local residents actions in facilitating the patient's conveyance back to Brisbane for medical treatment.

1923 Bribie Incident. Aged Man's Collapse.

An incident of a peculiar nature, but which fortunately resulted in no serious harm to the person concerned, occurred at Bribie Island on Sunday night.

Mr Edward Crammond, of Waterworks road, Ashgrove, aged 61, proceeded to the island by the Koopa on Sunday afternoon. On arrival he spoke to the caretaker of the island (Mr W Freeman), and then apparently set out for a long stroll. Nothing further appears to have been seen of him during the latter part of the that day, but about 10 a.m. yesterday (Monday) another visitor was walking along the ocean beach, on the far side of the island, when he saw an old man stretched out upon the sand, in what appeared to be a serious condition.

He immediately hurried back to the main jetty (a distance of nearly four miles), to secure assistance. The position was explained to Mr Freeman, but as the Koopa was nearing the jetty at the time, it was decided to await her arrival. A member of the Ambulance Brigade happened to be on board, and acting on his advice a horse and cart was secured, and the party set out for the far beach.

When they arrived on the scene, it was found that Mr Crammond was conscious, though suffering from shock, and he was hurried back to the jetty to enable him to be taken back to Brisbane on the Koopa.

The excursion steamer Koopa at the wharf at Bribie.
Source: The Brisbane Courier 23.11.1926 p.18

The captain of the boat had previously promised to hold the boat up for a short period, pending their return, but at 3 o'clock he was forced to cast off, on his return trip to Brisbane. When the party eventually arrived at the jetty, the Koopa was a considerable distance out in the bay, but by means of signals, the captain was acquainted with the position. The boat was stopped, and Mr Reg Campbell, of Bribie, offered the assistance of his motor boat, and with his aid Mr Crammond was taken out and put on board. On arrival in Brisbane, he declined to go to a hospital, and was conveyed to his home.

The action of the captain of the Koopa, in delaying the departure of his board, was very much appreciated.

REFERENCES

Bribie Incident. Aged Man's Collapse. The Daily Mail (Brisbane) Tuesday 24.4.1923 p.8 
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220561687

Photo: The excursion steamer Koopa berthed at the wharf at Bribie. From article: Bribie's Spell. Health and Happiness. The Brisbane Courier, Tue 23 Nov 1926, p. 18

1940s 1950s Reminiscences

The following two reminiscences of Bribie in the 1940s and 1950s were written in 1997 by Ted Simpson and Ted Clayton respectively.

Bribie Jetty, 1945
Photo: The Longreach Leader 30.6.1945 p.9

22. Reminiscences of Bribie (1946-1950) by R.E. Simpson

About the author: In 1997, Ted and Rose Simpson returned to Bribie Island and Ted Simpson wrote the following reminiscences, of his time on Bribie from the mid-1940s till he left to serve in Korea and Japan, which were published in the Island and Mainland News, 29 Oct 1997.

Interestingly, a 23-pound snapper16 caught off Bribie Island by Dick Simpson in 1951 was cast in plaster by the Queensland Museum.*

In the mid-1940s my parents Dick and Melba Simpson (both now deceased) moved to Bribie Island along with eight of their nine children. The house we lived in was located near where the Bongaree Post Office now stands. Dick Simpson was, at different times, a professional fisherman, skipper of the barge which transported vehicles from the mainland to the Island as the bridge had not been thought of at that time. He also operated a butcher shop for a time where the second-hand shop is now [in 1997]. After that he converted the 28-foot launch Sunny Girl to a flush deck trawler and so became what was most likely the first commercial prawn trawler operator in Moreton Bay. His wife Melba Simpson, as well as being housewife and mother, sold fish and crabs and shell ornaments from her front verandah. My younger brother Max drove an old international truck and delivered ice. I am not sure but I think Ivan Tesch might have owned the truck. Another brother, Albert, worked part time assisting Tex the slaughterman.

At that time the Post Office was located near the Koopa jetty to the rear of the service station. In 1950 I joined the army and after that I only returned for a few short holidays. Two brothers Ronald and Albert eventually joined the navy. William and sister Marjory joined the Air Force. My teenage girlfriend, Rosaline Long, later to become my wife, lived at Graceville but worked weekends in the Cafeteria on either the Koopa, Miramar or Mirana.

As a point of interest, a vehicle used only on the island cost £4.10 per year to register. At that time, I don’t think there were any sealed roads on the Island. Mail was picked up at Toorbul Point and transported to Bribie by motor launch. I know that progress has brought many changes to the Island. Some good, some not so good, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand why places like Campbells Creek (now Williams Creek) had to suffer a name change. After all the Campbell family owned and operated a business on its banks for many years.

I wonder what the Island will be like in another fifty years. Still free of traffic lights I hope.

R.E. Simpson

1997

                                                         

23. Reminiscences of Bribie (1940s-1950s) by Ted Clayton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ted Clayton’s parents Ernie and Marion met on Bribie Island in the 1920s and while Ted grew up in Brisbane most of his childhood family holidays were spent on Bribie. After Ted married Patricia, the couple chose to settle on Bribie Island and raise their family. As the Island’s carpenter, builder, fisherman and regular contributor to Fishing World for over two decades, Ted Clayton’s knowledge of Bribie Island’s natural environment is extensive. Ted’s large collection of Aboriginal artefacts were gifted to the Queensland Museum in recent times. Ted also collected copies of many of Vera Campbell’s photos thus capturing a wonderful pictorial memory of Reg and Vera Campbell.

Letter by Ted Clayton to the Editor. Island and Mainland News, 11 Nov 1997.

I read Mr R.E. Simpson’s letter in your October 29th edition. His brother Max delivered our ice for quite some time. Certainly the ice works (and probably the truck) belonged to the Tesch family. I had no idea that the name of Campbells Creek had been changed to “Williams Creek” – if that is so, then it saddens me. Another case of out of sight out of mind.

I do not know who the Williams referred to would be but they could not have a claim that would surpass that of Reg and Vera Campbell, two modest and lovable people whose ties to the creek go back a very long way. I do not know the exact date that they acquired their creek bank lease but I was buying aniseed balls from their shop prior to World War 2. At that time they had a well-established business alongside the creek as general store/garage/professional fisherman/boat hire, boat building etc. They were there before a road bridge existed across the creek. The remains of Reg’s boat shed can be seen in a popular painting at the local library.

As a child Reg attended Clark’s school at Toorbul Point. On Bribie he was a prominent and popular businessman, someone who could fix anything. He deserves to be remembered. It is a pity that the Campbells Creek where I caught mullet as a child has been turned into something resembling a drain.

On another point of historical accuracy. Toward the south west corner of the island there used to be a delightful little inlet with mangroves and a few mud crabs. It was called “The Yabby Patch Creek”. It became involved in the erosion of the foreshore and putting a dam across it saved the adjacent properties. The dam filled with fresh water, grew reeds, and attracted bird life. It has come to be known incorrectly as “Buckley’s Hole”.

“Buckleys Hole” – historically – refers to an area of deep water alongside the ledge in front of the parking area at the south end of South Esplanade. The real Buckley’s Hole has strong memories of dark nights and exciting times for generations of fishermen. Who it was named after I don’t know – someone else who has lost their mark on history – but the name goes back to the very early days prior to World War 1. My father was fishing it by 1920. There are many people alive who object strongly to the name being hijacked and the old timers will be turning over in their graves. It was – and is – a very well-known local feature.

REFERENCES

*Rival for “Snozzle” [illustration]. The Courier Mail, Wed 22 Aug 1951, p. 3

Reminiscences of Bribie (1946-1950) by R.E. Simpson. Island and Mainland News, 29 Oct 1997.  Reproduced in: Describing Bribie Island 1865-1965: historical first-hand accounts of visiting Bribie Island (2017) chapter 22.

Reminiscences of Bribie (1940s-1950s) by Ted Clayton. Letter to the Editor, Island and Mainland News, 11 Nov 1997.  Reproduced in: Describing Bribie Island 1865-1965: historical first-hand accounts of visiting Bribie Island (2017) chapter 23.

Photo: Bribie Jetty, showing part of Bongaree township. The Longreach Leader 30.6.1945 p.9

 The above stories are two of 27 stories presented in Describing Bribie Island 1865-1965: historical first-hand accounts of visiting Bribie Island produced by the Bribie Island Historical Society in 2017.

Early Days at Bribie Island

Early Days at Bribie Island

by Reg Campbell, October 1963.

The following article was published in The Bribie Star v.2(9) 19 October 1963, p. 15.

Early Days at Bribie Island, pictures by courtesy of Reg. Campbell, author of this article.

In the year 1905 our family set sail in the cutter Salina from Hayes Inlet, just up from Clontarf, for our new home at the mouth of Ninghi Creek, Pumicestone Channel.

My father, the late Joe Campbell, came to take charge of Mr. J. Clark’s extensive oyster farming operations. The oyster leases and dredge sections extended as far up the channel as Donnybrook, and some of them went as far up as Mission Point, which is about 10 miles north of Toorbul Point.

Our near neighbours were Mr. C. Dean and Mr. Fred Turner. Other families in the area were the Days, Bestmans, Bastins, and still further up Ninghi Creek were the families Freeman, Davis, Dux and Bishop. Mr. Harry Wright lived on Bribie Island and Mr. W. Mohr and J. Gallagher lived at White Patch. Mr. H. Bowles lived at Mission Point and a little further up the Passage was Mr. T. Tripcony, Mr. August Wilson and Mr. C. Bardon were at Donnybrook.

Oystering 
Oystering was the foremost industry carried on in those days, and the main oyster lessees were James Clark, Moreton Bay Oyster Company, J. Markwell and T. Tripcony. Apart from oystering, there was also dairy farming, and a good deal of log timber was handled in and around Toorbul and Bribie Island.

Oyster Dock [Reg Campbell photo]

All goods from Bribie Island were carried by J. Clark’s s.s. Sunset and later the s.s. Sunrise, the Moreton Bay Oyster Company’s schooner, Sir Arthur, and later still by the auxiliary cutters Result and Caloola.

The log timber for James Campbell’s mills at Brisbane was shipped by the paddle-wheelers Lintrose and Bell from the rafting grounds at Ninghi Creek, Donnybrook and Coochin Creek.

Mr. T. Tripcony ran a service with his motor auxiliary to and from Caloundra and Brisbane, carrying Government stores to Bribie and “lead lights” to the northern end of the Island and Caloundra. On the return trips he carried shell-grit, oysters, citrus fruits and also pineapples from Westaway’s orchard near Caloundra.

Only School 
The only school was on Toorbul Road, not far from Elimbah Creek, and as this was too far for us to attend we did not receive any school until 1908 when Mr. James Clark built a small provisional school at Toorbul Point. This building still stands there, but during the last war some additions were made to it. Miss Eustace was the first school teacher and there were only 14 pupils.

In 1910 Mrs. Sarah Ball established a fish cannery on Bribie Island, and the building stood opposite to where “Shady Glen” now stands. The cannery operated until 1914 when it was forced to close down because of a shortage of tin plate which occurred just after the war began. The building was sold to a Brisbane jam factory and it was removed to the city on the s.s. Porpoise, owned by Burke and Sons.

In 1911 the E. and A. liner s.s. Eastern ran aground on Salamanda Reef off the southern end of Bribie Island. After unsuccessfully trying for some days to refloat the vessel it was decided to jettison some of the cargo, after which the liner was freed from the reef.

The jettisoned cargo, which included bags of rice, canned foods, cases of petrol in 4-gallon drums, shark oil and bags of peanuts, was washed up on Ocean Beach. The bags of peanuts burst and loose nuts were blown from one end of the Island to the other. Eventually there were peanuts growing on many parts of the Island.

Destroy Cargo 
It was not long before customs officers were sent from Brisbane to inspect and destroy the cargo washed ashore on Ocean Beach. The officers rode along the beach on bicycles and cut holes with hatchets in all of the tinned goods that could be found.

Some of the cases of petrol (it was called benzene in those days) were salvaged at the Caloundra end of Bribie, and Mr. Charles Godwin was engaged to ship it to Brisbane in his auxiliary launch Victory. Returning from the second trip, Mr. Godwin was accidentally drowned after being hit by the sail of the Victory and thrown overboard into the Passage. The body was found several days later floating near the fish cannery jetty.

From 1906 to 1911 the Royal Australian Naval Reserve carried out annual gunnery
practice in H.M.A.S. Gayundah off Bribie Island. The targets were erected in Horeshoe Bay, just opposite where Mr. Gazzard’s home now stands in Webster Street, and the Gayundah anchored near the Deception Bay beacon.

During these same years, 1906 to 1911, the Brisbane Tug Company sent their tugs, Greyhound and Beaver, which had been fitted up to carry passengers, to Bribie Island on holidays such as Easter, King’s Birthday, etc. A square-end punt with seats all around was used to take passengers ashore. A rope was tied to a tree and to the boat, and the punt was hauled to and from the bank just opposite the Bongaree water tower near the Bribie Island Bowling Club.

Other visitors to the Island in their sailing yachts in those days were Messrs. T. Welsby, I. Bond, J. Plumridge, B. Fox, the Ruddles and many others.

Telephone contact 
One noteworthy happening which took place about this time, 1910, was when Mr. J. Clark had a telephone line erected to connect with Caboolture Post Office where Mr. Dick Draney was the post-master.

There was no telephone on Bribie at this time and it was a boon to Bribie residents to be able to send urgent messages from Clark’s private phone.

About 1911 the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Company decided to start a regular service to Bribie Island, and an order was placed with Ramage and Ferguson, Scotland, for the steamer which was intended for the Bribie run. Eventually, the ship, later named the Koopa (the word means flying fish) arrived in Brisbane under the command of Captain Douglas Taylor, and after docking and general overhaul the Koopa was placed on the regular service from Brisbane to Woody Point and Redcliffe. Later the services was extended to include a Bribie trip on Sundays, but as there was no jetty in those days the Koopa had to anchor in the Passage and any passenger wishing to go ashore were taken in rowing boats by local fishermen.

In those days the return fare on the Sunday and Thursday trips was 2/6 and campers could obtain a return ticket tenable for twelve months for four shillings.

Early in 1912 the construction of a jetty was started by Taylor Bros., of Brisbane, and although not quite completed it was used to land passengers by Easter of that year.

First Caretaker 
A residence was built near the end of the jetty for the first caretaker, Mr. George Jaques, and later a bush-house where refreshments were served was built at the rear of the residence. Shortly afterwards another building was brought from South Passage, Moreton Island, and erected beside the caretaker’s residence for use as a cafe. The building had been previously used for this purpose at Moreton Island.

About this time water tanks were erected at the shore end of the jetty. Water was brought each trip from Brisbane and pumped into the tanks, thus providing a good water supply for campers.

Mr. A.T. (Arty) Bestman, a bee farmer, was the first settler in the area, and when the Government decided to survey the township of Bongaree the first survey peg was driven on Mr. Bestman’s property on the corner of what is now First Avenue and Toorbul Street where the Four Square Store is located.

The Brisbane Tug Company built six 12ft. by 14ft. weatherboard huts along the foreshore just north of the jetty which were let at a rental of 6/- per week. The huts were so popular that another six were built shortly afterwards and they became known as the Twelve Apostles.

Building Erected 
About this time a building was brought over from South Passage, Moreton Island, erected just about where the Bongaree water tower now stands, and used as a dance hall. It was in this hall that the first Bribie island school was conducted under the guidance of Mr. L. Diplock, Bribie’s first school teacher. There were about 16 to 20 pupils attending when the school first started. Later the building was sold to the Bribie Island Bowling Club and it now forms the main portion of the present club house.

Sometime in 1914 A. Tripcony and Son began a motor-launch service which connected with the Koopa and ran from Bribie to Caloundra.

In 1915 the Avon, now referred to as “the wreck” on Blackbuoy Bank, near the mouth of Dux Creek, was placed in its present position to form a breakwater to protect the oysters on the bank from heavy southerly weather. The Avon was a condemned coal hulk, which, in its early days, had been a schooner engaged in bringing South Sea Islanders to Queensland to work the canefields.

In 1916 Messrs. J. McDonald & Son built a big house in Banya Street for Mr. Norm Congeau, the proprietor of a well-known Brisbane wine saloon. This building is now the property of the Church of England.

Novelty Gardens 
About this time the novelty gardens belonging to Mr. R.J. Davies, in Campbell Street, were really beginning to take shape. A cypress pine hedge around the property was trimmed into shapes of men, kangaroos, emus, etc. In addition to this there was a small collection of animals and birds and a small aquarium. There were also several hundred pineapples growing on the property.

"Pirra" one of the barges used to transport road metal
to Bribie Island. [Reg Campbell photo]
Vera Campbell Album VC8_128
Online at  SLQ APA-114-0002-0008

The first road between Bongaree and Woorim, Campbell Road, which was recently so named after the late Mr. G. P. Campbell of the Brisbane Tug Co., was built in 1924 by the late William Shirley.

After the necessary clearing had been done it was graded with the Caboolture Shire Council’s grader which, with the bullock team, was brought from the mainland by the late Mr. Joe Campbell, using a motor-boat and pontoon belonging to Mr. J. Clark.

Gantry for unloading road metal for road from
Bongaree, Bribie Island, to Woorim.
[Reg Campbell photo]

The metal for the road was brought from Collin’s quarry (the quarry was located on the bank of the Brisbane River where the Story Bridge now stands) to Bribie by several barges and the steamer Porpoise. The contractors for carting the metal from the jetty to the job were the Blake brothers (Harold and Bert) with two International trucks.


First Buses 
When the road was opened to traffic the first four buses to carry passengers across the Island were T model Fords. Later Mr. W. Shirley added an International truck, converted to carry passengers, and the first bus drivers on the run across the Island were Messrs. W. Shirley, Nobby Meelham, R.J. Campbell and J. Green.

After the road across the Island was completed the township of Woorim was surveyed, and a kiosk was built by Mr. W. Bishop for the Tug and Steamship Company. The timber for the building was shipped from Johnson’s mill at Caboolture, down the Caboolture River and across Deception Bay by a launch towing a pontoon. The men in charge of the towing job were W. Freeman and R. Campbell.

It was about this time, soon after the Ocean Beach road was constructed, that the Tug Co. added another steamer to their fleet. It was the ex-H.M.S. Wexford, renamed Doomba, which is the aboriginal word for “wombat”.

First Bakery 
A little later Mr. Kerr and his son built a brick oven in Toorbul Street and started the first bakery on the Island. About two years later the bakery was closed and Mr. Kerr went over to Redcliffe and opened the Peninsula Bakeries. Mr. Heenan then opened a bakery in Foster Street, opposite the Church of England Hall. The business later changed hands and was conducted by Mr. T. Read until a new bakery was built in Banya Street. When Mr. Read left the bakery it was carried on by the present owner, Mr. F. Kling.

Steamship Koopa bound for Bribie Island
Reg Campbell photo

During the 1914-18 war there was little progress on the Island. Apart from the
building of a few small houses Bribie was at a standstill. After the war the Island progressed slowly, then came the Second World War when forces were station here and Ocean Beach was closed to civilians. The progress of Bribie speeded up after the war and today it is fulfilling the hopes of the pioneers who foresaw the Island’s future potentials.

REFERENCES: 
Campbell, R. (1963) Early Days at Bribie Island. The Bribie Star v2(9) 19 October 1963, p. 15.

Q150 2009 Campbells Store

Q150 Heritage Plaque - 3 of 16 - Campbell's Store

The Bribie Island Heritage Plaques Waterfront Walk Bongaree consists of 16 bronze plaques located on the "Heritage Walk" along the walking path beside the Bongaree beach from the southern point of South Esplanade and finishes just north of Kangaroo Avenue.

These 16 bronze plaques set on a white concrete square record various aspects of the history of Bribie Island: Record Rainfall, South Esplanade, Campbell's Store, Camping Grounds, Bribie Island heritage quote from A. Meston, Ian Fairweather, First Shop, Bribie Island Heritage quote from Stan Tutt, First Avenue, Fishing Records, Welsby Parade, Bribie Island Wartime, First Car, Shirley Creek, Castaway Convicts and Fish Cannery.

The following excerpt is from the 2009 booklet produced prior to the plaques placement.  The Heritage Plaques Waterfront Walk Bongaree project was a Q150 Community Funded Program, initiated by the Rotary Club of Bribie Island and supported by Moreton Bay Regional Council in conjunction with Bribie Island U3A and Bribie Island Historical Society.

A copy of the map for the Bongaree Waterfront Walk can be found at 

http://bribieislandhistory.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/bribie-heritage-plaques-walk.html

CAMPBELL’S STORE In the 1890’s Joe Campbell was an Oysterman in the Passage.  In the 1930’s his son Reg had a General Store & Boat Shed by this creek, when it was much larger and used as a boat harbour by campers and Dugong fishermen.

Campbell's Store and Boatshed

Campbell’s Store & Boatshed

¨ Campbell’s Boat Shed was established in the early 1920’s.

¨ Reg Campbell hired, maintained, repaired, and stored many boats for visitors.

¨ Campbell’s Store catered for the needs of  the many visitors and  campers.

¨ The Store remained in operation until the 1960’s and Reg and Vera Campbell were trusted and well  respected members  of the community.

The Campbell Family

¨ Reg Campbell was the son of oysterman Joe Campbell.  He had grown up around Bribie Island and married  a local long term resident, Vera Huet. 

¨ After World War I, as “excursion” visitors increased, Reg and his family opened a boat shed and then a general store on the Southern bank of this creek, catering  for the fishermen and  general needs of the  visiting campers and boatmen.

¨ Campbell’s Creek,as it was known for many years, but later renamed William’s Creek, was much larger at that time and formed a natural boat harbour holding water at all tides.

¨ Bribie Island was one of the most popular fishing and camping holiday destinations in Australia, with up to 5,000 visitors a week.

Brief History of the Campbell Family

¨ The Campbell family arrived in the area in 1905 and took up residence at Ningi Creek on the Pumicestone Passage.  At that time only four families were resident on Bribie Island.

¨ The introduction of regular excursion boats by the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Co., brought many visitors to the Island, and this was enhanced in 1911 by the addition of the purpose built luxurious SS Koopa to their ferry fleet, carrying over 1200 passengers.

¨ The visitors initially camped all along the foreshore of the island at Bongaree. 

Vera Campbell in car in front of their Store.

¨  Recognising opportunity, the Campbells moved across the passage and took up residence on “Campbell’s Creek” (now known as William Creek).  They built a Boat Shed to cater for the fishing, boating and camping needs of the many visitors.

Reg Campbell in doorway of his Boatshed. 1920.

    ¨  After Reg and Vera married they expanded and built the general store.  Their store and boatshed was accessed by crossing the “old rickety bridge”. 

¨ They both worked very hard and operated the business successfully until 1963.  Reg was a very good fisherman and his knowledge of tackle, bait and tides was given freely to all his customers.  They also operated a popular “Oyster Bar” at the jetty.

Campbell's Oyster Kiosk at Bongaree Jetty