Fishing on Bribie in the 1920s and 1930s

 Fishing on Bribie in the 1920s and 1930s

Bribie Island
(with a similar view to the 1937 photo below)
This photo won first prize in Class C Kodak Competition for R.J. Davies, Bribie.
Source: The Australasian Photo-Review, June 15, 1923, p. 311.

1923 July - Bribie fishing

Mr A.E. Godwin writes :- The roughness of the waters for the past week has unquestionably marred the pleasure and takes of many anglers on Bribie fishing grounds and Redcliffe anglers journeying to Bribie have been somewhat disappointed with their catches, the fish being on the small size. However, a few specimens of jew and some fine schnapper and squire have been hagged, the list being headed by Mr. E.H. Freeman with a total of 32 for the day, with Mr. R. Campbell next.

Last week-end some very choice fish of a pleasing size were caught by a party of Bribsane anglers up the passage, under the guidance of Mr. McPherson.

The sea mullet seem to be evading Bribie Passage, although now is the season, and many visitors to Bribie have been disappointed in this direction.

During the two hours' stay of the Koopa at Bribie some fine bream have been caught, particularly by some enthusiastic lady anglers, while, although on the scarce side, the size and quality of whiting caught were excellent.

Some of the finest rock cod the writer ever saw were caught in the passage during the week.

The Daily Mail (Brisbane) Sun 8 Jul 1923 p. 7 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article218209720

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This unusual photo was taken at Bribie Island Beach, as a storm was approaching.
Half guinea is awarded to Mrs Bert Spring, Barter Street, Gympie.
Source: The wireless weekly : the hundred per cent Australian radio journal, v.30(17) 22 Oct 1937, page 79

1937 January - Record at Bribie Island Cottage

MANY parties during the holidays had fine fishing. Twenty-seven anglers stayed at Bribie Island cottage, and this is the record number of guests the A.F.A. has had there in a holiday period.

One party of seven at Donnybrook, up the passage, secured full creels of mixed fish, bream, flathead, and squire providing the greatest number. Another party of eight, fishing in the same waters, caught 101 mixed fish a few days later. ... 

At Bribie G. Shaw hooked a 7lb snapper on a horse-hair trace line.

The Courier Mail Fri 8 Jan 1937 page 10 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36874780

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REFERENCES

1923 Photo Bribie Island (with a similar view to the 1937 photo). This photo won first prize in Class C Kodak Competition for R.J. Davies, Bribie. Source: The Australasian Photo-Review, June 15, 1923, p. 311.

Bribie fishing. source: The Daily Mail (Brisbane) Sun 8 Jul 1923 p. 7 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article218209720

Record at Bribie Island Cottage. The Courier Mail Fri 8 Jan 1937 page 10 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36874780

1937 Photo with caption: This unusual photo was taken at Bribie Island Beach, as a storm was approaching. Half guinea is awarded to Mrs Bert Spring, Barter Street, Gympie. Source: The wireless weekly : the hundred per cent Australian radio journal, v.30(17) 22 Oct 1937, page 79. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-707770345

1916 picnic scene

1916 Picnic Scene on Bribie Island

This lovely photo of a group of people having a picnic on Bribie Island in 1916 was featured in a newspaper article in 1990.

Old Photo Unearthed.
Photo from Mr Snow Sefton.
Source: Bribie Weekly, 1990.

Dear Old "Lady" Retired - At Last.
Photo of the Koopa and Mr Snow Sefton.
Source: Bribie Weekly, 1990.

The article in 1990 recorded that "Snow" Sefton had received this photo and several other photos from a chemist friend when Snow moved to Bribie in the 1960s.

"Well-known ex-automotive engineer "Snow" Sefton was given the photo by a chemist friend more than 30 years ago when he moved to Bribie Island to live. Mr Sefton, 79, said that, in the 1930s, Koopa used to leave the Customs House in Brisbane River and picked up passengers en route to Redcliffe and the island. He recalls with a grimace that "nice clean white clothes" worn by those on board the ship sometimes suffered from soot generated by its coal-burning engines."

At the end of the above article is mentioned "Oxley Library in Brisbane is keen to hear from people with old photos, newspapers or any other memorabilia of the early days of the island". 

Here we are, thirty years later, and there is still a keen interest in old photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia of the early days of Bribie Island! 

Recently, Lynne Hooper (BIHS Secretary) and Donna Holmes (Coordinator, BIHS Historical Database Project) spent many hours looking through photos held in the Heritage Collection (formerly John Oxley Library) of the State Library of Queensland.

One of the photos in the heritage collection was the picnic scene from 1916.

Bribie Island, ca 1916.
Photo 171084, Acc 86-5-4,
Heritage Collections, State Library of Queensland.

The next photo in the sequence shows a larger group of people with a background of trees. Could this photo also be on Bribie Island? Was the "group of four" part of a larger group?

Social gathering in the bush, 1910-1920.
Photo 171085, Acc 86-5-4
Heritage Collections, State Library of Queensland.

Other photos in the sequence shows staff from the Isis District Hospital visiting various places in southeast Queensland in 1915-1916.

If you recognise any of the people above or if you have any old photos of Bribie Island you would like to share, please contact the Bribie Island Historical Society on bribiehistoricalsociety@gmail.com 

REFERENCES
Dear Old "Lady" Retired - At Last. Photo of the Koopa and Mr Snow Sefton. 
Bribie Weekly, 1990. [Ormond Allan Sefton (1911-1991) RAAF #4747]
BIHS Historical database, Shirley family collection, S10_112_album_p48_to_p56.pdf

Old Photo Unearthed. Photo from Mr Snow Sefton. 
Bribie Weekly, 1990.
BIHS Historical database, Shirley family collection, S10_112_album_p48_to_p56.pdf

Social gathering in the bush, 1910-1920 [photo]
Heritage Collections, State Library of Queensland, 171085, Acc 86-5-4

Fred's album of Bribie memories

Fred's album brings back Bribie memories

 : life in the 1920s caught on film 

by Ron Donald. 

Bribie Weekly 22 March 1992.

One of the best collections of photos of old-time Bribie Island is in the family album of retired council worker Fred Buckley, of Hall Avenue.  

Fred Buckley uses a magnifying glass to bring out interesting details of the
amenities offered to holidaymakers by a Bribie Island guest house nearly
 70 years ago. A men's dormitory, looking more like open stables, is on the left.
Source: Bribie Weekly 22 March 1992.

His father, an engraver, was a keen amateur photographer in the 1920s and left a legacy of snapshots of guest houses and other buildings of that era, as well as general scenes. 

Davies' Guesthouse Glan Y Mor, Banya Street.
Photo source: Fred Buckley collection B20_009

Among these is a photo of a guest house, with the intriguing name - possibly Welsh - of Davies Glan Y Mor, which is believed to have been located at the corner of Banya and Campbell Streets. Here board and residence were provided, with an outdoor open "dormitory" for men looking more like stables with a roof of bark or slabs of timber. Mosquito nets are faintly visible in the photo, which was taken before Fred Buckley's birth in 1924.

Davies' Guesthouse outdoor open "dormitory".
Hood, 1990, caption: "Guest House Sleeping Accommodation" approx. 1920 - bunks on sand floor - note bark roof, roll up hessian end walls and mosquito net sides.
Photo source: Fred Buckley collection B20_010

Another valuable old photo depicts a store and cafe on the foreshore just north of the Bongaree jetty and beside it about 10 shingle-roof holiday cabins built before the Second World War (1939-45) by the shipping company which ran the services to the island from Brisbane.

Store and cafe of the same era which was near the Bongaree jetty.
Camping under canvas along the foreshore also was popular in the early days of the island.
Hood, 1990, caption: "Motel Bribie" cabins, luncheon room and general store
approx. 1920, photo taken from jetty.
Photo source: Fred Buckley collection B20_003

Mr Buckley says he and his father were on the steamship Koopa when it made its final run to the island on Labor Day, 1953.  The 42-years-old vessel spent its last days rusting away in Boggy Creek which entered Brisbane River near the present-day Gateway bridge.  Mr Buckley said the mast of the ship was transferred by helicopter to St Paul's Anglican school at Bald Hills.

Small shingle-roof cabins were available to holidaymakers on Bribie Island in the 1920s.
They were built on the foreshore at Bongaree by Brisbane Tug & Steamship Company
which ran passenger ferries. These often carried more than 1000 people
 to the island from Brisbane.
Photo source: Fred Buckley collection B20_004

Among his other prized memorabilia are two large framed photographs of Bribie Island sunset scenes which won awards in America.  They were a gift from island photographer Davies to Mr Buckley's parents on their wedding day in 1924.

REFERENCES:
Donald, Ron (1992) Fred's album brings back Bribie memories: life in the 1920s caught on film.  Bribie Weekly 22 March 1992.

Fred Buckley photo collection, BIHS Historical Database Project, B20.

Information about Buckley family: Hood, J.M. (1990) Thirteen pounds [£13] of lawful British money in hand well and truly paid : the life of Sam and Jane Buckley including the Love and Mathieson families incorporating local history of Bulimba and Albert River. Compiled and Edited by Jeffrey M. Hood. 1990.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8407103?keyword=lawful%20British%20money%20in%20hand%20well%20and%20truly%20paid

If you have any information about the above collection of photos or if you have a similar collection of Bribie Island photos that you would like to share, our email address is bribiehistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Historical snapshots

 A small collection of historical photos appears in the 2018 edition (#44) of Bribie magazine Holiday Guide & Business Directory (page 31-32) entitled "A Snapshot of Life on Bribie Island in the 1900s".

The following article is reprinted with permission, from 2018 Bribie Holiday Guide & Business Directory published by the Bribie Island Chamber of Commerce.

A SNAPSHOT OF LIFE ON BRIBIE ISLAND IN THE 1900s

Photos courtesy of the Barraud and McMackin families of Bribie Island.

1. Barge arriving at South Bribie Marine, current spot of the VMR in Bellara.

2. Boat Shed in 1928 - these people are standing were the boat ramp is at Bongaree today.

3. Original House in 1928 on Queen Street, Bongaree

4. Dressed for a day at the Beach in 1928.

5. 1947 - High tide at Shirley Creek, the water would come up to the road.

6. Ocean Beach at Woorim in 1947

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2018 edition (#44) of Bribie magazine Holiday Guide & Business Directory (page 31-32) Bribie Island Chamber of Commerce.