BYGONE BRISBANE. The Paddington Cemetery

Date: 9 Feb 1908 [unknown]
Location: Milton, Queensland, Australia

BYGONE BRISBANE.

The Paddington cemetery

[Published in 9 Feb 1908 in the Truth (Brisbane).]

Farewell, my son ! And farewell all my earthly happiness ! Farewell, my only son ! Would to God, I had died for thee ! I shall never more see earthly good in the land of the living ! Attempt not to comfort me ! I shall go mourning all the rest of my days, until my grey hairs come down with sorrow on the grave ! — " Hervey's Meditations.

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I pass, with melancholy stare,

By all these solemn heaps off fate ;

And think, as soft and sad I tread.

Above the venerable dead.

time was, like me, they life possessed ;

And time will be when I shall rest."

— Parnell.

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In the Baptist section of the Paddington cemetery is William Grimes, who died on October 30, 1870, aged 60.

The stone tells us that he "was the father of Messrs. Grimes of this city."

It also records the death of Ernest Henry Grimes grandson, who died on May 12, 1875, aged 6. The Grime's family are prominent in Brisbane history over a considerable period. Samuel and George Grimes were members of the Assembly as representatives, of Oxley and Bulimba. In 1874, S. and G. Grimes, grocers of Queen-street, had a sugar and arrowroot mill at Oxley, adjoining the Pearlwell Estate, owned by Dr. Waugh, one of whose daughters was drowned in the Quetta. Sam and George Grimes were men of undoubted honesty, but not orators or statesmen. On one occasion when Sam rose to speak, Morehead got up and walked out, remarking : “I can't stand the hum of that arrowroot mill !” This sarcastic observation referred to the arrowroot making at the Coongoon mills.

Grimes and Petty, and S. and G. Grimes were once familiar firms. One Miss Grimes married J. B. Hall, Accountant in Insolvency. One daughter and one son, Ernest Henry Grimes, remained unmarried.

James Bulgin, who died in 1872, was THE WIFE OF AUCTIONEER BULGIN of Brisbane's early days, and mother of Henry Bulgin, generally known as "Lord Bulgin," who, died recently, leaving a family, of whom one was for a time nurse in the General Hospital.

One of "Lord Bulgins" sisters was a girl whose beauty captivated Sam Griffith, present Chief Justice of the Commonwealth, and Sam did his best to induce her to become Mrs. Griffith, but Sam was not her ideal, or she had no idea that he would one day have a salary of £3500, and so she rejected him, and married C. C. Carrington, one of the still living men who have been longest in the Civil Service of Queensland.

Clara Reinhard, who died on November 27, 1867, was a year-old child whose sister was one of the cleverest pupils in the early days of All Hallows Convent School. Can anyone tell you what became of Lillian Reinhard ?

William Hickey, who died on August 7, 1871, is under a stone erected by his brother, Matthew Hickey, who was 30 years with D. L. Brown and Co., and is now with Alexander Stewart and Sons.

Hickey's brothers were well-known perambulating salesmen in the days when the Mailons and Ziemans and other OLD TIME PERIPATETIC MERCHANTS were out in search of spare cash from the pioneer settlers.

The oldest recorded grave in the cemetery is that of "Margaret Brown, Ipswich," native of Kildare, Ireland, who died on August 20,1845, aged 35.

Being Irish, she was evidently no relation of the Ipswich Brown family, which included Peter Brown, once mayor of Ipswich and a leading architect, as they were all decidedly Scottish, and wore kilts and called themselves "Broon." So far we have failed to trace this Maggie Brown, who was taken out to the Paddington cemetery over sixty-five and a half years ago, or three years after Brisbane was thrown open to free settlement in 1842.

Conspicuous among the graves of the white race is the solitary last resting place of "Sing Cong Long," in the Presbyterian ground. How came this one lonely disciple of Confucius and Mencius, and Bhudda, among the adherents of the stern merciless uncompromising John Knox, who bearded the Scottish lioness, Queen Mary, in her den ? Sing Cong Long was a Chinese merchant and fruiterer, who had shops in Albert-street, and was a GENERAL FAVORITE WITH ALL CLASSES.

And yet Sing Cong Long had unscrupulous enemies — with whom he wanted to get even — and he studied the various religions to ascertain which one gave most promise, of a conclusive settlement. He decided in favor of Presbyterianism after reading a translation of a sermon by Calvin, who held that the chief joy of the Blessed was in sitting on the battlements of Heaven and joyfully contemplating the gymnastic performances of lost souls basting in the sulphur ocean of fire underneath ! Hence the appearance, of Sing Cong Long in the Presbyterian cemetery !

Caroline Jane Blakeney, buried on March 23, 1866, was a little girl, six years and 20 days, of age, daughter of William and Eliza Blakeney. Blakeney was the once well-known Registrar-General, and son of Judge Blakeney.

One of his daughters married T. H. B. Barron, and another married S. B. Leishman, the squatter. Both were fine looking women. One of Mrs. Barron's daughters is the wife of one of Sir Arthur Palmer's sons. C.J. Blakeney, a once well-known lawyer at Brisbane, Cairns, and Cooktown, was another son of the Judge.

Thomas William Hutton a young man, who died in May, 1874, was the son of an old gaol warder, whose name is borne by Hutton-lane, between Adelaide and Ann-street. One of his daughters married a son of Stuart Russell, author of the “Genesis of Queensland.”

Maria Passmore, who died on April 11, 1872, aged 27, was the wife of Hugh Passmore, one of a family well-known in the EARLY DAYS OF TOOWOOMBA, where they were prominent citizens.

Edmund Morris Lockyer, who died on June 28, 1872, aged 62 was a son of Major Lockyer, who came up the Brisbane river in a whale boat in 1825, and wrote a full description of all he saw. Among the men with him were two red-haired soldiers, at whose fiery ringlets the blacks were much astonished. Lockyer and his party camped one night at the mouth of Oxley Creek, and in his diary he says "Emu’s were running about all night making an intolerable noise." As emus do not move at night, and make very little noise at any time, Lockyer evidently referred to the stone plover, usually known as the curlew. Lockyers name is handed down to us by Lockyer's Creek, at Gatton, one of the tributaries of the Brisbane river.

Peter and Magdalena Betz buried a year old child on February 20, 1879.

Betz kept the West Riding Hotel at the foot of Queen-street.

The only child of William and Ellen Scarr was buried on October 23,1874 Scarr was a draughtsman in the Survey Office, and still resides in Brisbane.

Very melancholy are these children's graves. Old Matthew Prior, the poet, wrote —

"Happy the babe who, privileged by fate

To shorter labor and a lighter weight,

Received but yesterday the gift of breath

Ordered to-morrow to return to death."

Edward Hackway, who died on August 18, 1871, aged 41, left a widow, a handsome woman, who married John Killeen Handy MEMBER FOR THE MITCHELL IN 1868.

Bramston petitioned against his return, but the Committee decided that he was legally entitled to hold the seat.

The petition was based on the ground that Handy was a priest of the Roman Catholic faith, and as such could not be a member of Parliament. The chief evidence was that of Dr. Cain, who said that with the Church of Rome a priest is always a priest, and that he cannot give up, nor can the church take from him, the priestly character, conferred by ordination. He might dress like a layman, but he is always a priest. Even if under major ex-communication he still remains a priest, though cut off from positive and active communion with, the faithful. Under minor ex-communication he can still say Mass, and even under major ex-communication he can administer baptism in emergencies. Handy said he joined the Church of England in 1863, and next month was married by a Church of England clergyman. In 1865 he started practice as a barrister in Brisbane, where he had arrived in the previous year. Evidently Mrs. Hackway was Handy's second wife. Handy's vote on one occasion saved the Palmer Ministry, from defeat, a friendly act not forgotten by Palmer.

AN OLD TIME PUBLICAN named Woods kept a hotel in Queen-street, on the site of Todd's auction mart. He was the man who introduced the first cab to Brisbane, one of the old "jingles" which have long since disappeared, though in a majority over the hansoms for many years. The two seats were back to back, the same as in an Irish jaunting car, but faced to and from the driver, whereas in the Irish car the seats were back to back facing over the wheels. The first "jingle" was received with great applause and much mirth, and as at that time the streets bore no resemblance to a billiard table, it was necessary to hold on securely to avoid being fired out into space. No citizen of that date was recognised in "society" unless he had been on Wood’s jingle. The driver on one occasion, after taking to much rum on board, drove his astonished steed into the waterhole at the corner of Albert and Adelaide-streets, and went to sleep on the front seat. Sarcastic bushmen woke him up, and asked him if he was fishing. One of them waded in and let the horse out.

A young man of 23 named Martin Collins died on May 2,1871. His father was a butcher in Queen-street, and one of the family is still in the same trade in Warwick.

A child's grave bears the name of Irwin Maling, who was a military captain connected with a DETACHMENT OF THE 50TH REGIMENT which bore the name of "the dirty half-hundred,” a name said to have been acquired by their severe economies in personal expenditure. especially where ladies were concerned.

Mary Jewell. who died in December, 1870, aged 42, was the wife of Jewell, whose name is borne by Jewell’s Buildings, near the Grand Hotel. Her sister married George Myer, and another is the widow of the late Aaron Miris.

Jane Louise Wyborn, who died on December 28,1879,aged 51, was the wife of Captain William Wyborn, for many years Harbor Master in Brisbane.

Captain H. J. Thomas, an old army pensioner from the 47th regiment, died on July 4,1865, aged 71.

Four square stones are over the graves of three sons of Edward James and Annie Bennet and Frank Gooding and his child, who died on October 10, 1865. Bennett who was still alive in Brisbane, was once chief clerk in the Survey Office. His name was a house-hold word in early Brisbane, being attached to "Bennett`s Creek" and "Bennetts Bridge." That is the small creek first reached on the Toowong-road along the North Quay. It was then the city boundary, and was usually referred to as "Bennett's boundary."

Robert George Wonderley, a boy of four and a half years, who died on September 18, 1865, was the eldest son of Joseph and Sarah Wonderley, represented to-day by a WELL-KNOWN FAMILY IN TOOWOOMBA.

In the year 1838 a convict named John Fahey came out in the ship "Clyde" and in 1842 was working in a convict road party near Armidale, the same party who held an obnoxious overseer on a nest of soldier ants until he died a terrible death. The present writer, when a youth, was shown the spot by an old hand in 1863. The whole party escaped and Fahey was adopted by the New England blacks, who took him to the triennial festival at the Bunya Mountains. Fahey was evidently quite an home with the blacks, and he remained with the Bunya tribes, who ornamented him with raised " Moolgerra " scars on the breast and shoulders, and gave him the native name of "Gilburrie." He had been 12 years with the blacks, whose language he spoke fluently when found and brought in by Lieutenant Bligh and the native police in December 1854. He was taken to Sydney, identified by the Superintendent of Convicts, and actually sentenced to 12 months hard labor for absconding 12 years before.

Fahey escaped and joined the blacks in 1842, the year in which Davis and Bracefell were brought in by Andrew Petrie. Fahey had a brother, a free man, who came out in 1853 and was in Sydney when his brother was brought in. After "Gilburrie" Fahey had served his time, the two brothers came to Brisbane, and went to work on Jimbour station UNDER THE NAME OF BRYANT but " Gilburrie " was at once recognised by the blacks. Burke the manager of Jimbour had been killed by the blacks in 1852, not far from the station. The Bells told Fahey they cared nothing about his previous career, but he only stayed there over one shearing season, and went away to New South Wales, where he died. The other brother, Denis Fahey, came to Brisbane, and worked for William Pettigrew.

He was a tall, dark, powerful man with restless eyes, and an uncontrollable temper. In a row one night at McAdam’s public house some one struck him with an axe handle from behind, and he died two days after.

He is buried in the north-west corner of the Catholic cemetery at Paddington.

Some woman who loved him went out every Sunday, and placed a bouquet of flowers on his grave for 12 months.

Then she married and went away south and never more did flowers adorn the grave of "Fahey", the wild Hibernian brother of the still wilder "Gilburrie," who is in some unknown grave in the sister State.

( To be Continued )

BY GONE BRISBANE. (1908, February 9). Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved September 2, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206486731