Gibson Island Plague Cemetery

Date: 1900 to Apr 1901
Location: Murarrie, Queensland, Australia

Contents 1 Gibson Island 2 Bubonic Plague in Brisbane 3 Burials at Gibson Island 4 Closing the Cemetery 5 Sources

Gibson Island

Gibson Island is a neighbourhood within the Brisbane suburb of Murarrie and, despite its name, is no longer an island ^[1]. In the 1900's Gibson Island was an isolated island in the Brisbane River and was chosen as Brisbane's burial ground for bubonic plague victims^[2].

Bubonic Plague in Brisbane

The first case in Brisbane was a carter named James Drevesen, who worked at the wharves and lived in Woolloongabba. He was admitted to the hastily built Colmslie Plague Hospital where he recovered after 7 weeks^[3]. During the 1900 epidemic in Queensland, Brisbane registered the most cases with 56 infections and 25 deaths ^[4]

Burials at Gibson Island

At least 14 people were buried on high ground at Gibson Island between 1900 and April 1901. The burial ground was not far from the isolation hospital on the riverbank at Colmslie. The bodies were wrapped in sheets soaked in carbolic acid, placed in lime-slaked coffins, and then transported on a ‘plague boat’ to the island. They were accompanied only by two warders and a doctor, who was authorised to read the funeral service.^[5][6]

1. Richard John Joseph Shanahan (15 May 1900)^[7][8]
2. William Lee (19 May 1900)^[9]
3. William Edward Walker (21 May 1900)^[10]
4. Thomas Moroney (20 May 1900)^[11]
5. Hugh McTafferty (23 May 1900)^[12]
6. Edward Henry McGregor (12 June 1900)^[13]
7. Edward Jones (12 June 1900)^[14]
8. James Morgan (27 Jun 1900)^[15]
9. James Laurence Tranberg (3 Jul 1900)^[16]
10. Lizzie McLean (Queensland Death Registration not found)^[17]
11. John Mannion (6 July 1900)^[18]
12. Mrs Margaret Roche (8 July 1900)^[19]
13. Oliver Goldsmith Lonergan (Queensland Death Registration not found)^[20]
14. Jemima Warnock (22 August 1900)^[21]
15. Gladys Ballard (12 September 1900)^[22]
16. John Daniels (7 October 1900)^[23]
17. Lucy Stone (7 October 1900)^[24]

Closing the Cemetery

A decision was taken to cease the practice on the grounds that it was "cruel and unnecessary" and "bitterly resented by relatives of the victims". The funerals were also felt to take the medical officer away from the quarantine station for too long.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia:Murarrie, Queensland
2. ↑ Burying the Dead. (1900, May 16). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 4. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173530129
3. ↑ THE BUBONIC PLAGUE. (1900, June 16). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 1151 (The Queenslander). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18550021
4. ↑ State Library of Queensland (2008) Black Death in Queensland [Blog Post] https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/black-death-queensland
5. ↑ Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery, 'Areas of Interest Guide: Arthur Francis'.
6. ↑ Danielle Cronin (2019). Brisbane’s lost plague cemetery: Who is buried on Gibson Island? https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/brisbane-s-lost-plague-cemetery-who-is-buried-on-gibson-island-20190516-p51nzq.html accessed on 27/9/2022
7. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, May 16). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173529845
8. ↑ Shanahan's Lonely Grave. (1900, May 17). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173522626
9. ↑ QUEENSLAND. (1900, May 21). The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), p. 7. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237322704
10. ↑ Another Death To-day. (1900, May 21). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173533003
11. ↑ CASE FROM NUNDAH. (1900, May 22). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19082664
12. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, May 24). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 2. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173520379
13. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, June 12). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173532680
14. ↑ ANOTHER FATAL CASE. (1900, June 13). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 4. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19086417
15. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, June 28). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 4 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173520047
16. ↑ DEATH THIS MORNING. (1900, July 3). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174141570
17. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, July 5). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 6. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19067248
18. ↑ The Plague. (1900, July 7). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 8. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174141925
19. ↑ DEATH ON SUNDAY. (1900, July 9). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174140453
20. ↑ The Plague. (1900, July 16). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174133860
21. ↑ The Plague. (1900, August 22). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174140675
22. ↑ THE PLAGUE. DEATH OF A CHILD. (1900, September 21). The Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934), p. 22. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182858881
23. ↑ Plague Cases. (1900, October 9). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175290209
24. ↑ THE PLAGUE. (1900, October 9). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 6. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14373832