Living In The Shires Summer 2015 Edition

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Summer Edition 2015

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Living in The Shires

Contents 15

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Why start Living in the Shires?

Miettes means crumbs

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We are sailing ...

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SOS for the Richmond birdwing butterfly

9

Caesar was here

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Oxley Nursery

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Graham Perrett – behind the political veneer

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The Lahey’s legacy

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The blossoming of Vida

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Ralph Fones is Mr Local History

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A community we know and love

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All heart and art

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Land for sale

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Staged!

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Got the traffic blues?

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Meet Raj Somal

Do your own walk

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A birders’ mecca Cover image: Original watercolour by Helena Scott, © Australian Museum Archives Ornithoptera australis Scott, current scientific name Ornithoptera richmondia, or Richmond birdwing

Stay up to date with everything that is happening in the Shires on Facebook. www.facebook.com/LivingInTheShires Living in The Shires is a free community magazine brought to you by David Gowdie. Edited by Susan Prior, and designed by The Autumn Co., it is distributed quarterly to residents and businesses in Tennyson, Chelmer, Graceville, Sherwood, Corinda and Oxley.

It is classified as a community newspaper, but if you would prefer not to receive this publication please contact David Gowdie on 0409 224 441 and we will have you removed from our distribution list.

We would love to hear your feedback and ideas. Please contact Susan.

Contact information Phone: 0439 788 465 Email: susan@livingintheshires.com.au Office: 4 Rakeevan Road, Graceville Q 4075 Website: www.livingintheshires.com.au Facebook: fb.com/LivingInTheShires

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In conversation with David Gowdie:

Why start Living in The Shires?

By Susan Prior

L

iving in The Shires has been evolving and growing in popularity since its inception back in 2014.

While travelling around the area I often get asked about the magazine: Who produces it? Who pays for it? And the philosophy behind it.

So this edition, instead of asking David to do an editorial, I asked if I could interview him to talk about the magazine.

Apart from being overjoyed about being relieved of his writing chores, here are some of his thoughts.

Me: I know we have covered this before in the very first edition, but please can you just recap on why you came up with the name ‘Living in The Shires’?

David: Well, historically our area came under three separate divisions, the shires of Sherwood, Yeerongpilly and Stephens.

In 1925, these were all amalgamated and became part of the Brisbane City Council.

The Shires harks back to a time, in my mind at least, of good family values, when community was important and people worked together. So, yes, there is a touch of nostalgia to the name.

Me: What was your reasoning behind starting the magazine?

David: I had been producing a booklet called The Quarterly Report for my real

David Gowdie with (L to R) Rachel Kilby and Jane Grealy judging the Australiana Art Show at Lilly-Lee Gallery

estate business, which some readers may remember. It basically gave information about the state of the real estate market, what had sold and for how much. It gave some tips on preparing your property for sale, and so on. But it quickly became apparent to me that there was huge potential for a local magazine that told our stories in this amazing area.

Me: Why was that?

David: In the Shires we are ‘between’ local newspaper areas. We are not serviced terribly well by any. Plus no local publications celebrated local businesses

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It gives everyone a reason to be so proud of the things we have here. It really is a great place to live, hence the tag line that we use – #lovingwherewelive. Living here, we would have to be the envy of many.

Me: OK. Well another question I am often asked is: Who pays for it? I know how much it costs, and it isn’t cheap, plus you have deliberately produced it on quality paper stock, using environmentally sound products like soy-based inks. I am sure many readers don’t realise that.

Map of Sherwood Division and adjacent local David: I pay for it. Obviously, I place government areas. Survey Office (1902). Queensland, illustrating Local Authorities Districts. Queensland. my ‘Quarterly Report’ information for Survey Office, Brisbane Harcourts Graceville at the back [of and what we have here available to us in the magazine]. I get a real kick out of the Shires. producing something like this for the Me: So was that the catalyst? community. We will have to do some David: Certainly. As a business owner advertising to try and offset the costs, but myself [Harcourts Graceville], I know how it is certainly never going to be a moneyimportant it is to raise your business’s making venture, nor is it intended to be. I profile in the area you are working. And want to keep any advertising to the bare there are so many fascinating people living minimum. If we can cover costs on it, I and working here, all with stories to tell. will be happy. For the moment this [the I really want to encourage residents to shop magazine] is the new car I am not driving! locally and to use local services. It is just Me: One last thing I am sure so important that we do that. readers would like to know: How is Me: I have to agree. One of the things the magazine delivered? that has really impressed me while working David: All the agents who work on Living in The Shires is the number of with me at Harcourts Graceville get it out volunteers I meet. They work quietly in there. They hand deliver it to every home the background, not looking for any kudos, and business they can. It is a tough gig, and just getting on with things. It’s a real eyea bit of a logistical one for me, but I really opener. think it connects us all with the community David: Yes, indeed. But Living in The in which we work, and that is important.

Shires is so much more than that. It’s like Well, it is to me anyway! glue; it gives the community a sense of place and information about their history.

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... there are so many fascinating people living and working here, all with stories to tell. I really want to encourage residents to shop locally and to use local services.

So there you have it. Living in The Shires is not a newspaper, as such, but a curator of events, people and places in our area. The website behind it all has more stories – because we can’t fit everything in the quarterly magazine – as well as a Business Directory and an Events calendar, which you might like to check out. And there is also a lively Facebook page pulling it all together.

For me, it is a great little publication to work on, and I am delighted that David is prepared to give it a go, and that there are people out there who enjoy reading it. I hope you love this latest edition as much as I did in putting it together.

To all our readers, near and far, we wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year – from all the team at Harcourts Graceville and Living in The Shires.

livingintheshires.com.au

/livingintheshires

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Living in The Shires

All photographs of the Richmond birdwing butterfly are courtesy of Linda Hansbauer Main: the Richmond birdwing butterfly. Insert: Pararistolochia praevenosa or birdwing butterfly vine.

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SOS for the Richmond birdwing butterfly

By Linda Sulakatku

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he Richmond birdwing butterfly is in trouble and it needs our help. The Richmond birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia) is the largest and showiest subtropical butterfly in Australia. Protected in Queensland, where it is listed as vulnerable, it is ranked as a critical priority by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP). Fragmented populations of the once common Richmond birdwing butterfly survive wherever food plants for the larvae are growing.

In the past, the Richmond birdwing butterfly roamed freely from Maryborough in Queensland to Grafton and the Clarence River in New South Wales.

Early settlers reported it flying in the streets of Brisbane. Sadly, the patchy and isolated breeding colonies are at risk of losing their genetic diversity.

Richmond birdwing populations have been severely affected in Queensland with the loss and fragmentation of habitat, mainly rainforest. The clearing and burning of understorey vegetation, invasion of native vegetation by weeds, and the mining of rainforest valleys for volcanic rocks are ongoing threats.

If that wasn’t enough, the poisonous South American Dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia elegans) has become a serious invasive weed since it was introduced as a decorative garden plant. The vine engulfs

trees and other vines, while chemicals in its leaves attract the Richmond birdwing to lay her eggs. But when the caterpillars feed on the leaves they are poisoned.

This exotic weed needs to be eradicated from bushlands and from wherever it remains on private properties. You can really help this butterfly by removing any of these plants in your garden.

The Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network (RBCN) is a community-based conservation group operating within Wildlife Queensland. The RBCN’s goal is to restore the ‘vulnerable’ Richmond birdwing butterfly and its essential lowland food plant, the birdwing butterfly vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa), across their natural ranges. The Network will do this by rehabilitating habitat corridors between existing fragmented populations and extending these corridors into areas where this beautiful butterfly has disappeared.

The RBCN runs regionally based workshops on the conservation and biology of the butterfly and the propagation and planting of its food vines. The birdwing butterfly vine is listed in Queensland as ‘near threatened’. In Queensland, the nurseries supplying the vines are required to hold a propagating permit issued by the government. Birdwing butterfly vines, once established in the ground, are hardy, provided they are in well-drained, damp soil and are semi-shaded.

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How can you help bring back the Richmond Birdwing?

• Go to the RBCN website goo.gl/CfDvhx for more information. Follow the links to find out more about the butterfly, the birdwing butterfly vine and how to cultivate the vine.

• Join the RBCN – your small membership fee helps with recovery efforts for the butterfly and connecting corridors.

See the details below.

Top left: birdwing butterfly eggs. Bottom left: the caterpillar. Right: the chrysalis.

• Visit the RBCN Facebook page goo.gl/7KOHwd to follow developments and share your Richmond birdwing stories.

• Adopt a butterfly goo.gl/jeGf34.

Your contribution will help us plant more vines for the butterfly larvae.

• Eradicate the poisonous South American Dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia elegans) from your garden.

Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network Wildlife Queensland

wildlife.org.au

birdwing@wildlife.org.au

3221 0194

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Caesar was here

By Susan Prior

C

aesar’s Place is just one of many reserves that make up Habitat Brisbane. We have several of these reserves in our area alone. This particular reserve is a small pocket tucked next to the river in Chelmer at 112 Queenscroft Street.

It can also be accessed from Roseberry Terrace.

So who was Caesar? Owned by a gentleman called Vic, Caesar was a horse and a long-time resident of this plum slice of Chelmer riverside real estate. He has long gone, sadly, but his erstwhile home is now being revegetated along the creek that runs through the reserve.

It is an enchanting spot, with paths and walkways leading you on a short stroll through the area. You could be a million miles from the city.

We can thank a group of local volunteers, who provide their labour, for much of its upkeep. The Brisbane City Council, under the auspices of Habitat Brisbane, coordinates efforts, provides the plants, and any weed control products that are used, along with some basic training. This particular bushcare group was started by Cathy Roche and has been going for 13 or 14 years. Back then there were virtually no native plants in the reserve.

David Holdom, volunteer at Caesar’s Place

If you can lend a hand at Caesar’s Place phone David Holdom on 0431 293 810. For information about the other bushcare groups in the Shires, visit the Habitat Brisbane website: goo.gl/2ZFVpT

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Left: bushcare volunteers meet once a month. Right: Caesar’s Place is the perfect spot for a picnic.

I meet up with the group on one of their monthly working bees and speak to David Holdom. I ask him about the importance of the role of volunteers to the reserves.

‘Without the volunteers Council would have to either abandon these places, or would have to spend a lot of money to maintain them,’ he says.

The sign at the entrance to Caesar’s Place states ‘Bring back the Birdwing’. David tells me that this reserve is a secondary ‘linking’ site connecting Oxley Creek in a corridor to Cubberla woodland. As in many reserves, this bushcare group is active in planting and maintaining the birdwing butterfly vine to try and keep the butterfly population healthy and sustainable. Having said that, the flood in 2011 created havoc, but fortunately there is one thriving mature vine remaining and they plan to establish more.

Plant a birdwing butterfly vine Andy and Caitlin Roy at the Oxley Nursery have very kindly agreed to stock the birdwing butterfly vine. Pop in to get your plant.

This fabulous gem of a place is open seven days, 8 am to 4 pm.

oxleynursery.com

174 Dowding St, Oxley 4075

3073 9666

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Oxley Nursery

By Susan Prior

Oxley Nursery shade house (L) and some of the latest stock (R)

O

xley Nursery is one of Brisbane’s largest garden centres and it is right here in the Shires. In fact, it is the only independent nursery in our area.

Andy and Caitlin have run a green event, hiring plants for events and exhibitions, for 20-odd years, but last year they sold this and decided to branch out (pun intended!) into the retail arena. And we are very fortunate they did.

I first went to this nursery when doing the article for this edition on the Richmond birdwing butterfly. I asked Andy if he would be able to stock the vine on which these butterflies thrive, so that readers keen to help would have a convenient local supplier. To say Andy was helpful is an understatement. He was only too happy to support our little project to

help the butterfly.

As I chatted to him he offered me all kinds of advice on the best screening plants to use and what not to use. I wish I had spoken to him before my recent planting project at home.

The beauty of a local family business like this is that Andy can be reactive to local needs. The range of plants in his nursery really is tremendous. Plus they offer a garden design service for a very reasonable cost. You can find out more on the website; details are on the previous page.

One year on since becoming a retail venture the business is going from strength to strength.

For personal service it really is worth shopping local.

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Living in The Shires

Graham Perrett – behind the political veneer

By Susan Prior

G

raham Perrett is in the ALP; he is the Federal member for Moreton, and the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General.

Graham Perrett is a man who wears many hats. Formerly a teacher and a lawyer, he has also been a musician along the way, in a band called ‘Once I killed a gopher with a stick’. The name doesn’t exactly trip of the tongue, but if you are dedicated you can find an online YouTube clip of the band’s single ‘Private Island’. Now he is a politician and a published author. That is quite an eclectic range of skills he has there. When I ask him which moniker he prefers he says it would have to be ‘politician’ but he loves being ‘author’, too.

When I ask Graham about his writing, he says, ‘I have always written. I started writing this [he points to his first book, The Twelfth Fish] in 1989. I’ve always loved literature.

I taught English; I did an Arts degree and Honours degree in literature at UQ.’ I ask him how he manages to get into the right ‘head space’ to write. Anyone who writes for a living will tell you that it can sometimes be really tricky finding their writing mojo. Graham tells me that he writes slowly. ‘I go to bed thinking about

the next bit of the story … I have a notepad by my bed, and my iPhone as well so I can make notes. The great thing about my job is that I meet such a range of interesting people every day who I can steal lines off.

I get gems all the time! So I write these down, or riff off the idea [that they give me].’

You have been warned!

Graham describes how he fits writing into his daily routine. Every morning, from 5 o’clock, finds him out walking. He quips, ‘There aren’t too many politicians who die from malnutrition!’

It is also his thinking time when he reflects on both politics and his writing – and where the plot of his latest book will go next. He then writes for an hour or so, from 6.00 until 7.00.

I suggest to Graham that his discipline is a little like that of the author Anthony Trollope who, in the 1860s and 1870s – long before computers were on the scene and typewriters were commercially available – would rise at 5.30 am and write for three hours before going to work as the surveyor general in the post office.

Graham demurs. For him writing is at a much slower pace and is more of a hobby; it is his ‘Zen’ time, away from his busy political life.

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Graham Perrett talking to his constituents

Originally from St George, Graham is the seventh child of ten siblings. His father left his mother when she was pregnant with the tenth.

‘Now, with the perspective of a parent, and me effectively being a fly-in, fly-out [worker] to Canberra, I know how tough my wife has done it, so I just don’t know how she [Mum] coped. Mum was a nurse.

She had a mental toughness. And she loved reading; she loved literature. There was always lots of reading going on at home.’ Graham credits his Mum for his interest in literature.

The Twelfth Fish, Graham’s first book, was published in 2008, the year after he entered politics and long enough after the election for it not to be a campaign distraction. It’s a little racy, earning Graham the nickname ‘Member for Porn’, although he tells me ‘it really isn’t that bad’! The sequel, The Big Fig was published in 2013 and is, apparently, tamer. I ask him if he ‘chickened out’ when it came to including risqué prose in The Big Fig, but he says it was just because his protagonist is getting on in years.

There is a third book being edited at the moment, so watch this space.

Graham sees his transition into politics

as a logical extension of teaching and law – arguably both professions with a ‘calling’.

He says, ‘Both are about helping people where you can, both as individuals and with policies that can even save lives’.

He says his biggest buzz is at citizenship ceremonies. ‘The myriad of journeys that have brought people to this place: some have incredibly tortured journeys to get to that oath. Others wandered here because of love. There are so many stories [as to] why people become Australians.’

Graham talks about the make-up of his electorate. His office is in the Sunnybank shopping precinct, where, he says, many of the migrants are business migrants and so probably don’t need to go to a school like our local Milpera State High to learn English language skills. Our conversation is easy and chatty and we segue into talking about the school and the fantastic volunteers who help keep it ticking over, and, in fact, volunteers everywhere.

‘The Red Cross, school P & Cs, bushcare helpers, Meals on Wheels – they are amazing people. And they are quiet people; they don’t put out a press release, they just turn up and get on with it.’

On the topic of politics and how it affects family and friends: ‘In politics it is always

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Living in The Shires

easy to find people who will pat you on the back, so it is good to have family and friends who will be true to you – who will keep you grounded. They will tell you they don’t like something or that you are doing something wrong … They are the friends you will have when you leave politics, so it is important to stay in touch when you can.’

Graham credits his mother for teaching him two important values in the political arena: good manners and respect. ‘I always respect good policies and good ideas, whatever the party. I play my politics hard.

It is an adversarial process in a democracy

and it is good to have ideas competing for the attention of the Australian people.

I haven’t appreciated the division and vitriol of the last few years [in politics] and I don’t think the public appreciate it either. If we can’t respect the ideas put forward by those in the opposition then we are missing out on opportunities. I am in a marginal seat and, of course, I want to hear the range of views.’

As we chat, we do dip into politics a little. How could we not? Much of it is probably a little dry to go into in this forum; however, I was fascinated to learn that Graham has 19,000 small businesses in his electorate, and some larger businesses, many of which are manufacturing businesses. That is a lot of activity in a small area.

Graham comes across as an allround good bloke. Like many politicians he ‘suffers the slings and arrows’ (apologies to Shakespeare’s Hamlet) because he loves what he does and wants to make a difference.

As we part he generously hands me a signed copy of his first book. And now we are giving you, dear reader, an opportunity to win it!

Graham Perrett out in his constituency

Win a signed copy of The Twelfth Fish!

To go in the draw ‘like’ our Living in The Shires Facebook page and tell us on that page, in 25 words or less, what you like about living in the Shires.

And I will need to know that you are at least 18-years old!

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Miettes means crumbs!

By Susan Prior

M

iettes means amazing cakes, fabulous bread and great coffee. Miettes is also French for ‘crumbs’. There are bakers and then there is Miettes – an independent bakery and a café in the Graceville Riverside Village on Graceville Avenue. Miettes has a French zing to it – a little bit sophisticated and definitely a little bit of a local treasure, and we’ve been lucky enough to have had Miettes in Graceville for exactly 10 years.

Anne Willis, co-owner with husband Greg Willis, tells me Miettes opened for business on 3 December, 2005. She says they chose Graceville because residents of this area are discerning (of course we are), prepared to try new things (of course we will) and appreciate a quality product (of course we do)!

‘Back in the day,’ says Anne, when they first began, ‘it was just the two of us’. Now there are three full-time bakers, a pastry chef, a part-time pastry cook, an apprentice – in fact 18 staff are employed in some capacity at Miettes. That makes it quite a hive of industry.

Anne and Greg make a range of breads from the basic staples through to the artisan. There are fabulous sour doughs, Turkish, cheese and herb, ciabatta, baguettes … the list goes on. I can personally attest to the scrumptiousness of their fruit bread; I think it is the best I have had – anywhere.

Fads come and go but some items endure, like cinnabuns. They have made these since they day they opened and Anne can’t imagine the shop without them.

To get all these goodies into the shop for opening time Anne says she begins

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Miettes, in Graceville Riverside Village on Graceville Avenue

work at ‘anywhere between midnight and two in the morning’. The horrendous hours make it hard to find good bakers, especially young apprentices. Even so, Miettes’ kitchen is staffed 24/7 with rolling shifts to keep the goodies coming.

First thing in the morning the shelves are laden with a selection of buttery-deliciousness – sweet and savoury pastries, and cakes. Anne also has fresh salads – different each day – and take-away sandwiches and filled rolls. The Campos brand coffee is a pretty mean brew, too.

My tip would be not to leave your run to Miettes until the afternoon. They only bake what they can sell in a day, aiming for minimal wastage; the pastries disappear out the door early.

It’s the early bird who gets more of the crumbs!

Miettes is open: Tues to Friday 6 am to 6 pm, Saturday 6 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 6 am to 4 pm.

Shop 8, 158 Graceville Av, Graceville 4075

3379 7737

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We are sailing …

By Susan Prior

‘I beg your pardon,’ said the Mole, pulling himself together with an effort. ‘You must think me very rude; but all this is so new to me.

So – this – is – a – River!’

‘The River,’ corrected the Rat. From The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame.

Saturday afternoon on the river

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I

don’t know why, but when I met the stalwarts of the Oxley Sailing Club The Wind in the Willows and the delightful characters of Mole, Ratty and Badger sprang to mind. After all, ‘There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,’ is there?

I call in at the club house one afternoon in October while the members are readying their boats for an afternoon of racing. And a more charming, open and delightful group of people I have yet to find. Everyone is keen to tell me about their club.

Formed in 1902, it was first known as the Oxley Electorate Sailing Club with the name changing to its present form in 1921. The first sailors remained homeless until 1946 when a generous benefactor, W.K. O’Brien, donated a large portion of the land on which the club house now stands. By 1947, the club members had built a 12-foot training dinghy, by begging and snaffling the expensive timber materials from wherever they could, and had raffled it to help raise the necessary funds for the

Living in The Shires clubhouse. It wasn’t until 1951 that the boat shed was built, and 1953 when the club house finally came into being.

But I digress; this is sporting club article, not history one, and anyway, on the club’s website is the definitive history of the club already recorded.

There are only two other sailing clubs on the river: Bulimba and South Brisbane.

Otherwise, sailing takes place out on Moreton Bay, which is a different, as in faster and more expensive, sport. Before anyone contacts me, there is the Carrington Boating Club in Corinda, which is predominantly for pleasure craft, although I understand they do have a few sailing craft there, too.

Sailing out on the bay, for those of us who live in the Shires, is an all-day commitment, leaving home by 7 am and, oftentimes, not getting home before 7 pm.

In contrast, sailing in the ’burbs is a relaxed and pleasurable event, committing you to just an afternoon of your weekend.

Sailing is a fabulous pastime, which can be done en famille, kids and all. ‘It doesn’t

Left: the starting line. Right top: club member Brian Trickett. Right bottom: getting ready for the action.

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need to be super expensive,’ says one of the gents. ‘The idea is just to have a lot of fun.’

I ask the assembled group how many boats belong to the club.

‘Stand-by one’, says Ross Letten, committee treasurer in his best nautical vernacular. He snaps his glasses onto his nose and peers into his computer.

He tells me that the sailing club owns 19 boats: two are tinnies used for rescues and retrievals, plus there are a variety of other craft, including O’pen Bics – which are training craft for up to about 10-year olds (depending on their physical size) – Pacers, and Lasers, among others.

Members range in age from as young as nine up to … some discussion ensues among the group as they vie for bragging rights; 74-years old, it is finally decided. John Hynd, while not the oldest, is the club’s longest continuous member, since 1983.

The club runs ‘learn to sail’ sessions, but, really, if you would like to give sailing a try, just stroll along to the club and you will be welcomed with open arms. I can guarantee it!

If you go on to become a member, it costs $265 a year – if your boat isn’t stored at the club. The membership fee part of that (which is just $100) covers all members of your immediate family. (A bargain!)

You may decide to hire one of the club boats rather than purchase your own, but whatever way you want to approach it,

Ayaka Yunoki rigging her craft for the afternoon

sailing on the Brisbane River is convenient, relatively cheap and a whole lot of fun.

The club is actively looking to prise new recruits away from their electronic gadgetry and to get some gusting breezes through their hair as they whizz up the Indooroopilly Reach to the club house finish line.

For all the details, go to their website.

The Oxley Sailing Club 142 Leybourne St, Chelmer QLD 4068

goo.gl/Hpguca

oxleysc@gmail.com

0409 387 028

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The Lahey’s legacy

By Susan Prior

I

was trawling through the online archives of the John Oxley Library when I came across an intriguing photograph of a gigantic flagpole erected by the Lahey family in the Corinda–Sherwood area in 1914. Some older residents will know about it, of course.

This flagpole was built by the Lahey family in front of their home Wonga Wallen adjacent to their mill. The Lahey family were influential early pioneers in Queensland and in themselves have a fascinating history. This photograph, and the size of this feat of engineering, inspired me to find out some more about this amazing family. Here is what I found.

The Lahey’s Sherwood Sawmill David Lahey, his 10 brothers and sisters, and his parents Francis and Alicia Lahy arrived in Australia, on the Belissima from Northern Ireland, via Liverpool, in 1862. The family worked energetically as a formidable unit, building a successful business empire centred around the Pimpama area of South East Queensland.

David married Jane Jemima Walmsley in 1881 and the couple had 12 children, eight boys and four girls. One boy died in infancy.

In 1910, keen to secure employment for his sons, David Lahey branched out from the core family business. He purchased 19 acres, increasing to 26 acres, alongside

the railway line and Oxley Creek on the border of Corinda and Sherwood. That year the family took up residence in one of Brisbane’s earliest grand homes, Greylands at Indooroopilly on the Brisbane River. Built in 1876, it still stands today.

When David Lahey registered his business, Brisbane Timbers Limited, it was enthusiastically and optimistically documented that he planned ‘To carry on all or any of the following businesses namely:- Sawmillers, Joiners, Merchants, Storekeepers, Farmers, Butchers, Commission Agents, Produce Dealers, Exporters, Importers, Boat builders, Carriers, Shipowners, Engineers,

Summer Edition 2015

Blacksmiths, Builders, Contractors and Financial Agents.’

In 1911, the mill opened for business, with logs being brought to the site by bullock wagon drawn by teams of 16, and sometimes as many as 20, bullocks.

The Lahey boys would travel from Indooroopilly to the mill by powerboat down the Brisbane River and then into Oxley Creek, arriving at the jetty they had constructed onsite.

Wonga Wallen, the family’s substantial new home, was built adjacent to the mill in 1912 and the family subsequently moved there from Greylands. It was named in fond memory of the family’s time at Pimpana with its views to Mount Wongawallan.

It is hard to comprehend today, but the busy household consisted of 25 people.

Apparently it was an exuberant place with much teasing and practical joking among the occupants. They would swim in the clear waters of Oxley Creek, where a springboard was erected near the jetty.

By 1912, all the sons were working

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at the mill, apart from Romeo who was completing his education in Sydney. Eldest daughter Vida was now an acclaimed artist (you can read more about her later). Esmé was a Sydney Teachers College graduate, and the two youngest girls, Mavis and Jayne, were boarding at Brisbane High School for Girls (later known as Somerville House).

In 1915 and 1916, four of David and Jane’s sons enlisted. The war left the timber mill in a tricky situation with many key staff fighting overseas. However, the mill prevailed and post-war it expanded, with timber being imported from Fiji, among other places, to be milled. Unfortunately this project proved unsuccessful and the mill shrank back to something more like its original size.

Eventually, in 1956, the Corinda mill was sold to Carricks Ltd. Carricks kept it operating for some time, but also expanded operations to include manufacturing furniture. The furniture factory survived the 1974 floods, when it was inundated up

Above: The Sherwood timber mill, photograph courtesy of John and Hazel Lahey. Previous Page: David Lahey and family, Pimpama. Back row from left: Noel, Jayne, Bert and Jack. Middle: Perc, Mavis, Eric, Vida, Oswald, Esme, Romeo. Seated: Jane Lahey, her mother Mrs Costello and David Lahey. Photograph courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Neg: 47003

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Living in The Shires

to the second storey, and continued on as Elite Furniture into the early 1980s. The site then became a storage facility. Many residents will remember this dramatically going up in flames in September 2007. The site was subsequently cleared to make way for the new Sherwood Bus Depot.

But that isn’t quite the end of the Laheys’ story, albeit a very condensed version.

On the bus depot site remains a piece of industrial infrastructure, originally part of the mill. Fenced off to visitors, it was heritage listed in 2010.

Brisbane City Council describes its significance as being ‘a rare surviving remnant of early twentieth century industrial activity in the Corinda locale,’ and ‘a surviving remnant of the Lahey’s Corinda sawmill illustrating the way in which industry contributed to the growth of the Corinda/Sherwood area.’

Which, to me anyway, begs the question, who is maintaining it? And, how can we get close enough to admire or study it (depending on our inclination)?

I have put in a request to the Brisbane City Council for more information, and at the time of going to print, some six weeks later, I have had no answer. I’ll let you know on Facebook as soon as I get one.

Romeo’s folly?

As an aside to the Lahey sawmill story, Romeo, David and Jane’s fourth child, played a prominent role in the establishment of a national park covering a large area of the McPherson Range in Queensland. Thanks largely to his efforts the Lamington National Park was proclaimed in 1915.

As for the amazing flagpole, or rather flagpoles, which were the catalyst for me recounting this fascinating tale – one was constructed at Wonga Wallen and the other

Summer Edition 2015

at the mill, but there is little information about them except for a couple of impressive photos. They were said to have been designed and built in 1914 by Romeo Lahey in order to prove to a passing caller at the mill that a flagpole could be erected without its base being sunk into the ground.

The first version was built by the house as a prototype, and when this proved successful the Lahey brothers set about constructing the larger version in the mill yard. As it was being hauled into position a cable broke and the flagpole collapsed. A second attempt was successful. At 76 m it was higher than the summit of the Story Bridge. It consisted of more than 1000 pieces of timber and had a diameter of more than 2 m at its widest.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out what became of this structure, so if anyone knows I would love to find out.

Neighbours for 76 years Someone who knows the sawmill site well is Joan Nordling. Joan has lived in Railway Terrace for 76 years, first in her parent’s house and now next door. She regaled me with some wonderful tales about the mill and how they were kept awake at 1 am as the logs were unloaded from the trains with loud crashes and bangs. Joan pointed out a tree just across the way from where she lives that she believes was planted by Romeo as a memorial for the mill workers who served in the war. It is a lovely connection to our past and has been preserved on the site of the new bus depot.

Previous page, top: Romeo’s flagpole. Bottom: raising the structure. Photographs courtesy of John and Hazel Lahey.

This page, top: the timber mill in Sherwood, photograph courtesy of John and Hazel Lahey. Bottom: David Lahey, photograph courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Neg: 196712.

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24

Living in The Shires 24

The blossoming of Vida

By Susan Prior

T

he highly acclaimed Australian artist, Frances Vida Lahey, born in 1882 (d. 1968), was the eldest child of David Lahey and Jane Jemima Walmsley, and one of 12 children, eight boys and four girls.

All four Lahey girls were encouraged by their parents to ‘look to the future’. Vida, who had spent some time in Melbourne at the National Gallery School under the tutelage of, among others, Frederick McCubbin became an artist earning her own income from her paintings and from teaching. In 1912, while the family were living at Greylands in Indooroopilly, she painted her classic Monday morning, a laundry scene at the house. This painting truly launched her career, and it is now part of the Queensland Art Gallery’s permanent collection, having been donated by Brisbane poet Mme Emily Coungeau.

Following this success she worked hard to encourage the arts in Queensland, sitting on a variety of art committees, as well as organising balls, tableaux and other fund-raising events.

But then World War I intervened, and four of Vida’s brothers enlisted. As the oldest sibling, she had assumed the mantle of taking care of her younger siblings, and, in fact, there were 15 Lahey cousins involved in the war, so for Vida it probably seemed a logical and practical course to establish a base in England for when ‘her boys’ were on leave or were sick so she could look after them. She set sail in 1916 aboard The Magnolia and stayed away for nearly five years. In England she was quickly swept up in the war

Part of a still life with fuchsias and ginger jar by Vida Lahey

Summer Edition 2015

25

LAHEY, Vida (Australia 1882-1968) Monday morning 1912 / Oil on canvas / Gift of Madame Emily Coungeau through the Queensland Art Society 1912 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.

26

Living in The Shires

... one of Queensland’s best-loved artists. effort doing volunteer work; it is believed that while she was there she was supported financially by the extended Lahey family.

After the war Vida remained in Europe, studying art and travelling, returning to Australia to resume her career in 1921.

Vida painted, judged, won awards and received much critical acclaim during her lifetime. She is one of Queensland’s best-loved artists.

In 2010–2011 the Queensland Art Gallery held an exhibition of her work. The website page for the exhibition says this: Although floral still lifes were a popular genre throughout Australia at the time, Lahey’s handling of brilliant colour was considered exceptional and her paintings were exhibited in southern states from the 1920s to wide acclaim. She continued to produce these delightful floral studies to the end of her career.

Vida Lahey, photograph courtesy of John and Hazel Lahey

Many descendants of the Lahey family still live in Brisbane and I have some of them to thank for helping me with my research for these articles: John Lahey (great grandson of David) and his wife Hazel, and Lyn Armstrong (great granddaughter of David).

Summer Edition 2015

27

Ralph Fones is Mr Local History

By Marion Mackenzie

Ralph Fones in Sherwood Arboretum, October 2015

R

alph Fones is known by many as ‘Mr Local History’. He has been recording events and researching the early history of the area between Oxley and Chelmer since his boyhood in Sherwood. Later in life, he embarked on a Masters Degree in History investigating the lost history of the Sherwood Shire Council, the records of which were discarded in 1925 when the Shire was incorporated into the Greater Brisbane City Council.

When a former local councillor called a meeting of interested persons to form a local history group, Ralph was one of the first to put up his hand. He became a foundation member of the committee that established the Oxley-Chelmer History Group in 1996. He has written on a variety of topics, from tracing the lives of the first European settlers in the area to recording the location of all the former tennis courts.

With other colleagues he has written or edited several books, the most recent being Oxley! A Mind of its Own: The history of a suburb with attitude 1850–1950.

Ralph’s involvement as a leader in the Oxley cubs and scouts led him to write A History of Scouting in Queensland.

Now living at Aveo in Durack, Ralph maintains his interest in the area and observes the current building changes and development with some amazement.

Editor’s note: I would particularly like to thank the Oxley-Chelmer History Group, including Marion Mackenzie, Ted Dunlop and Hazel Lahey, and, of course, Ralph Fones, for all their help with information and access to resources. The work they have done over the years is amazing, and we are all the richer for it.

Publications of the Oxley-Chelmer History Group are available from Ted Dunlop: 0409 387 028

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Living in The Shires

Do your own walk

Meet Maryanne Riley, Principal of St Joseph’s Corinda

By Susan Prior

The school P & F have been busy getting the tennis courts resurfaced. Court hire manager Jacki Ferro says the courts are available to the public seven days a week, including most school hours, for $7/hour during daylight and $10/hour under lights. To book, please contact Jacki on 3122 1763 or text her on 0431 941 318.

M

aryanne Riley, Principal of St Joseph’s Corinda, has been a teacher for 40-odd years: 17 as a principal, first at St Mark’s in Inala and then for the last seven years at St Joseph’s in Corinda.

She loves Corinda saying, ‘We are very blessed here; there is a really strong sense of community in the school – and in Corinda’.

With 460 kids, she says, the school is big enough to have two and three streams in all year levels and small enough for everyone to know each other, ‘Like a family’.

The school has a great multicultural mix, which many parents really like. ‘It teaches children about life in the real world.’

I ask Maryanne how the school copes with teaching children who don’t have much in the way of English language skills.

‘There are two teachers who come in one day a week and that is their job, teaching English as a second language. Kids pick up the conversational language quite quickly.’

Maryanne tells me that one of her passions is to travel. ‘All teachers like to travel,’ she says. Her last big trip, in 2013, was walking the Camino de Santiago, also known by as ‘The Way of St James’. Pilgrims have been walking this trail across rural Spain for more than 1000 years. It took her 31 days to walk 790 km, although, she says, the first 150 km were the toughest! I am suitably impressed, but as Maryanne says, even if you are travelling with others it is so important to do the trek at your own pace and meet up with your companions at the end of each day.

In other words, do your own walk.

What an excellent metaphor for life.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 28 Clewley Street, Corinda Qld 4075

pcorinda@bne.catholic.edu.au

3379 6937

Summer Edition 2015

29

A birders’ mecca

By Susan Prior

O

ne Sunday morning recently finds me leaving my hubbie catching a few extra zzzzzs while I go to the Sherwood Arboretum carpark at 7.00 to meet with about 40 other early risers armed with binoculars or cameras.

Hat? Check. Sunscreen? Check.

Comfy shoes? Check.

Eager anticipation? Definitely!

The Friends of Sherwood Arboretum (FOSA) are putting on one of their fascinating bird walks through the Arboretum, and I couldn’t have picked a better spring morning to join them.

Leading the band is the brilliant Professor Hugh Possingham, one of Australia’s foremost ecologists, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) and Vice-chancellor’s senior research fellow (2012–2015) at The University of Queensland; his research interests include conservation research and ecology. Hugh volunteers his time to steer a ‘birders walk’ through and around the Arboretum, and also at Oxley Creek Common, several times a year.

Sherwood Arboretum is a heritage-listed park with about 300 species of trees, and about 1000 trees in all. (Actually, it is now about 1030 since the Sherwood State School planted 30 more in early October for Arbor Day!) It is a perfect picnic spot, with an extensive frontage to the Brisbane

River and wetlands. There is also an artificial fresh-water lagoon with three small islands. Over the years, parts of the Arboretum have been revegetated with native species of flora specifically to attract birds. All of this adds up to a bird-watching mecca, right here in our neighbourhood.

We begin our walk by exploring around the southern edge of the lagoon. There is a causeway across the centre, and three protected islands covered with scrubby vegetation – together making a perfect bird habitat for bush, wader and water birds. We then continue across the causeway towards the river boardwalk and up the slope to the big figs that grace the park. Just beyond the figs, a young Brahminy Kite steals the show by taking its first flight.

On the morning that I walk with the group we see, or hear, about 50 different species. The park has as many as 170.

Dusky Moorhens, Magpie Larks, Cuckoo Shrikes, Spoonbills, Sacred Ibis, Coots, Superb Fairy Wrens, Reed Warblers, Magpie Geese, Lorikeets: in no particular order, we saw a lot!

Readers with an editor’s eye, which is my particular species of person, will notice that bird names are capitalised, whereas most common species of animals are not.

Ornithologists – or more colloquially, birders – insist on capitalising bird names,

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Living in The Shires

A full description of the walk with a map and the bird species is available here: goo.gl/5azpJ2

Top: Magpie Goose. Bottom: Superb Fairy Wren. Photographs courtesy of the Friends of Sherwood Arboretum Association

whereas the rest of the writing world does not. As this post on Penelopedia says: goo.gl/VrDQ4h This practice in the world of ornithology departs from that in most other areas of plant and animal classification, which follows the generally accepted rule of reserving capitalization for proper nouns (such as names of specific people and places, and trade names). Some defenders of the IOC [International Ornithologists’ Union] approach say that birds’ names ARE proper names, equating Bald Eagle with Johnny Depp, but that doesn’t explain why most other groups of animal and plant biologists don’t apparently feel the same.

Anyway, it seems the jury is out, but as we are in the ornithologists’ territory, I shall bow to their wishes and capitalise.

As usual I digress. But the digression is half the fun, because that is often where we learn something new.

At the conclusion of our walk, we have a home-baked morning tea waiting for us, provided by Elizabeth, a FOSA volunteer.

It is well worth the $5 cost. The Arboretum really is a precious jewel in our Shires, and worth a few bucks to maintain over and above what the Brisbane City Council is able to do.

The Arboretum really lives up to its reputation as one of Brisbane’s living treasures.

You can support the FOSA by joining up for a year for just $10.

For more information:

info@sherwoodarboretum.com.au

3278 6525

Summer Edition 2015

31

A community we know and love

Beverley and Toby St George

Advertorial, www.kingsfordterrace.com.au.

T

he best thing about moving into Kingsford Terrace for Beverley and Toby St George is they will be in an apartment just a couple of floors down from their friends John and Val Donovan who are also moving into the first stage of Kingsford Terrace.

Beverley and Val have been close friends for many years and after seeing a Kingsford Terrace advert before a movie at the Graceville Regal Twin, they decided they would investigate further.

Strategic thinkers that they are they did this prior to letting their husbands know as they knew they would be met with resistance around downsizing.

The rest, as they say, is history as both couples made the move in early November.

Beverley explains that in the end the location and facilities available to them is what convinced their husbands that the move to Kingsford Terrace would be a positive and rewarding one.

‘Toby and I have enjoyed living in Graceville for many years, so it was always going to be our priority that we stay as close as possible to a community and area we know and love.

‘I’m particularly looking forward to sitting back and looking out over our balcony of flowers, enjoying the view while reading my very large book of history – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I feel with this move to Kingsford Terrace I’ll finally have the time to do it!’

32

Retirement living at your service

Living in The Shires

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone available to assist you with anything from your everyday personal care needs to concierge services?

Kingsford Terrace offers premium retirement living in the leafy heart of Corinda, only 20 mins from the CBD. Call 1300 287 672 or visit kingsfordterrace.com.au

E2 G A T S NOW I SELL

NG

Kingsford Terrace & Display Suite 260 Cliveden Avenue, Corinda Queensland 4075 Kingsford Terrace is operated by PresCare, a Ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland.

Summer Edition 2015

33

All heart and art

By Susan Prior

... the kids’ work is striking and colourful.

34

Living in The Shires

B

ack at the end of June earlier this year, I visited Milpera State High and had a chat with Principal Tom Beck. One thing that became immediately apparent was the standard of artwork produced by the students, so for this edition I revisited the school and spoke with art teacher Liana Trujillo to see if we could organise something for this edition.

I am sure you can agree that the kids’ work is striking and colourful. So a big thank you to Liana and her students.

On another note, I also saw Said Mubarak, with his son Murtaza assisting, making a couple of very striking sculptures at Liana’s instigation. Said is the father of a former pupil at the school. These sculptures of two students looking to the future now stand tall and proud by the front entrance to the school.

35

Said Mubarak explaining to me how he is making the sculptures

Murtaza and Said at work

The finished artworks

A work in progress

36

Images courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

Living in The Shires

Summer Edition 2015

Land for sale

By Susan Prior

T

he area now known as Brisbane was first explored

by Matthew Flinders in 1799, although the region had long been occupied by the Jagera and Turrbal Aboriginal tribes. At first the British used it as a penal colony, but then declared the region a free settlement in 1838.

The first land was offered for sale in 1842 in Queen Street and the town became a municipality in 1859.

Gradually, settlement spread to the area we now refer to as the Shires. We thought readers would enjoy seeing some of the early advertisements for land sales in our area.

The first land was offered for sale in 1842 in Queen Street ...

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38

Staged!

By Susan Prior

W

hat do the Global Financial Crisis and home staging have in common? Some of you who have been in the real estate market recently will know the answer to that, but many more will not have a clue about ‘home staging’. In times past, when you put your house on the market, you swept the driveway, mowed the lawn, made the beds and washed the dishes. If you were really keen you might give the place a lick of paint, or even percolate (remember those) some coffee and make a few biscuits so the house smelled ‘homey’ and inviting.

The GFC in 2007–2008 heralded the buyer’s market. Any advantage to sell your

Living in The Shires

house faster, for better money, became appealing. Enter the ‘home staging’ industry. Today, particularly in city suburbs, home staging is now regarded as an essential part of selling.

I talk to professional home stager Imogen Brown about the business and what she sees as the advantages. I must admit to coming to this interview a little cynical.

Having viewed property after property that looked like a magazine cliché – think three plastic cacti down the centre of the dining table, a randomly thrown throw, or maybe the table laid with the best china – with zip, nada, zilch personality, it makes me wonder about the effectiveness of the process. I also wonder about its cost effectiveness. If I spend a motza getting my home ‘just so’ will I get my motza back in the selling price?

I am probably like many of you; I love my home. I am rather wedded to my books piled randomly around the place,

Summer Edition 2015

39

Before and after shots of home staging

my cute bits of collected tackiness. My plastic tablecloth is highly practical for the accumulated confusion of keys, laptops, newspapers and three-month-old magazines – each with a very important article that I must read therein. But, as Imogen gently explains, not everyone will love my eclectic taste: ‘It’s all about letting go. When selling, you need to move out twice, emotionally then physically.’

Imogen presents a convincing argument for home staging before selling. She works with the home seller and to a budget.

She says, ‘I’m a bit of a house-whisperer really. It is all about keeping the home’s personality, but not yours, so that it doesn’t look staged. And it can bring huge rewards when you sell the property.’

I guess I can cope with that.

Imogen has some pet peeves when it

comes to staging, and I think they are very similar to my own. (Who randomly chucks a throw over their bed, really? Anyone?)

She says it is essential the property doesn’t look ‘over-staged’. The point is to allow the potential buyer to imagine themselves living in the home. She says her biggest buzz is when the house sells well and the vendor is happy.

A consultation with Imogen starts from $350. And that might be all you need to set you along the path to effectively staging your own place. She can rearrange your bits and pieces for you so they look great; she can advise on additional pieces to buy – maybe a few extra lamps, for example; or she can furnish a house from scratch using props.

Whatever your budget, home staging can work for you.

Imogen Brown – Home Staging Brisbane Get a free consultation, worth $350, when you list your house for sale with Harcourts Graceville.

homestagingbrisbane.com.au

/HomeStagingBrisbane

0432 994 056

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Living in The Shires

Summer Edition 2015

Got the traffic jam blues?

By Kate O’Brien

T

here are many reasons to celebrate living in the Shires, but morning traffic on the Walter Taylor Bridge is not one of them.

Over the past decade, the morning traffic jam has become earlier, and the delays longer.

Those who catch the train glide smoothly past a traffic snarl, which can turn a 15-minute journey into almost an hour. Cyclists speed over the bike bridge, past the gridlock, but then face the daunting hills of Indooroopilly, Taringa and St Lucia.

For those of you who are sick of the traffic, but can’t face the hills, there is now another option: the electric bike! With one of these, you can sail over the Indooroopilly bike bridge in comfort and ease. Your battery will help you up the hills, and you can coast down the other side. A good secondhand electric bike costs about $800; a new one is about $2000. With minimal running costs – no registration or fuel required, and free parking – the bike will generally pay for itself in less than a year.

Not only will it cut down your commute, but the extra exercise will save you the cost and hassle of visiting the gym. Win! Take an electric bike for a trial run today, and say goodbye to the Walter Taylor Bridge traffic blues!

Ed’s note: I am reading Kate’s article while looking out my office window onto yet another traffic jam on Honour Avenue. I think it is a sign!

41

INTRODUCING

42

RAJ SOMAL The Harcourts Graceville team just keeps getting bigger!

Raj Somal, our latest recruit, is an ex-police detective who emigrated from Kent in England to Australia a couple of years ago.

He met and fell in love with a Brisbane girl, Ash, and now they call Brisbane home. Even better, their first child is on the way – a big event to look forward to early next year.

When he arrived in Australia he decided that a change of pace would be the ticket, so instead of going into the police force here he decided to pursue his other interest – real estate. Raj has been involved in property investing and developing for some years, so he is certainly no novice when it comes to the real estate industry. He bought his first house when he was just 18-years old.

Raj Somal

As an ex-copper, Raj likes to keep himself in top shape and spends his spare time practising and teaching martial arts, in particular Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. BJJ is one of the fastest growing martial arts in the world today.

Raj is a delightful, unassuming gentleman and is a very welcome new member to the team. Whether you are thinking of buying or selling, give Raj a call; he will be very happy to help.

CONTACT 0434 886 010 Raj.Somal@harcourts.com.au

QUARTERLY SHIRES SALES DATA

43

recent sales activity OXLEY

CORINDA

SHERWOOD

GRACEVILLE

CHELMER

TENNYSON

How many properties sold during the period?

15

6

16

5

6

2

How many properties are Currently on the market?

80

59

72

36

33

16

What was the median price paid during the period?

$450,500

$582,500

$585,000

$720,000

$930,000

NA

What was the highest sold price during the period?

$575,000

$1,040,000

$1,750,000

$1,580,000

$3,000,000

$960,000

What was the lowest sold price during the period?

$280,000

$285,000

$349,000

$630,000

$580,500

$725,999

$6.63M

$4.0M

$11.39M

$4.72M

$8.24M

$1.69M

How much was the value of all sold properties during the period?

median price achieved: last 90 days vs 2014 MEDIAN PRICE LAST 90 DAYS

$1,600,000

MEDIAN PRICE ALL 2014 $1,400,000 $1,200,000 $1,000,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 $0 OXLEY

CORINDA

SHERWOOD

GRACEVILLE

CHELMER

TENNYSON

ABOUT this market place report. The above table and the following pages showcase recent sales activity, for confirmed settled sales, across Oxley, Corinda, Sherwood, Graceville, Chelmer and Tennyson. In compiling this report the author has relied upon information supplied by a number of external sources including RPData CoreLogic.

The publication is supplied on the basis that whilst every care has been taken in the preparation, no representation has been made and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the whole or any part of the publication by the author. The transactions reported are for settled transactions reported at time of publication during the period and some properties have been excluded on the basis that the information could not be verified to the authors satisfaction.

RECENT SALES

44 Oxley 25/11 Oakmont Avenue $280,000 164m2 3

1

1

Oxley 59/130 Jutland Street $352,000 81m2 3

2

1

Oxley 26 Idriess Street $425,000 645m2 3

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

4

1

-

3

1

2

3

2

3

4

2

2

Oxley 9 Merring Street $498,000 562m2 2

Oxley 1/8 Pamphlett Street $509,000 150m2 3

1

Oxley 5 York Close $491,500 500m2

Oxley 882 Oxley Road $495,000 607m2 3

2

Oxley 223 Englefield Road $471,000 607m2

Oxley 120 Jutland Street $480,000 600m2 3

3

Oxley 8 Kingsgate Street $360,000 771m2

Oxley 19 Muirlea Street $448,750 599m2

Oxley 13 Cook Street $450,000 819m2 3

Oxley 67/130 Jutland Street $348,000 78m2

2

5

2

1

Oxley 15 Patwin Street $575,000 852m2 3

1

2

Corinda 2/35 Clewley Street $285,000

Corinda 11 Edmondson Street $515,000 403m2

1

3

1

1

Corinda 23 Lamb Street $650,000 479m2 5

2

2

1

Corinda 32 Erinvale Street $1,030,000 637m2 2

4

3

2

RECENT SALES

45 Corinda 54 Lynne Grove Avenue $1,040,000 1229m2 4

2

2

Sherwood 4/66 Bute Street $350,000

2

2

Sherwood 4/17 Mayhew Street $349,000 90m2 1

1

-

Sherwood 21/17 Mayhew Street $354,000 67m2 1

1

1

-

Sherwood 3/612 Sherwood Road $375,000 581m2

Sherwood 122/20 Egmont Street $440,000 1699m2

2

2

2

1

Sherwood 5A Palm Avenue $481,000 112m2 3

2

2

1

1

Sherwood 25/20 Egmont Street $638,000 150m2 3

2

2

Sherwood 10 Hazelmere Parade $810,000 405m2 3

2

1

Sherwood 48 Dudley Street $940,000 911m2 3

2

2

1

1

Sherwood 23 Chancellor Street $600,000 405m2 3

1

3

Sherwood 15 Elizabeth Street $750,000 607m2 3

2

1

Sherwood 36A Ferry Street $840,000 400m2 4

2

2

Sherwood 30 Kinkead Avenue $1,640,000 592m2 2

5

3

Sherwood 12 Barchester Street $1,750,000 810m2

Graceville 1 Coleman Street $630,000 602m2

5

3

4

2

Sherwood 394 Oxley Road $500,000 607m2

Sherwood 5/586 Sherwood Road $570,000 164m2 3

2

2

1

2

1

RECENT SALES

46 Graceville 62 Austral Avenue $715,000 607m2 3

1

Graceville 20/327 Verney Road $720,000 1242m2 1

3

Graceville 70 Magee Street $1,070,000 451m2 4

2

2

2

Graceville 40 Verney Road $1,580,000 810m2 2

4

3

1

Chelmer 105 Hargreaves Avenue $580,101 468m2

Chelmer 34 Queenscroft Street $595,000 498m2

3

3

1

1

Chelmer 17 Plumridge Street $740,000 405m2 3

2

2

2

4

2

3

2

Chelmer 164 Victoria Avenue $3,000,000 1138m2

3

6

Tennyson 19 Lancelot Street $725,999 810m2 5

2

Chelmer 91 Harte Street $1,120,000 466m2

Chelmer 158 Hargreaves Avenue $2,200,000 913m2 4

1

4

6

Tennyson 5414/205 King Arthur Tce $960,000

3

2

2

2

recent rental activity OXLEY

CORINDA

SHERWOOD

GRACEVILLE

CHELMER

TENNYSON

$420

$462

$490

$479

$672

$405

4.70%

4.12%

4.35%

3.46%

3.75%

NA

$395

$350

$370

$439

$339

-

Average investment yeild* for a unit during the period?

5.17%

6.20%

4.92%

NA

NA

NA

How long is the average advertising period?

51days

42days

27days

32days

49days

24days

Average per week rent for a house during the period?

Average investment yeild* for a house during the period?

Average per week rent for a unit during the period?

* YEILD data is based on recent transactions and only takes into account the average per week rent when compared against recent sales results for the suburb. In the instances where there was insufficient data a NA is quoted.

Journey to Beautiful A colouring book for adults by Sandy Skinner.

You can meet her at ‘Coffee and Colouring In for Grown Ups’, Bar None on Honour Ave, Graceville, on Tuesdays from 9.30 am to 11.30 am. Cost $10. Meanwhile, compliments of Sandy, you can have a practise go here.

Facebook: http://goo.gl/5xSuxI Mobile: 0411 390 079 Email: sandy.skinner.01@gmail.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GRACEVILLE The Key to Professional Property Management.

YOLANDA CRAY

Call: 0487 006 222 or email: graceville.rentals@harcourts.com.au to reserve your place.

PU

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HI E S R E S’

N • A ‘L I

NG IN T H

VI

B L IC AT