History

THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT THE THREE OLDEST BUILDINGS IN BONGAREE WHICH ARE WELL OVER 100 YEARS OLD, WITH VERY DIFFERENT STORIES TO TELL. THE VERY FIRST HOUSES NEAR THE JETTY IN 1912 ARE LONG GONE, BUT THIS IS ABOUT AN ORIGINAL FISHING SHACK, A GRAND MANSION, AND A BUILDING THAT WAS OLD BEFORE IT EVER CAME TO BRIBIE.

The oldest and grandest house on Bribie was built for Albanian wine merchant Norm Coungeau and his English wife Emily in 1915. Emily was the daughter of an English gardener who lived a life beyond society expectations, was adventurous, artistic, creative and wrote poetry and operettas as a hobby. They both migrated to Australia in 1887 and after their marriage in Melbourne in 1889 moved to Brisbane and set up a liquor business, and European style Olympian Cafe near Customs House. Their great success in business and social networks led to being patrons of the Arts and Galleries, benefactors of Churches, Charities, and Women’s Associations, and later in life Emily published several books of her dramatic and romantic poems. In 1912 when the first Bribie land became available, they bought two blocks for 5 pounds each at 34 and 36 Banya Street for a holiday and retirement home. By 1915 they had a very grand house built with shaded verandas taking advantage of the sea breezes and distant views. In 1919 they retired and moved from Brisbane to live in the house they named St.Osyth, when the permanent resident population of Bribie was less than 50 people Emily was Vice President of the Lyceum Club in Brisbane for educated and energetic women with interests in Arts, Literature, Music and current affairs. Emily travelled by steamship from Bribie to Brisbane to attend meetings and giving talks and invited many to visit their home on Bribie, where she wrote the libretto for “Auster”, the first Australian Opera ever performed by an Australian company at his Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne in 1935. By 1936, after 17 years on Bribie and being deeply involved in the growing community, in their late 70s they decided to

head off on a final world trip and put their house up for sale. Unfortunately selling a house in the middle of the depression was not easy, so when it did not sell quickly they decided to gift it to the Church of England as a rest home for Clergy. By June 1936 they were ready to embark on their overseas trip when Emily became sick, and they returned to Brisbane. She never recovered from her illness and died from a stroke a month later at age 76. Five weeks later her husband of 45 years also died from heart failure at the age of 78. Coungeau House was used by the Church for over 40 years and occupied by US and Australian Camp Commanders during WW2. Ownership was later transferred to Toc H, a charity organisation created by an Australian Chaplain in France in WW1 providing respite for soldiers on the front line of war. The house enabled holidays for needy children and was later raised up to create a downstairs Hall. When famous Bribie recluse artist Ian Fairweather died in 1974 his cottage was moved into the garden of Coungeau House as a caretaker’s residence. Except for a few modern-day fittings, the spacious three-bedroom house is the same as when it was built 107 years ago.

A blue painted Hall, opposite Coungeau House in Banya street, is a fascinating item of Bribie history and by far the oldest building on Bribie, but not originally built here. It was originally built as a School and Church in Enoggera in the 1880’s, and as populations changed it was moved to Deception Bay to be the State School in 1892, until 1910 when it was once again relocated to Narangba as a School until 1923. No longer required by the Government it was purchased and relocated to Bribie Island to be a new Methodist Church. Dismantled and floated to Bribie Island in 1928 it was erected on land in Banya Street purchased earlier by the Methodists. The first service was held in 1930 and it served as a Church for almost 60 years before the merger of Presbyterian and Congregationalists to create the Uniting Church, who then built a new church in Webster Street in 1986. The Church building and land were then bought by the new Bribie Masonic Lodge and has been used for their meetings for the last 36 years. In recent times the number of Bribie Masons has declined to a point where they will soon have to close. To save Bribie’s oldest and most historic building from demolition, the Historical Society urged the Council to purchase it, which they have recently done. Work will now be required to ensure the Heritage building is suitable for public use, but we are hopeful that the 140-yearold building will eventually become a home for the Historical Society collection and display of heritage items and enable public access to the considerable Database of local history.

A small cottage at 49 Toorbul Street that has been in the same family since it was built 107 years ago. This is the oldest original “Shack” on Bribie Island

and a reminder of how things were very basic all those years ago. The land was among the first offered for sale in 1912 for 6 pounds, and a simple one room shack with outside cooking was built by Bill Robins. Bill was born in in Cleveland in 1867 and worked at Campbellville sawmill, on Coochin Creek up Pumicestone Passage for 50 years, during which time he lost several fingers off his left hand. There he met and married Florence Assen in 1890, and when his employer Campbell & Son opened Bongaree with the Jetty and Steamships in 1912, he decided to buy one of the very first blocks of land offered for sale. Over the years the tiny shack was extended to become a small two-bedroom cottage with sleepout, bathroom and kitchen which was used by the whole family. His son Charles “Chick” Robbins also worked for

Campbell & Son for 41 years, and the cottage has been passed down through the family and is still owned by the family 107 years later. A special small bit of Bribie history.

Historical Society monthly meetings are on second Wednesday of each month at 6;30 pm at the RSL Club and visitors are always welcome. See more stories and photos of Bribie history on our Web Site Bribiehistoricalsociety. org.au and Blog Site http:// bribieislandhistory.blogspot. com or contact us on bribiehistoricalsociety@gmail. com