In January this year I received a collection of letters my mother Evelyn wrote as a young woman to her friend Olive (“Ollie”) Hansen. The letters date from 1933 to 1938. Olive’s daughters found the now yellowed but well-preserved handwritten letters among their mother’s keepsakes following her death (in 1999). Olive kept Evelyn’s letters for more than 60 years!

These 90-year-old letters are a precious family history resource. They reveal candid, personal information about the early life and times of my mother Evelyn, the young woman I described in My mother, a young woman (May 6, 2016). Given that the letters span the period 1933 to 1938, they confirm and/or provide details about relationships, circumstances and events in Evelyn’s life – and the life of her friend, Ollie – during the 1930s. I’ve written previously, although briefly, about their friendship in A deadly disease: Rannes, Queensland, in the 1920s and 1930s (March 26, 2020).

The letters also reveal much about life in rural Queensland in the 1930s: the role of the family, the nature of work, how people socialised, and the importance of community. Although Evelyn wrote these letters during a period of Australian history known as the Great Depression (1929 through to 1939), the tone of the letters is generally optimistic and cheerful.

NOTE: A list of the references I used in preparing this story is found at the end of the post. Specific references are numbered and displayed throughout the text in brackets: [X].

About Evelyn, Olive and their birth families

In December 1933, the date of the first letter, Evelyn was 17, Olive 16. Here were two young women, “country girls”, two or three years out of school, with their whole lives ahead of them. Just four and a half years later, one of them would be married.

Evelyn lived with her parents and three brothers on the family property “Woolein View”, about 3 kilometres (2 miles) south of Rannes along the Rannes-Banana Road. Rannes is located in Central Queensland, 104 kilometres (65 miles) southwest of Rockhampton. Olive lived with her parents, brother and two sisters on the Hansen family property “Tearaway”, near Baralaba. Baralaba is 37.5 kilometres (23 miles) west southwest of Rannes via the Rannes-Baralaba Road.

Evelyn and Olive had known each other since childhood.

Their families met when Olive’s parents moved to Rannes, where Olive’s father took up a prickly pear selection. I believe that, for a short time, the two families lived on adjacent properties at Rannes.

In 1912, Evelyn’s father, Donald William Beaumont, and Donald’s father Thomas, acquired adjacent prickly pear blocks at Rannes. At the time, Thomas and Donald, and four of Donald’s brothers, were living at Westwood (near Rockhampton). From there they ran teams of horses, transporting goods from Rockhampton to properties in the Banana and Clermont districts.

Evelyn’s extended family (paternal grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts) moved from Westwood to Rannes in early 1915.

Taking up a landholding was a new venture for them, and a risky one, given the land was undeveloped and prickly pear infested. According to the terms of their lease agreements, Donald and Thomas had to clear the land of the weed pest. Indeed, it took at least 20 years for their land to be rid of the dreaded prickly pear. I’ve written at length about the prickly pear problem in Prickly pear and its nemesis: A plain grey-brown moth (November 4, 2019).

Donald and Flora Beaumont (Evelyn’s parents) called their property “Woolein View” after nearby Woolein Creek (a tributary of the Don River at Rannes). Evelyn’s grandparents, Thomas and Elizabeth Beaumont, called their adjoining property “Mons”, after the first battle of World War I.

Evelyn’s father built the house that was to become the Beaumont family home on “Woolein View” for five decades. Evelyn and her brothers spent their childhood and young adult years there. The house was a high-block timber dwelling with a galvanized iron roof. It had wide verandahs on three sides, a kitchen and dining area at the back of the house, large central living room, two or three bedrooms off the living room, and an upstairs bathroom. The family used an enclosed verandah on one side as an additional bedroom. There was an open laundry and a galvanized iron enclosed shower room under the house.

Evelyn was born at the Mount Morgan hospital on 14 January 1916, one year after Donald and Flora moved to Rannes. She was the couple’s second child, after Harold Donald, born 17 October 1913. Evelyn’s heritage was English – both of her parents were first, or second, generation descendants of English immigrants.  

Olive was born at Goomeri on 8 March 1917. She was the second child of William and Annie Hansen. Harold Hansen, Olive’s older brother, was also born at Goomeri, on 23 October 1915. At the time, the Hansen family (Olive’s parents) lived on her paternal grandparents’ property at Goomeri. In contrast to Evelyn, Olive’s heritage was German – both of her parents were first generation descendants of German immigrants.

Sometime after Olive’s birth, William and Annie Hansen and family moved to Rannes.

Like Evelyn’s father, William Hansen built a house for himself and his family on the property at Rannes. The Hansen family lived there for a few years while William tried, unsuccessfully, to clear the property of prickly pear and establish a dairying operation.

In 1921, William acquired a second prickly pear block. The new block, of 550 hectares (1,374 acres), was located 11 kilometres (7 miles) from Baralaba, on the other side of the Dawson River. The family named it “Tearaway”, because of the Government requirement to “tear away” (remove) the prickly pear from the land.

William and Annie Hansen (Olive’s parents) moved their Rannes house to their new property near Baralaba. The small timber building travelled first by rail (the railway line between Rannes and Baralaba opened in 1917) then by horse-drawn wagon to its new site, where William re-erected it.

During the 1920s, Evelyn attended Rannes State School, a small one-teacher school located in the township of Rannes, about 3 kilometres (2 miles) from “Woolein View”. She completed her 8-9 years of schooling there. I’ve written in much detail about this period in Evelyn’s life in My mother’s schooldays: Rannes, the 3Rs and much more (November 24, 2021).

In contrast, Olive’s schooling consisted of lessons by correspondence, at home, with her mother as teacher. Except for the brief life of the Lily State School (1925-1928), all four Hansen children took their lessons at home. According to the writings of Ken Moore (Olive’s nephew), it was only after the building of the bridge over the Dawson River in 1930, that regular access to the township of Baralaba became easier for the Hansen family.

Evelyn’s 90-year old letters

Following Olive’s death in 1999, Olive’s daughters found among their mother’s keepsakes nine letters Evelyn wrote to Olive during the 1930s. Olive kept Evelyn’s letters for more than 60 years!  

Six of the nine letters are complete. Of these six, four are dated, two undated. Evelyn wrote one of the letters to Olive’s father. There are three letter fragments. Of these, only one bears a date. Given clues I’ve found in the letters, I’ve been able to date all of the letters, bar two of the letter fragments.

7 December 1933 (dated) – complete

9 October 1934 (dated) – complete

16 June 1935 (dated) – incomplete

6 January 1936 (dated) – complete (addressed to Olive’s father)

May 1936 (undated) – complete

26 August 1936 (undated) – complete

20 June 1938 (dated) – complete

The collection also includes a tenth letter, penned by Evelyn’s father inviting Mr and Mrs Hansen (Olive’s parents) and family to Evelyn’s 21^st birthday party.

Along with the ten letters, there is one tattered envelope, addressed as follows:

Miss Olive Hansen,

‘Tearaway’

Baralaba

The letters are well-preserved. The paper has yellowed and is a little fragile, but the pages are still intact. Each one of Evelyn’s letters consists of two or three pages, although one letter fragment (a signature page) is headed 5, which indicates it was the last page of a 5-page letter.

Evelyn wrote the letters using nib pen and ink and good quality, fine-lined, quarto writing paper. The ink has not faded, so Evelyn’s handwriting remains legible and clear. Evelyn always began her letters with “My dear Ollie” or, in one instance, “Dear Ollie”. She signed herself as “Evie”, “Evie Beaumont” or simply “Ev”.

The cursive handwriting, although recognizably my mother’s, varies somewhat (in size, slant and form) from letter to letter. I believe it is an indication of how much time Evelyn had available, and how she was feeling when she penned each letter. In several letters Evelyn apologized to Olive for her tardiness in replying to Olive’s correspondence and in one letter asked Olive to excuse her “scribble”.

On receiving the letters, one of my first tasks was to make a word-processed copy of each letter and letter fragment. However, the typed versions are no match for the originals.

Old handwritten letters have a certain charm – the writing is not perfect, words may be misspelt, the punctuation or grammar is not always correct, and they can be somewhat messy. But they are personal, and the individual who wrote them spent time putting pen and ink to paper (a process that takes a lot longer than using a computer keyboard).

Letters and rural postal services

Despite the distance that separated them after the Hansen family moved to Baralaba, Evelyn and Olive kept in touch. Evelyn’s 1930s letters testify to this. I’ve often wondered if they wrote to each other as children.

Exchanging letters via the post was one way people in those days stayed connected. Through personal handwritten letters, they shared information, news and greetings.

They depended on the government’s postal service for safe and speedy delivery of their letters. “As people settled and formed small communities one of the first services they wanted from the government was the establishment of a postal service” (Frew, p. 13). [1] This was certainly true for pioneering families like Evelyn’s and Olive’s, and the communities to which they belonged.

A postal service commenced at Rannes in 1915 and at Baralaba in 1918. These services followed the opening of the railway to Rannes (1915) and to Baralaba (1917). The final section of the railway line from Rockhampton to Rannes (Wowan-Rannes) opened on 2 February 1915. In mid-1915, a receiving office opened at the Rannes railway station. In March 1916, the government elevated the receiving office to a post office. By the early 1920s, the post office at Rannes had a building of its own. [2]

At Baralaba, from 1918, soon after the opening of the railway line from Rannes, a Mr Rollo R Davey ran a receiving office from premises in Ashfield Street. A couple of years later, the railway department took over and for a time it was located at the railway station. In April 1924, Baralaba’s receiving office (no longer at the railway station) was elevated to a post office. [3]

Facilities offered by receiving offices such as those at Rannes and Baralaba included: receipt and distribution of letters, parcels, newspapers, etc; sale of postage stamps; recording the receipt and delivery of valuable articles; issue of postal notes; where the receiving office was also the telegraph office, they transmitted and received telegrams and later operated the public telephone. A receiving office was eligible for elevation to a post office if its revenue for the preceding year was more than £12 and was likely to be maintained at that level. [4]

By the 1930s, when Evelyn and Olive were exchanging letters, the postal services at Rannes and Baralaba were well-established and played an important part in the lives of the communities they served.

What the letters reveal

Family life in the 1930s

Evelyn’s letters to her friend reveal details about the private lives of rural Queensland families like hers and Olive’s during the 1930s.

Evelyn generally began her letters with comments about the health of her family and queries about the health of Olive’s family. For example:

We are all well at present, well last week Harold & I had sore throats with bits of colds but they are just about better now, never the less our sore throats never stopped us from going to Goovigen to a Dance & ending up in Jambin.

[December 7, 1933]

I received your ever welcome letter a while back, glad to hear you had recovered from your cold, we are all well, except Harold – he has a bit of a cold, but nothing serious.

[October 9, 1934]

Hope you are all well as it leaves us fairly well at present. Dad isn’t too good his weak stomach plays up sometimes & winter doesn’t agree with him. I have had the cold but it is much better now.

[June 16, 1935]

Evelyn’s letters give us an idea of illnesses and accidents rural Queensland families contended with during the 1930s. The first part of the letter Evelyn wrote to Olive in May 1936 is most revealing in this regard:

Evelyn concluded that same letter with greetings to Olive and her sisters, and a postscript explaining why she was behind with her correspondence:

Well, Ollie, I can’t find any news so I will finish now with lots of love to

               You and your Sisters

                     From Yours Sincerely

                            Evie Beaumont

[PS] I don’t remember whether I should have written to Jean but I owe such a lot & have been too sick to answer them … have been all upside down. Love Ev.

Three months later, on 26 August 1936, Evelyn wrote again about her second brother Leslie (“Les”) and his health. Evelyn was 20 years old and Les was 14.

You may have heard that Les broke his arm about five weeks ago it is nearly better again now. Poor kid was just getting strong again from his illness and he has been handicapped again now.

Apart from colds and ‘flu, Donald’s stomach ailments and her younger brothers’ childhood accidents, Evelyn’s letters confirm her family’s ongoing battle with typhoid fever.

A deadly disease: typhoid fever

Evelyn’s Aunt Beattie, Donald’s youngest sister, was the family’s first victim. Beattie and Josiah, her husband of just four years, and their 3-year-old son Colin, lived at Lithgow, New South Wales, where Josiah was head surveyor at the Lithgow colliery. Beattie died after contracting typhoid fever during a visit to her family at Rannes in August-September 1929.

On the trip home from Rannes, after travelling by train as far as Brisbane, Beattie came down with a fever and ‘flu-like symptoms. She was hospitalized in Brisbane but failed to respond to treatment. She died suddenly on 7 September 1929 and was buried in Brisbane’s Lutwyche Cemetery.

For more than a decade, in the 1920s and 1930s, typhoid fever menaced residents of Rannes and other small communities of the Banana Shire in Central Queensland. While most folk who contracted the disease recovered, some (like Evelyn’s Aunt Beattie) did not. I’ve written about this subject previously, in A deadly disease: Rannes, Queensland, in the 1920s and 1930s (March 26, 2020).

Evelyn herself contracted typhoid fever in December 1934, and nearly died. The impact of Evelyn’s illness on her parents and extended family, and her long and difficult recovery, is the topic of Christmas 1934: One family’s very “un-Merry” Christmas (December 19, 2022). Not long after Evelyn’s return to Rannes, in early 1935, Evelyn’s dear friend Olive Hansen paid her a visit. The following photograph is a poignant and special memento of their reunion.

Evelyn was not the only one of her siblings to contract typhoid fever. Just over a year after Evelyn succumbed to the disease, her brother Les fell victim.

According to Evelyn’s letter to Olive (May 1936), Les also had a long battle with the disease. He spent six weeks in hospital and returned home very thin and weak. Fortunately, as Evelyn wrote, his being inoculated possibly saved his life (“kept him from being very bad”). 

Adapting to a changing world

Evelyn’s letters reveal two other aspects of family life in rural Queensland in the 1930s. One relates to radio broadcasts; the other to transport and car ownership.

It is apparent that both families (Evelyn’s and Olive’s) purchased a “wireless” during the 1930s. In an undated letter portion, Evelyn wrote “we now have the wireless” and, in May 1936, she wrote:

PS: We heard that you have a wireless. Now is that true – if it is I bet you are pleased with it.

Rockhampton’s radio station 4RK, the first of Queensland’s A grade relay stations erected by the Commonwealth Government, was officially opened on July 29, 1931. [5] From its high-powered transmitter at Gracemere, the station began by re-broadcasting programs from 4QG Brisbane to thousands of people in the district within range. Following the establishment of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in July 1932, 4RK became one of the ABC’s initial 12 stations.

Before the advent of television and the internet, people who lived in rural Australia depended on radio to keep them abreast of international, national and local news and sport. Unlike folk who lived in urban areas, they didn’t have access to daily newspapers.

In 1915, when Evelyn’s parents moved from Westwood to Rannes, the family was still using horses, and a horse-drawn buggy, as transport. Before the advent of the railway, horse-drawn teams still carried produce, goods and chattels from place to place. In the 1920s, Evelyn and her brother Harold rode their ponies to and from school.

Following the opening of the railway from Rockhampton to Rannes (1915) and to Baralaba (1917), people living in these communities depended on the railway for safe and reliable delivery of their produce and domestic supplies.

It must have been in the early 1930s that Evelyn’s father bought the family’s first car, a 1926 Chevrolet. I presume the vehicle was second-hand, as I don’t think the family would have been able to afford a brand-new one. The following photograph, which depicts Donald and son Harold (standing) and younger sons Leslie and Allan (seated), helps me date the purchase. Leslie (born 1922) and Allan (born 1924) appear to be about 8 and 6 years old respectively.

In the 1930s, car ownership was quite an achievement for families like Evelyn’s. I presume Evelyn was very proud of her father’s acquisition. Evelyn mentioned the family car in one of the letter fragments. The fragment bears no date, but I suspect Evelyn wrote it in the mid-late 1930s.

We have only used the car once Ollie – that was yesterday when we went to Wowan & the road is in a terrible state & it was no pleasure trip although you don’t feel the bumps.

Perhaps Evelyn was referring to the vehicle shown in the following photograph. It depicts Evelyn’s brothers Harold and Leslie and her maternal uncle, Henry Balchin.

In the 1930s, the roads connecting Rannes to its neighbouring towns were little more than bush tracks. They had not been constructed for use by motor vehicles. Rough dirt and gravel roads connected Rannes and Wowan (to the north), Banana (to the south), Goovigen (to the east) and Baralaba (to the west).

The Wowan-Rannes Road, like all of the roads in the district, when not graded regularly ended up full of potholes and corrugations. I remember my family driving on this road in the 1950s. Some sections of the road were still unsealed and in “a terrible state” (as Evelyn wrote in the 1930s).

Farm life in the 1930s

As young women living and working on their respective family farms (dairying, grazing cattle and mixed farming), Evelyn and Olive had a lot in common.

Both worked in the dairy, assisting with the daily (or twice-daily) milking. They also worked in the field, hand-picking cotton, or collecting pumpkins, watermelons or rockmelons. They assisted their mother with the cooking and other household tasks, tended to the garden and looked after the domestic animals and poultry. As accomplished horsewomen, they helped feed, water and muster the cattle.

Not that their labour was without its risks, as this 1937 newspaper snippet [6] reveals:

Miss Olive Hansen met with a painful accident while mustering cattle last week. She is an inmate of the Baralaba General Hospital.

In almost every letter, Evelyn provides Olive with news and information about the Beaumont family farm and asks about the Hansen family farm.  

I am sorry to hear your pony cut his foot.

We are milking between seventy & eighty cows now.

[December 7, 1933]

If it would only rain it would brighten things up, some of dad’s cattle are dying. We only had a little rain to give us some water, but one tank is dry again now.

[October 9, 1934]

We are only milking once a day now Ollie, the cows have gone right off. We could do with some rain. … You won’t be sorry if you get machines next season will you. … I hope your pony got on alright.

Dad will get about forty bales of cotton altogether off the fifteen acres so it was good wasn’t it? We only have one picker on now, he has his wife up here but they will soon be finished now.

[May 1936]

Dad has had Mr M. here for three weeks, he is gone again now, he & Harold have been ringbarking.

…

We are still only milking once a day & Dad & Harold are sinking a well out the back of the paddock they had a little drop of water. … I hope it soon rains now that the Winter is over because everywhere is so dusty.

[August 26, 1936]

Indeed, one entire letter was devoted to the subject of running the farm. On January 6, 1936, Evelyn wrote to Mr Hansen, asking if he would allow Olive to help out with the milking at the Beaumont family dairy for one month while her parents took a month’s break.

Dear Mr Hansen

You will get a surprise I know when you see who this letter is from, but I am going to do a bit of smooging thus, to see if you could spare Ollie to come up for about a month, soon, to help us milk while Dad & Mother go for a holiday. Dad will pay Ollie for helping us, as you know, we use the machines & of course they make the work light but some one has to take Dad’s place. I am sure the change would do her good. If she could come we could let you know later just when Dad was leaving. We are going to have an elderly person with us also.

We have had a few showers today & I hope we get a lot more, although the grass is looking nice here now. The cows are milking good Oh too.

I am enclosing a note for Ollie too.

I hope you had a nice Christmas & that all are well.

                           Kindest regards.

                                  Yours Sincerely,

                                          Evie Beaumont.

The ups and downs of farm life

What is most notable from Evelyn’s references to farm life in the 1930s are its ups and downs. Uncertainty. Some seasons were good, others dire. A lot hinged on the weather. Farmers depended on adequate rainfall to fill their dams and storage tanks, replenish underground water supplies, rejuvenate the paddock grass, and irrigate their crops. Extended periods without rain, and drought conditions, made it hard for Queensland farming families such as the Beaumonts and the Hansens to sustain their operations.

Here are three newspaper reports that confirm details provided in Evelyn’s letters:

“Dairymen are sending away record quantities of cream.” (December 7, 1933) [7]

“Mr T A Foley, MLA, who recently returned from a tour of Baralaba, Rannes, Goovigen, Tully, Thangool, and Lawgi, states that the recent rains have done much good for the cotton area. … The season was considered to be one of the best experienced in the area Mr Foley visited.” (February 24, 1936) [8]

“Rain is badly needed as the grass is drying off very quickly. The rainfall for March was 15 points, and for the quarter ended March 31, 966 points.” (April 11, 1935) [9]

By the mid-1930s, Evelyn’s father had modernised the family’s dairying operations by replacing hand milking with milking machines. Evelyn wrote in her letter to Mr Hansen (January 6, 1936), “they make the work light”. Evidently, Olive’s father had not yet introduced milking machines to his dairy, but planned to do so the following year. “You won’t be sorry if you get machines next season,” Evelyn wrote to Olive (May 1936).

Social life in the 1930s – dances and balls

In every one of Evelyn’s letters to Olive, bar one letter fragment, Evelyn wrote about upcoming dances or dances she had attended. Clearly, she loved dancing and attended as many dances (and balls) as she was able.

At the time, dances were an integral part of the social life of small communities like that at Rannes and Baralaba and larger communities such as Wowan and Mount Morgan. Typically, local churches, schools and community groups (such as the Masonic lodge, the Country Women’s Association, sporting clubs) hosted these dances, providing much-appreciated entertainment and raising funds for worthy causes.

In a letter to Olive dated December 7, 1933, Evelyn wrote about dances at Goovigen, Jambin and Rannes:

We are all well at present, well last week Harold & I had sore throats with bits of colds but they are just about better now, never the less our sore throats never stopped us from going to Goovigen to a Dance & ending up in Jambin. We went with Jim Barrett, he had a load of us. Well we went to Goovigen & the Dance was a washout – so we decided to go to Jambin, we just got there for the Supper waltz, it was a good dance there though & we had a good time while we were there. We got home at five o’clock on Sunday morning just in time to milk.

There is a Dance here at Rannes tomorrow night week the night of the school picnic (Friday night) in aid of the Cricket Club they have started the cricket going again now. I better not say any more about dances love or your mouth will water all the more, but never mind.

The Jambin branch of the Country Women’s Association (CWA) hosted the dance Evelyn attended at Jambin on Saturday, December 2, 1933. [10] Folk from Biloela, Argoon, Goovigen and Rannes came to the dance, which (reportedly) was a success socially and financially. Prior to the dance, in the afternoon, the CWA held a free Christmas Tree event for children of the district. One hundred and forty children received gifts, lollies and fruit, and joined in the games. Jambin is located approximately 35 kilometres (about 22 miles) southeast of Rannes, via Goovigen.

Just two weeks after the dance at Jambin, Evelyn attended a dance at Rannes. The dance, held in support of the Rannes Cricket Club, followed the school breaking-up picnic on Friday 15 December 1933. [11] Evelyn and her dance partner even won a prize during the evening!

The Rannes State school breaking-up took the form of a picnic with sports for the children. Each child received a gift, cakes and ice cream. Drinks were also distributed. At night a successful dance was held. The music was supplied by Miss M Rankin, with extras by Mr J Rankin, while Mr D Manion was MC. A Chocolate Waltz was won by Miss L Guest and Mr T Edwards and a Monte Carlo by Miss E Beaumont and Mr D Pierce.

Like me, you may be wondering: What is a Chocolate Waltz? What is a Monte Carlo?

A Chocolate Waltz was an elimination event for which each participant purchased a ticket. The dance floor was divided into quadrants and, when the music stopped, a ticket was drawn. The owner of that ticket, his/her partner and all other couples in the same quadrant had to leave the dancefloor. And so on, until only one couple remained. A Monte Carlo waltz was another competitive event. The couple who won held the winning ticket.

In her letter dated October 9, 1934, Evelyn reported attending a Ball and a Church of England social function at Wowan. She wrote:

I was at Wowan to [sic.] a Ball last Wednesday night and had a marvellous time & was at a Church of England social there about a fortnight before.

The Wowan and District Tennis Association hosted the ball that Evelyn attended at Wowan where she had “a marvellous time”. According to the following newspaper report [12], the event was well attended and warmly received by all.  

The interest and enthusiasm which has been displayed on the town tennis courts at weekends during the winter months just past reached a climax on Wednesday last when the annual ball of the Wowan and District Tennis Association took place. The gathering in the Gaiety Hall for the occasion was both large and representative. The Hall, which had been decorated by the town members, presented a gay appearance with its pretty floral decorations and numerous paper drapings, the colours chosen being green, gold, red, and white. Flowers and foliage on the stage, with paper garlands overhead, formed a pretty setting for the table whereon were attractively displayed the cups and other silver trophies for presentation, numbering 21. Red and white predominated in the supper-room decorations, vases of flowers and dainty paper designs beautifying the tables. Catering arrangements were in the hands of Mrs M Haymen. Mr H Widt was master of ceremonies. Mr J Olsson’s Wowan Orchestra supplied dance music. Extras were contributed by Miss B Barnes and Mr T Pegg.

The social event Evelyn attended at Wowan “about a fortnight before” was held in honour of the Anglican Bishop of Rockhampton, The Right Reverend Fortescue Ash, who was visiting the district. Many people from Rannes, Dululu and neighbouring centres travelled to Wowan for the special occasion. The following extract from a newspaper report [13] dated September 20, 1934, provides details of the event:

Basket chairs, rugs, and artistic curtain-effect drapings of narrow paper in colours of red and white, caught here and there with red and white roses, a basket of similar flowers being suspended overhead, transformed the stage of the Gaiety Theatre, Wowan, when a social and dance look place. The function had been arranged and invitations to attend had been issued to all sections of the community by the priest in charge (Rev J C Thomson) and the parishioners of All Souls Church of England, in honour of Bishop Ash, who was visiting the district.

After speeches of welcome and thanks, the remainder of the evening was devoted to dancing, with an attractive program of musical and other items presented during the intervals between dances. The evening also included a “delightful” supper prepared by the ladies of the church. [14]

In subsequent letters, Evelyn made reference to other dances she attended. Many of these dances were held in conjunction with other local social events, such as the annual agricultural show, rodeo or horseracing meet. In May 1936, Evelyn wrote:

We were at the Rodeo at Wowan & stayed for the Ball which was very good. … No, Ollie, I didn’t go to the Races [at Baralaba]. Harold did & had a good time, he said he saw you & your Father go passed [sic.] the Café in Baralaba when they were in having a cup of tea but you were too far past when he saw you to speak to you.

And in her letter dated 20 June 1938, Evelyn wrote:

I went to the Wowan Show with Trev & Muriel for a while on Friday evening & we stayed for the Ball. It was very nice – we all enjoyed it.

In that same letter, Evelyn mentioned the Rannes School of Arts hall, in which the dances at Rannes were held. She wrote:

Our Hall is going to be made bigger, as soon as Harold can get the blocks so we should have some good dances here then.

The Rannes School of Arts building was erected between late 1924 and early 1925. In November 1924, the Rannes School of Arts committee (of which Evelyn’s uncle James Beaumont was secretary) invited tenders for the erection of a School of Arts at Rannes. Tenders closed on December 1, 1924. [15]

As the lowest tender was considered too high, the committee gave the go-ahead for two local men to erect the building using day labour. This meant a “big saving” for the committee. The following extract from a newspaper report [16] explains the result.

The lowest [tender] was £190. This the Committee considered too high, and two residents of Rannes Messrs A Wilson and Dillon, undertook the job on day labour, with the result that the cost was only £128. That was a big saving. The overdraft at the present time was £40 but he understood that £35 was to be received from the Government for endowment. That would practically square matters. However, they must have a library, which would cost all £30.

In February 1925, the School of Arts committee opened the newly erected hall to the public with a plain and fancy dress ball. The following report [17] provides details of the event:

The building was very tastefully decorated. Some of those present had travelled 50 miles. A good many of the dancers wore fancy costumes. … Mr G Williams, Chairman of the Committee, expressed thanks for the big attendance. Mr W Hoskings, in the absence of Mr J McKnight, performed the opening ceremony. After expressing thanks for the honour accorded him, he said that he was pleased to see such a large gathering and hoped that all would continue to give their support to the institution.

The modest School of Arts hall at Rannes served the community well for more than a decade. Over the years Evelyn and her family would have attended many functions there.  

However, by 1938, the Rannes community had outgrown the building. As Evelyn wrote in her letter of 20 June 1938, in late May or early June 1938, work commenced on an extension to the building. [18]

In late August, with the work completed, the School of Arts committee held a dance to officially open the additions to the hall. The dance was a success both socially and financially. [19]

Mr J C Graham (chairman of the Banana Shire Council) in a brief speech opened the hall and thanked all who had attended and helped to make the function a success. He also complimented Mr Jones, who had carried out the work. The hall was appropriately decorated with streamers and balloons. Visitors were present from Thangool, Biloela, Jambin, Goovigen, Jooro, Banana, Baralaba, Kokotungo, Harcourt, Buneru, and Wowan. … The approximate takings were £19.

Social life in the 1930s – parties

In a number of her letters, Evelyn wrote about parties. Clearly, private parties were an important part of the community’s social life at the time. Families like Evelyn’s held parties – usually in the family home – to celebrate 21^st birthdays, engagements, pre-weddings and wedding anniversaries. They even held “surprise parties” (according to Evelyn’s letter of December 7, 1933).

Evelyn’s letter to Olive dated 9 October 1934 included an invitation for Olive and her family to attend her brother Harold’s 21^st birthday party. She wrote:

I am writing now to ask you to tell your father that Dad is giving Harold a Party on Wednesday night 17^th October for his 21^st Birthday and he wishes you all to accept his invitation and come up for it, we sent out all the invitations today and this is yours, so don’t forget. … Well, I will have to close now, hoping to see you at the party, we are having it here at our house.

In the 1930s, people used newspapers as their “social media” platform(s). One week after the 21^st birthday party, a Central Queensland newspaper published the following article, entitled “Rannes Celebration”, providing details of the event. [20]

Between 50 and 60 guests assembled at “Woolein View”, Rannes, the home of Mr  and Mrs D Beaumont, to celebrate the coming of age of their eldest son, Harold. Palms, ferns, flowers, and greenery made a pretty supper-room under the residence, while long tables were set out and prettily arranged with vases of flowers and glassware and laden with sandwiches, cakes, and drinks. Pride of place was given to a large nicely decorated birthday cake, which was cut by the guest of honour, each guest receiving a piece. Toasts were proposed by Messrs J C Graham and Mr O Sternley. Messrs D Beaumont and Mr Sternley responded. All present joined in wishing Mr Harold Beaumont many happy returns of the day. Dancing, singing, and games were enjoyed until the early hours of the morning. After a happy evening the party ended with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

Two and a half years later, Evelyn turned 21. As they did for Harold, Evelyn’s parents marked this milestone by hosting a party at their home. Indeed, the tenth letter in the collection is an invitation to Evelyn’s 21^st birthday party from Evelyn’s father to the Hansen family. How privileged I feel to have in my possession this letter, penned by my grandfather so many years ago. 

I assume that the Hansen family (and Olive) attended Evelyn’s party. A report published in the Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland) a couple of weeks later [21] included Baralaba in the list of places from where guests came. The report also captured the spirit of the event:

A very happy evening was spent at the residence of Mr and Mrs D Beaumont, “Woolein View”, when a large gathering of friends were entertained to celebrate their daughter Evelyn’s 21^st birthday. Guests were present from Biloela, Goovigen, Jooro, Deeford, Baralaba, and Theodore. Dancing, community singing, and games were enjoyed by all. The supper room was gaily decorated with pink and blue streamers and pride of place was given to a beautiful two-tiered cake, which was decorated with 21 candles. The usual toasts were proposed and the guest of honour returned thanks for the good wishes and beautiful gifts received.

Evelyn’s 21st birthday gifts included a crystal vase. Evelyn treasured this vase throughout her life. She told me that it was a gift from the Nott Family of Cooper Downs, a large cattle property in the district. Like many others of her generation, Evelyn had few precious possessions, and those she had, she appreciated and cared for. The vase is now in my possession.

Social life in the 1930s – sports

According to newspaper reports of activities at Rannes, Baralaba and neighbouring districts during the 1930s, the most popular sports were cricket, tennis, football, horseracing and rodeo. These sports brought the various communities together and were an important source of recreation and entertainment for both young and old.  

Evelyn’s father Donald and two of her brothers (Harold and Leslie) played competitive cricket. It seems that Rannes had a representative men’s cricket team from the early 1920s, although Donald’s name appears first in cricket reports of 1930. [22] In 1933, Donald and Harold attended a meeting at Rannes to form (re-form?) a Rannes Cricket Club. [23] Evelyn mentioned the resumption of cricket fixtures in her letter to Olive dated December 7, 1933:

There is a Dance here at Rannes tomorrow night week the night of the school picnic (Friday night) in aid of the Cricket Club they have started the cricket going again now.

The Rannes men’s cricket team competed against teams from Dululu, Buneru, Mount Morgan, Wowan, Goovigen and Gogango. Sometimes they played at home; sometimes they travelled to a neighbouring township to complete. In her letter dated 9 October 1934, Evelyn reported that the Rannes team played a match against a local team at Gogango. Gogango is a small community about 65 kilometres southwest of Rockhampton (via the Capricorn Highway) and 69 kilometres (43 miles) north of Rannes. Evelyn wrote:

Rannes cricketers went to Gogango last Sunday and got beaten by about 60 runs. Dad or Harold wasn’t playing – this was the first match in the fixtures.

Evelyn and her extended family also liked to play tennis. I’m not sure if any of them played competitively, but it is evident that they enjoyed the sport and played socially. The people of Rannes formed a Tennis Club at Rannes as early as 1917 [24], and a Tennis Club existed at Rannes throughout the 1930s. Like cricket, Rannes fielded tennis teams to compete in matches against teams from neighbouring districts. [25]

In 1938, Evelyn’s family built an antbed tennis court on their property. Evelyn was very proud of this. In her letter to Olive on 20 June 1938, she wrote:

We have a tennis court now Ollie, & it is nice too, to be able to have a game on a Sunday. Les & Allan made it. Harold & Dulcie come out & bring someone sometimes so it is quite nice. They have a club in Rannes but I am not going to join – one is better out of these clubs.

Football (rugby league) was another popular sport for the people of Rannes and Baralaba during the 1930s. Both communities had a representative football team that played matches against teams from neighbouring districts. While Evelyn and her brothers played football fixtures during their school days, they didn’t play football as adults. 

Horseracing and rodeo were two sports that captured the interest of families like Evelyn’s and Olive’s, whose life and work involved horses and cattle. In her letters to Olive, Evelyn often wrote about horses and cattle, and of going to the “races” or a rodeo. Here are a few examples:

I am sorry to hear your pony cut his foot. We are milking between seventy & eighty cows now.

[December 7, 1933]

If it would only rain it would brighten things up, some of dad’s cattle are dying.

[October 9, 1934]

We were at the Rodeo at Wowan & stayed for the Ball which was very good. … While Les was in Hospital Allan got a buster off his pony and cut his knee. Dad and Mum had to take him to Wowan to have it stitched so it all comes at once, doesn’t it? His cut has healed now. … No, Ollie, I didn’t go to the Races. Harold did & had a good time. He said he saw you & your Father go passed [sic.] the Café in Baralaba when they were in having a cup of tea but you were too far past when he saw you to speak to you. … I hope your pony got on alright.

[May 1936]

[Re dances] Perhaps later in the year I might persuade Harold to go to a Ball at Baralaba, there is Races later on isn’t there & a Ball at night?

[August 26, 1936]

And you know the heifer we sent down to our Uncle’s place she has a heifer calf & it is a really bally [sic.] – I had a letter yesterday.

[Undated]

Evelyn’s father Donald had a lifelong love affair with horses. It’s not surprising given that he grew up with horses, lots of horses. Horses and cattle were his family’s “tools of trade”.

Donald’s father, Thomas, and Donald’s uncles kept and bred horses – work horses and racehorses. As soon as he was old enough, Donald acquired and bred his own horses, including two or three racehorses.

From as early as 1888, records show that Donald’s father Thomas entered a horse (“Barmaid”) in a Westwood race meeting. [26] By 1910, both Donald (aged 25) and his father entered horses in Westwood’s Annual Race Meeting. Donald’s older brothers were the jockeys. [27]

In his later years, Donald’s love of horses led him to breed racehorses yet again. They included Glen Lyon, Osmond and Woolein Lad. At first Donald had them compete in country race meetings, at Baralaba, Thangool, Jambin and Theodore. [28-30] Later, he took them to Rockhampton, where they had a number of wins at Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park racecourse. [31]

To read more about Donald, and his life, go to Donald William Beaumont: A grandparent I thought I knew (January 19, 2021).

In 1935, Donald and several other Rannes residents formed a committee to organise a camp draft in the district.  They agreed to hold a rodeo and camp draft at Rannes on Saturday 21 September 1935, in aid of the ambulance and the school. The program, which included an open camp draft, ladies’ camp draft and a maiden camp draft, culminated in a ball at night. [32]

By the 1930s, rodeos and campdrafting had become popular competitive and spectator sports for many a rural Queensland community. Both sports involved horses and cattle. Rodeo comprises a wide range of riding and roping events that test a competitor’s strength, skill and durability. Events include bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, to name a few. Campdrafting is a particular event where a mounted rider enters a “camp” (yard) that encloses six to eight head of cattle and the rider begins by cutting out one steer or heifer. Once the cut out is complete, the rider proceeds to draft (work) the beast around a figure eight course in a larger arena to demonstrate their control.

Marriage and a new home

In January 1937, Evelyn turned 21 and in March that year Olive turned 20. For one of them, 1937 would prove to be a life-changing year.

In September 1937, Erich (“Eric”) Reinhardt Bienek asked Olive’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. [33] Eric, a young German immigrant, came to Baralaba in 1932 as a dam-sinker. Given the Hansen family’s German roots, Eric would have felt very much at home with Olive’s family. Even though Eric was 10 years Olive’s senior, the match was considered a good one.

Olive and Eric were married in a ceremony at the Hansen family property, “Tearaway”, on 28 April 1938. The Reverend Ian Cheetham, of the Wowan Methodist Church, officiated.

The following extract from a newspaper report of the wedding [34] provides details of the bride and her attendants, the groom’s attendants, and the bride’s mother:  

The tall, graceful bride was daintily attired in ivory satin, the bodice and sleeves being pintucked and shirred and the neckline was finished with a posy. The skirt was pintucked at the waist, falling into a slight train at the back. The bride carried a bouquet of roses, tied with satin ribbon and tulle. Her beautiful embroidered silk net veil was held in place by a coronet of orange blossoms and was lent by Mrs C Cheeseman.

Misses Grace and Jean Hansen attended their sister as bridesmaids and they were frocked alike in duchesse pink crepe de Chine, with hats to tone. They carried posies of pink roses, tied with tulle and ribbons.

The duties of best man were carried out by Mr A Rainer and Mr Peter Jansen was groomsman.

The Wedding March was played by Mrs W Brown. The bride’s mother chose rust brown crepe de Chine relieved on the bodice with embossed stitchery.

The Hansens held the wedding breakfast on the spacious verandas of their home. Eighty guests attended. I presume Evelyn and her family were among the guests. Following their marriage, Eric and Olive travelled to Brisbane, where they boarded the Strathallen for Port Moresby, their honeymoon destination.  

Evelyn wrote to Olive two months after the wedding. She was replying to a letter Olive had written to her about the trip to Port Moresby. On June 20, 1938, Evelyn wrote:

My Dear Ollie

I received your letter & was so happy to hear from you, glad to hear all about your trip. You were lucky to have such a nice trip for your honeymoon. It seemed funny addressing the envelope “Mrs – “. I guess you are settled down now & quite happy. It will be strange for a while leaving home but now you have your Husband. I guess they will miss you from home.

    …

I am looking forward to seeing the Photo. I would love to see the snaps some time.

Around the time of his marriage to Olive, Eric gave up dam-sinking, eager to try his luck at establishing a motor vehicle servicing business in Baralaba. The business, known as “Baralaba Motors”, located in Stopford Street, is still trading today (2024) and owned and operated by Paul Bienek, a second generation Bienek. Clearly, Eric proved to be a most successful businessman.  

Soon after their marriage, Eric and Olive moved into their new home, a modest lowset cottage in Stopford Street, behind the garage. It was in this house that Eric and Olive raised their seven children. They welcomed their first-born (Paul) in July 1939, their seventh (Rodney) in June 1958.

Evelyn’s life path took a quite a different course to that of her friend Olive. In September 1942, at 26 years of age, Evelyn joined the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF). While serving in Brisbane, she met Melbourne-born Australian Army officer Lieutenant William (“Bill”) Proposch at a dance in the Brisbane City Hall. The couple married in March 1945. After the war, Bill and Evelyn settled in Rockhampton, where they spent the remainder of their 54 years of married life. They had two children.

Evelyn and Olive: Lifelong friends

When I was growing up, my mother often spoke of her friend Ollie Hansen. Sometimes she would call her Ollie Bienek. Evelyn always called her friend “Ollie”, never Olive. I knew that Ollie lived at Baralaba, but that was about all. Years later, whenever my mother talked about Ollie, she would say Ollie Farmer, not Ollie Hansen or Ollie Bienek. I was confused.

Olive’s husband Eric died on 20 December 1970. He was 63. The couple had spent 32 happy years together, raised seven children, provided a home for Olive’s brother Harold, and built a successful business. For Olive, Eric’s death was a great blow. She was just 53 years of age and the couple’s youngest child, Rodney, was only 12.

Ten years later, on 20 March 1981, Olive remarried. She married widower Claude Farmer, a long-time friend of both Eric and Olive. Like Olive, Claude brought to their marriage a large family, which resulted in exceptionally large get-togethers for the two extended families. But then, they were used to it, and nothing seemed to faze Olive (according to her nephew, Ken).   

I remember my mother telling me about another tragic loss her friend Ollie experienced. On 17 April 1983, just two years after her marriage to Claude, Olive’s son Rodney was killed in a motor vehicle accident. He was 24. According to my mother, Olive never got over the death of her younger son.  

How difficult it must have been for Olive 12 years later, at 78 years of age, to face the death of another one of her seven children. Her oldest daughter, Janet, 53, died on 2 November 1995. Perhaps Olive’s only consolation was knowing that Janet had lived a full and happy life despite having been aware for years that she had an inoperable heart condition.

I met Olive (“Ollie”) in 1996. She and her husband Claude lived in Rockhampton at the time. It was a great privilege for me to finally meet a person I had heard so much about, and who was so special to my mother.

On 14 January 1996, my husband and I hosted Evelyn’s 80^th birthday party at our home. Ollie was one of Evelyn’s special invited guests. The following photograph is a memento of the occasion. For Evelyn and Ollie, theirs was a friendship that spanned nearly 80 years!

Sadly, Olive died unexpectedly on 7 November 1999 during a trip to Melbourne, just 3½ years after this photograph was taken. She was 82 years old.

Evelyn outlived her friend by almost 12 years. She died on 30 January 2011, aged 95.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am ever so grateful that Olive’s daughters who, when scouring through their late mother’s possessions, found Evelyn’s 1930s letters, chose to keep them and hand them over to me.

Two people for whom I’m especially grateful are Olive’s daughter Gail Bienek and Olive’s nephew Kenneth (“Ken”) Moore. Gail kindly delivered the letters to me and spent time sharing a little of her mother’s story with me. Ken, the Hansen family historian, whom I visited, happily shared with me some of his work and photographs.   

REFERENCES

1. Frew, J. (1981). Queensland Post Offices 1842-1980 and Receiving Offices 1869-1927 / Joan Frew. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
2. Ibid.
3. Bedford, M. (1977). Baralaba 1917 to 1977 anniversary : 60th anniversary of Baralaba township : 50th anniversary of Baralaba Cottage Hospital. Baralaba Pioneer Committee.
4. Frew, J. (1981). Queensland Post Offices 1842-1980 and Receiving Offices 1869-1927 / Joan Frew. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
5. 4RK Opened. (1931, August 6). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 – 1939), p. 42. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23141521
6. BARALABA (1937, March 11). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 14. Retrieved July 4, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55587788
7. RANNES (1933, December 7). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 38. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70558504
8. COTTON SEASON (1936, February 24). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved July 6, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36802322
9. RANNES (1935, April 11). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 49. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72385643
10. JAMBIN C.W.A. (1933, December 8). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54754925
11. BREAKING-UP DAY (1933, December 23). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 8. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54756911
12. COUNTRY SOCIAL (1934, October 18). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 25. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70343884
13. MOST CORDIAL WELCOME (1934, September 20). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 12. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55604629
14. Ibid.
15. Advertising (1924, November 10). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 2. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54292058
16. DAWSON VALLEY NEWS. (1925, February 12). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55233735
17. Ibid.
18. RANNES (1938, May 26). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 51. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70837805
19. RANNES (1938, September 3). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 13. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55990434
20. RANNES CELEBRATION. (1934, October 25). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 24. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70343256
21. RANNES (1937, January 28). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55581470
22. COUNTRY CRICKET. (1930, March 20). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55357657
23. RANNES (1933, December 7). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 38. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70558504
24. RANNES. (1917, September 22). The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1875 – 1929), p. 48. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69806299 
25. COUNTRY TENNIS (1933, May 6). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54731842
26. WESTWOOD RACE MEETING. (1888, May 28). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52017279
27. WESTWOOD ANNUAL RACES (1910, January 1). The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1875 – 1929), p. 30. Retrieved December 9, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69123078
28. Thangool Diggers’ Races (1950, August 31). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 8. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56955593
29. JAMBIN RACE WEIGHTS (1950, July 13). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 6. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56949907
30. THEODORE (1953, October 1). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 23. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75426631
31. Callaghan Park Details (1952, June 17). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 10. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57104417
32. RODEO AND BALL (1935, September 28). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54795597
33. Family Notices (1937, September 2). The Central Queensland Herald (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1930 – 1956), p. 45. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70544795
34. A BARALABA WEDDING (1938, May 14). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55973139