On the morning of Christmas Eve 1926, the first train from Sunnybank came to a halt just before Park Road Station at Woolloongabba, waiting for a green signal to continue. Passengers on the left side of the train were startled to see a man and woman lying together partly undressed on a bank next to the railway line. They had been murdered and the perpetrator was never found.
Events
Ernie and Mabel Lane – Radical Activists
Ernie and Mabel Lane were both dedicated communists. After spending some time in an Australian socialist colony in Paraguay, they settled into a home in Dauphine Terrace, Highgate Hill. Both continued to be activists for social change.
The Battle of Highgate Hill
In the late 1870s, fears of a Russian invasion led to increased spending on defence. On a hot February afternoon in 1879, volunteers were running all over Highgate Hill firing at each other and letting off their cannons in a military exercise. A crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.
Brisbane Prepares for Air Raids
In 1941, fears of aerial attacks led to the instigation of black-out exercises in Brisbane. The first casualty was in Highgate Hill and inflicted by a dog! In 1942, householders were being urged to construct back yard air raid shelters.
The Telephone Becomes Automatic
Nowadays the internet and mobile phones are our preferred technologies for telecommunication. However the introduction of the automatic telephone to Brisbane in the last century was a great leap forward at the time.
Lest We Forget – Highgate Hill
Moving personal stories of the impact of war on our little suburb of Highgate Hill give us a glimpse of what the nation went through in those difficult years.
Who Shot “Spider” Raper? 1926
The shooting of a notorious criminal at Highgate Hill made big headlines in 1926. Was the man who pulled the trigger guilty of murder?
Runaway Horse and Cart 1907
In 1907 three small children are terrified when a horse bolts carrying them off at breakneck speed in a butcher’s cart.
A Highgate Hill Counterfeiter 1934
In the 1930s it was worthwhile for criminals to produce counterfeit coins as their buying power was still significant and times were tough.
Tram Assists Horse Drawn Dray Highgate Hill 1926
In 1926, a horse drawn dray can’t get moving up steep Gladstone Road. A passing tram gives it a hand.
