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.
1920 – 1940
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.
Doctor A. Jefferis Turner – “Gentle Annie”
Doctor Jefferis Turner made great contributions to children’s health in Queensland. He was also an expert in moths.
The Pastor’s House
After the unusual beginnings of this house as a home built for a man estranged from his family and his new companion, it was sold to the Lutheran church. From here the Church’s missions in New Guinea were run, with some unexpected episodes.
The Mistress’s House
A distinctive old house on Dornoch Terrace was built by a man, estranged from his family, for his new companion but it was taken from her after his death by the Supreme Court.
From Telegraph To Telephone
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.
Children on the Loose
How much society norms regarding the rearing of children have changed is brought home by these stories from not that long ago.
The Forlorn Death of Mary Emmett
Queensland's abortion laws sometimes led to tragic outcomes as was the case with Mary Emmett, whose body was found rudely dumped on a Brisbane street.
Gloucester Street Railway Station
For about 90 years, Highgate hill had its own railway station at Gloucester Street but it was out of the way and never heavily patronised.
Toonarbin
Stately Toonarbin built in the 1860s is one of the district's oldest houses and predates the creation of Dornoch Terrace on which it now stands.
