One of the highlights of the UTL project has been the Forbes Strachan headstone discovery and subsequent match-making of his extended family.

When David and I first bought our Heussler Tce house in 1996, Stan Dowdle was our uphill neighbour. Stan’s parents had owned ‘Aberdeen’ since he was a young boy, 70-odd years earlier, and upon their deaths, Stan and his brother had stayed on in the house.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/21741760
The Brisbane Courier | Sat 12 Sep 1931 | Page 20

There’d been a whisper of a girlfriend at some point in Stan’s life, but he’d never managed to pin down a woman in marriage; a confirmed bachelor who cared for his disabled brother until his death. He’d told us the story of the one girl he’d brought home to meet his mother, but upon her immediate disapproval, he’d never brought another woman home again.

Stan used to be the Milko for New Farm, and was the fittest 80 year old we’d ever seen. He’d taken over his Dad’s milk run, and they’d kept the horses and cart behind the house in the back yard. New Farm might have been a small footprint for deliveries, but the number of apartments made it a hefty job for the pair, having to run up so many stairs – it was easy to see why he was so fit, well into his 90s. One of the bedrooms in his house was even filled to the brim with all of the milk receipts for every delivery he and his father had ever made.

Stan used to service his two Kingswoods (the milk Ute with a cold box on the back and his personal-use station wagon) every few months on old timber ramps in the backyard, despite only driving 20kms a week to the golf course for a few games.

He also spent many hours a week raking up the ‘bloody leaves’ from under the hundred-year-old mango tree in his backyard.

Stan enjoyed such a strict routine that he was visibly shaken when we invited him to dinner at our house for the first time… “Well, what sort of food would you be cookin’?” he said, peering at us above his bifocals. “None of that spicy stuff I can smell comin’ from your place, I hope. I can’t be eatin’ spicy foods. On Wednesdays, I always eat corned beef and potatoes, carrots and beans.”

So I made Stan his favourite Wednesday meal, with the added extra of parsley sauce – not even slightly spicy – to make a point that he was eating ‘out’ and true to form, he still complained that the meal would play havoc with his ‘system’, bless him!

Stan Dowdle, helping us rebuild the fence, aged 82

We were very sad to say goodbye to Stan when we moved overseas in 2000, knowing that we probably wouldn’t see him again. He’d been a good neighbour, and it bugs me no end that we didn’t spend more time with him talking about his life in the early days, and what he might have known about this house and its inhabitants. He’d have been a font of knowledge, but our disinterest in the history at the time is the cross that we now have to bear. Stan Dowdle died in 2006, leaving his house and belongings to his sister and her children, who soon sold the property to Mark and Louise, who have been our neighbours since we moved back to Brisbane in 2008.

As with our place, Aberdeen, which is the twin to ours, built in 1912 by the same builder, needed a full renovation. It had been immaculately kept in its original state, but it needed to be upgraded to suit a family of 6. Both Mark and Louise are practical people, being a manual arts teacher and a nurse respectively, so they threw themselves into the renovation with much gusto and have done a beautiful job, all by themselves. They even turned that old mango tree into stunning hardwood stairs and benchtops. Sadly for them, however, we planted a Poinciana in our backyard that now half hangs over their pool. Even though we all love its brilliant summer blossoms, David and I still hear, “Bloody leaves!” floating over the fence on a regular basis!

One evening, Mark and Louise came over for dinner. It was early days in the UTL project, and we were keen to talk to them about what we’d discovered relating to the money, the passbooks and our house. We brought out the documents, and spent a good half hour discussing what had come to pass since the first post had gone up on Facebook.

We also showed them some of the other bits and pieces we’d found during renovations – old glass bottles and metal odds’n’ends.

Suddenly, Mark jumped up out of his chair and said, “I’m just popping home. We found something, too, that I want to show you. Maybe you could get your Facebook crowd to help us find out more about it.”

He returned a few minutes later with a rectangular slab of marble, about as long as a forearm and a third as wide. On it was the inscription, ‘Forbes Strachan 1833-1919’.

Mark had dug it up out of the dirt underneath his house while he was clearing it out for restumping. After much oohing and aahing, I took a few photographs and posted them on Old Brisbane Album, just as I had with my own discovery…

 

‎Caylie to Old Brisbane Album

September 24, 2017

For fear of starting another mystery…my next door neighbours from Heussler Tce, Milton, just showed us what they found under their house – the twin of our Under the Lino house – an old headstone maybe? Any suggestions? It says – Forbes Strachan 1833-1919.

Amanda What is it made of? Could be a commemorative plaque?
Jane They do look like tiles from a grave… additions from headstone and footplate perhaps? Forbes Strachan Jr lived in Toowong pre 1919. Another with same name seems to have been in Rockhampton in late 1800s, died 1900 and buried in Allentown Cemetery Rockhampton.

Following from Ancestry record for Forbes Jr. (Scottish)!

 

 

 

 

 

Leanne Thanks to this link, I was just able to find out when the man that shot my aunty died. He shot her through the heart in 1943. We always wondered when he died. Thank you from the bottom of my heart
Jane Leanne that is so sad. I hope this does help you.
Leanne thanks to Under the Lino we have found so much more about my aunt’s death. My dad is 84. He was only 8 when he lost his sister so it has been wonderful to fill in the blanks for him.
Jane this is a great site/project!
Rolli I remember when I was like 18 living in Brisbane – there was a story about people wandering through Toowong Cemetery damaging graves at night. Possibly take them to Toowong Cemetery… and someone has got it.
Cate Darcy Maddock Portion 6 Section 36 Allotment 20
Ian I actually knew a Forbes Strachan, he was a customer of mine out Capalaba way. He was alive and well when I last saw him in 2007.
Debbie Wow. No relation unfortunately…
Ian Yes, but it’s not a common Christian name. I’m now living about 10,000kms away now so I cannot check.
Gavin This is bizarre. In the mid-80s I went to a party on Huessler Tce. A bunch of Goths/Swampies lived in the house. There were several headstones that these people had taken from Toowong cemetery. The police raided the place within a few days and they were charged. The house was about 1/3 to 1/2 way down the left hand side as you head toward the 5 ways
Kathy That would be about #74. We owned #74 and when we sold it in 1987, it was rented for a few years. Then a tenant left a candle burning and left the house, which burned down.
Gavin yep I look on Google maps and would be very close to there
Nicki A friend of mine lived in Heussler Tce too and we went to parties there. Not swampie ones though.
Bronwyn I was a Goth from 1994-1998-ish and used to frequent the Toowong cemetery for parties but I never saw anyone damaging headstones. Quite the opposite, we would be facilitated with the history
Indigo https://search.findmypast.com.au/results/world-records…
findmypast.com.au
SEARCH.FINDMYPAST.COM.AU
There’s quite a bit on this site
Jimmy Our name is Strachan , we lived in Wilden St Paddington in the ‘60s and ‘70s
Sharona This is a great read. http://mobile.abc.net.au/…/church-remembers…/1123182…

 

 

Church remembers trapped souls of Brisbane’s past
ABC.NET.AU
Milly You’ll float too…floating corpses. Not a good ending for a paragraph.
Amy My friend from uni was involved in exhumation and identification of graves prior to the Suncorp Stadium developments to Lang Park in the Early 2000s. Interesting stuff!
https://journals.jcu.edu.au/qar/article/download/65/60
Sharona Thanks Amy. I will read the link. I love early Australia history. And these type of stories really intrigue me. I don’t think many people would know these stories. Cheers
Amy No worries Sharona, I was fascinated at the time too I thought she had THE coolest job!
Darcy Maddock Hi Sharona, we at FOTC have been going through death certificates checking burials in and around Brisbane and we are pretty confident there would be around 8500 remains still 30 feet down through the rubbish tip that Suncorp sits on today. We have created a data base and also know the names and details of all who were exhumed and where they were taken to. Anyone who is chasing someone who died between 1845 through to the last burial in the old North Brisbane burial ground in the 1880s I am sure we at FOTC will be able to help if they went to one of the 7 cemeteries or went to Toowong. We receive inquiries from many countries looking for lost ancestors. Two weeks ago a lady in Phoenix Arizona at last knows where a gg grandfather is and a Canadian earlier this year was looking for a Russian rellie we have. Never stops and glad to help. We do walking tours 1st of every month and this Sunday I will be telling about the famous explorers and surveyors we have in Toowong and we will be doing two tours on the Sunday of Brisbane open house.
Rosie Amy What a good read! I didn’t know Lang Park was on the site of an old cemetery.
Sharona Wow Darcy that’s fantastic. You have done so much research. My great grandparents and grandfather, along with other old rellies are buried at Dutton Park. I had a great, great Aunt who is buried in Dutton Park but her gravestone got washed away in a late 1800s flood. She was only 3. Died of heart failure. My family came to Brisbane originally from the Hawkesbury River. William Stubbs was my ggg grandfather. I love family history. A small snippet of my family. The first settlers.
http://www.jenwilletts.com/convict_ship_coromandel_1802.htm

 

 

Convict Ship Coromandel 1802
JENWILLETTS.COM
Darcy Maddock Good story. Mine bought one of the first blocks of land on the corner of Melbourne and Grey St in 1843. He is buried in our family cemetery God’s Acre at Archerfield. Did any of your Stubbs come as old Tom had a friend called Stubbs?
Sharona Hi Darcy not sure. My Stubbs are from Windsor NSW. Their gg grandchildren (My ggg grandparents) are the Attewell and Ellis’s who moved to Brisbane, are buried at Dutton Park. William and Sarah Stubbs settled on the Hawkesbury river they are my ancestors. And their children’s children’s children’s are buried at Dutton Park. That story in link above tells how William Stubbs drowned in the river. And you will see John Turnbull lived across the river. They came on the same ship and were good mates. One of John daughters married one of Williams’s sons. John Turnbull is Malcolm Turnbull’s ggg grandfather. So Malcolm and I have the same ggg grandparents. (William and Sarah Stubbs) You can read lots of stories on the net about the Stubbs and Turnbull families. They also helped build the first church in Australia which still stands today at Ebenezer Church at Portland Head in the Hawkesbury district. The Stubbs have a family reunion every year at that church and Malcolm has visited it himself and donated out of his own money to help keep it restored. I am getting confused writing this lololol
Lainie Darcy, my family had STIBBS from around Archerfield…
Darcy Maddock Lots of Stubbs and some Stibbs in Toowong. None of them in our cemetery God’s Acre at Archerfield
Caylie Have just made neighbours join this group and they promise to be very thankful for all of your efforts!
Allan Amazing to think that Oz was discovered, not settled, in 1770 and here is a headstone of a person born in 1833.
Washington This country was visited by the Spanish Portuguese Dutch many, many years before the thieving British. It is worth mentioning this land was inhabited by others for 65 000 years before these visitors and thieves.
Ian I lived at 26 Copeland St just around the corner from 1957 until 1967 when I left home. My Dad was the local Alderman (Councillor) for the area.
Moston Hi Ian, I live at 23 Copeland. Wondering if you have any pictures of the street from your time in Milton? Would really appreciate it.
Andrea Oooh. Heebeegeebies
Leanne Maybe it could be returned to its grave
Kathy You could contact Toowong Cemetery here: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/…/toowong-cemetery…
Toowong Cemetery | Brisbane City Council
BRISBANE.QLD.GOV.AU
Cate Hi. I’ve tagged Darcy Maddock in this post. He is the President of the Friends of Toowong Cemetery. I know he will be very interested in this. Thank you.
Darcy That is part of the headstone of the Strachan grave in portion 6 section 36 grave number 20 and that is actually 1919 and he was buried 6/3/1919 and it should be returned to the office at Toowong Cemetery if the people would be kind enough. There are so many bits scattered around the area ever since Clem Jones sent in the Health Department to tidy up. You wonder about all the open green spaces in Toowong. Well most of them had wonderful monuments and they got destroyed in 1974 to 1979. A lot got dumped in the canal and we do a time team every year retrieving them but suspect some were used to fill the waterholes in the park near Dean St and elsewhere. Would be very grateful. Any other finds please, please let them come back to where the family put them.
Michelle When is the next “Time Team” dig or have I missed it this year
Darcy Maddock Yes you have Michelle. May every year and next year it will be Primary school children on the Thursday, Secondary on the Friday and general public on the Saturday and you are invited to dig in and help.
Rosie Wow, I didn’t know about this!
Michelle Darcy thank you I will put that in my calendar right now
Darcy Maddock We have both a website and a FB site and we advertise our free walks and tell you lots of history. If you are interested 10.30 at the flagpole near the Stone of Remembrance next Sunday. Sturdy shoes water bottle and a shady hat or brolly are advised. Did you know we have 6 American Civil War service men in Toowong and 16 Cossacks including the General and men from the Crimean War and a French Count and a direct descendant of Edward I “Longshanks” and the man that took Damascus with his Light Horse Cavalry 99 years ago next Sunday 3 hours before Lawrence of Arabia arrived. The movie was a fib.
Michele Darcy what is your website please
Darcy Maddock FOTC.org.au
Caylie Darcy you’re a fascinating fellow to hear from! I’ll speak to my neighbours about your comments and suggestions to ensure they get your message. Will enjoy a cemetery visit too – thank you for your help here
Darcy Maddock Monday to Friday Wendy at the front office is there from 9.15 to about 1 and on Sat and Sun one of the other staff are there for the same time periods. They go home around 1PM.
Denise Thank you for sharing this information Darcy, it sounds like a really interesting group dedicated to history, I’ll check out your website.
Jane Darcy the office people were so helpful when I was visiting g and searching at Toowong. Even had to phone a couple of times as I wandered around confused!!
Shelley Hi Caylie, We have a spare tombstone out in the garden. My husband’s Dad’s first one was done in the wrong font, so his old aunt rejected it for the family grave at Toowong, and had another one made. People get quite a shock to see the first rejected version, thinking his dad is buried in the backyard!
Darcy Maddock Hi Shelly, anyone been to check on the correct one? Just after the 1974 clear out family are coming expecting to find a headstone and so many disappointed to find Clem’s gang had dumped them. Sometimes we are able to help them with a photo and what was on the headstone but so many have been lost. We have found intact ones to put back on their graves but few and far between.
Shelley All OK thanks Darcy. hubby is a cyclist and drops in on his parents grandparents and great grandparents every few months when he rides Mt Coot-tha. (Monteith and Wilson family)
Marlane What about the old cemetery that was moved to build Lang Park? (As it was known)
Darcy Maddock Marlane, still there under 30 feet of rubbish. Most of the occupants are still in place only around 150 odd were shifted from there to Toowong and some other cemeteries in Brisbane. Around 8500 still abide in their graves. We can tell you most of their names. Death certificates have the cemetery named and if you see Scottish Cemetery you know they mean the Presbyterian section and Baptist and Wesleyan and so on. 7 all told.
Matt FYI it’s still Lang Park. The stadium around it has a different name though.
Lynne I think it has something to do with Crown Land
Robyn Found under the house? I wouldn’t be doing any digging under there… lol
Darcy Maddock No bodies there, it came from Toowong.
Carol My husband is a Forbes Strachan. He lived in Paddington. His dad was Kenneth Milford Strachan
Lyn He was buried at Toowong Cemetery 6 March 1919 Portion 6 Section 36 Grave 20. By himself. He was a meat preserver. Had a son called Forbes Strachan Jr who was an engineer/electrician.
Jim Forbes Strachan was born in 1833 in Aberdeen Scotland, the son of Andrew Strachan and Jane Mathieson. He married Helen Wilson in 1864 in Aberdeen. Helen died in Queensland in 1888.
Julie Love reading these stories. Mystery solved. And wow, 8,500 still buried under Lang Park. Maybe they should add that number when they announce attendance numbers at football games. Lol.
Jane They’re not there anymore: http://brismania.com/day-86-hallowed-ground/
All that remains of Paddington cemetery hides in a little…
BRISMANIA.COM
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/…/paddington-cemeteryManage
Paddington Cemetery | Brisbane City Council
BRISBANE.QLD.GOV.AU
See above comment by Darcy. Most burials are still there.
Shelley Again I say it, I love hearing about local history!! Love it!
Caylie You guys are truly amazing!! What a team. Thank you for your input on this – have shared with neighbours. Could use your help on the Under the Lino mystery anytime you feel like it! Cx
Fascinating site about Milton history my hubby just shared with me http://www.oncewasacreek.org/…/milton-brisbanes…/
Milton: Brisbane’s western frontier | There once was a creek . . .
ONCEWASACREEK.ORG
Darcy Maddock Happy to expand on the early burial grounds Caylie. A lot more stuff has come out recently based on hard facts. You can get me on president@fotc.org.au if you want some more about the early cemeteries. BTW we might have opened for business in Toowong in 1875 but we had 6 burials before then and on top of that we had 3 graves of children transferred here in the early 1880s that actually dated from the 1830s Remains and grave stones all came over from the banks of the river at North Quay and Skew St was much bigger than people realise. Some of our early historians based their stories on word of mouth and you know how pass a message works by the time it gets to the end of the chain the story has changed.
Caylie Darcy I’ll email you- would love to interview for the book I’m writing called Under the Lino!
Darcy Maddock Like you, I have found stuff under the lino. Laying new lino at mother in laws place many years ago and the newspapers underneath went back aways. The first one I picked up had almost a page on my Dad. He was a top jockey and the story was about one of his big wins. Bit of a co-incidence.
Cate A very similar thing happened to me Darcy. Will fill you in on my “Under the Lino” story sometime.
Darcy Maddock that plaque started a few distractions Cate. Nose to the grindstone. As soon as I have all the soldiers in portion 10 recorded I have to get into the 1000 plus in all the other portions. Have to prepare for the AGM on Wednesday night at least I have the walk ready for Sunday, but then two open houses on the following week. Have to put up at display for our 1859 cemetery at Archerfield on the Saturday and then Toowong Cemetery with two walks and two bus tours on the Sunday. Busy times.
Cate Darcy, I’m still ploughing through Portion 10, sections 71 & 72. So many Anzacs missing a military headstone.
Caylie Cate and Darcy- you can add your stories to Under the Lino Book 2, where I’ll be sharing stories of other people’s finds!
Cate I think my story and Darcy’s could fill a couple of Under The Lino books!
Caylie well, if you need help writing your own books, you know where to find me!
Cate I might just take you up on that! And you are all invited to my special event in Toowong cemetery on Anzac Day 2018. A very special Anzacs headstone unveiling. This is the link to the page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1512406038820425/?ti=icl
David Digressing slightly…….Heussler Tce. Named after Johann Heussler. Now he was an interesting bloke! His biography is a great read!
Darcy Maddock Heussler is also in Toowong Cemetery and will be on our wall in our Museum because of his connection with Fernberg. Anyone know the name Steele Rudd?
Cate He was from just up the road from me. Greenmount. On our selection.
John Wrote Dad and Dave, didn’t he?
Darcy Yep but his real name was Arthur Hoey Davis and he is resting in anice grave in Toowong Cemetery. Born at Drayton but real name Arthur Hoey Davis and in Toowong Cemetery.
Jane Here’s a report of Forbes Strachan’s death and a little bit about him: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185310152…
LATE MR. FORBES STRACHAN. – ROCKHAMPTON, March 12. – The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 -…
TROVE.NLA.GOV.AU
Paula Wasn’t there a cemetery there?
Darcy Maddock Hi Paula, people came down to Brisbane for hospital treatment and often died there and given the lack of cold storage and the difficulties of transporting a body they were usually buried within 24 hours. That is the most likely reason for him being in Toowong.
Paula Thanks
Karen Trove Brisbane Telegraph Wed 12th March 1919
LATE MR. FORBES STRACHAN.
Mr. Forbes Strachan, who died in Brisbane last week, was identified with the central district for nearly half a century, principally in connection with the Laurel Bank boiling down and the Lakes Creek meat works. Mr. Strachan assisted in superintending the erection of the meat works at Oakey Creek, near Toowoomba, in the sixties, and at the termination of that engagement he was engaged by Messrs. Berkelman and Lambert, who owned boiling down works at Laurel Bank, which generally were regarded as the forerunner of what subsequently became the principal industry in this district—namely, preserving and freezing beef and mutton for export. Notwithstanding changes in management, Mr. Strachan remained as a preserver. When the Lakes Creek works were destroyed, in 1883, Mr. Strachan was sent to America to learn all he could about can-making. Mr. Strachan was connected with the Industry on the banks of the Fitzroy for a quarter of a century. He was subsequently engaged by Captain Owens, when the North-west Island Canning Company started, thousands of cases of turtle soup and tons of dried turtle being exported to all parts of the world.
Jim He was born in Aberdeen, in Scotland.
Marlene I know the old Lang Park was a cemetery so were these found anywhere near there? Looks like old headstones.
Darcy Maddock Which headstones Marlene?
Marlene Oh thanks I didn’t realize they were found at Toowong cemetery. I thought they were found at Milton.
Darcy Maddock If you are asking about the ones at the top of this site. It is just one and it came from Toowong Cemetery. If you are talking about the stones on the FOTC site many came from the old Lang Park but were found secretly buried in a gully in Toowong.
Jane Going to see the FOTC website. Might have clues to the missing Thomlinson family headstones!! Thanks Darcy for all your group achieves.
Darcy Maddock FOTC FB has lots of photos of the Paddington headstones we found and I may be able to help directly here regards your Thomlinson stones. Just going to look them up in my listings. Ok there are 9 in Toowong what are the Christian names? Not marked as being demolished. I will check section 88 when I am over there and see if you have missed them. I take it Hector Hutton Thomlinson is one of yours? Found the grave and all is there but headstone has fallen face down. Messaged you too.
Jane Isn’t that gully in the Toowong cemetery Darcy? An article I read last night seemed to indicate it is.
Darcy Maddock Hi Kim, Yes we have a deep gully in Toowong Cemetery where some of the 500 odd headstones from the old North Brisbane Burial Grounds known as the 7 Milton cemeteries were dumped in 1930. Previously they had been stored near Christ Church next to what is now Suncorp Stadium. They were moved to that site in 1913 when the grounds became a rubbish dump. In 2010 grave diggers discovered a small headstone in the name of John Peel where no burial was recorded. That led us to doing a dig with Qld Uni 2012 to 2016 on the filled in gully and recovering some wonderful, in some cases perfect headstones, One has been restored and placed on the Seymour grave in Toowong John Peel and a couple others have gone to Christ Church for preservation and others are mounted on sandstone plinths at the bottom of Portion 2 and more will be set up in a small Paddington compound in Toowong as well. The old creek/canal that runs northwest in Toowong is full of the headstones and grave surrounds of some of the 2500 graves destroyed 1974-1979 and that is where we have excavated 2006 to 2011 and this year recovering some of the Pioneers headstones.
Jane Thanks Darcy
Catherine This is my late sister in laws great grandfather.
Andrea Fascinating to read the different posts, love reading about and seeing photos from old Brisbane, thanks to all
Dianne Darcy we will be in touch. This is most certainly the great great grandfather of my step children. I have contacted Caylie who made the original post, it is so exciting to find his headstone. There do seem to be some family stories about the disappearance.
Darcy Maddock Is Alexander Thompson Strachan 1913 and Peter Strachan 1924 anything to do with you? They are buried 5 sections away from Forbes. There is also a 2nd Forbes Strachan 1931 in portion 28. I have determined that the marble piece in question has been missing for at least 32 years or more.
Deborah I certainly hope if any relics of my long lost relatives are found out there in the wilds of Brisbane that members of this group find them … how awesome is it that!
Dianne Darcy we don’t think Alexander Thomson Strachan and Peter Strachan are ours. But, may have to check again if they are children of others in the family. The 2nd Forbes Strachan 1931 is definitely ours. He the son of the Forbes with the missing plaque. Is it possible to confirm there is no headstone on the grave of Forbes Strachan deceased buried 6 Mar 1919 Portion 6 Section 36 Grave 20? The stone piece found has the years 1833 – 1919. We know it is his plaque but he was born in 1843. He lived in Heussler Terrace, Milton at the time of his death. Is it possible the piece found was never used as the date was incorrect? Thanks for your help. We live in Townsville and can’t get to the cemetery.
Darcy Maddock I have notified staff at the office that a marble plaque for Forbes Strachan may be delivered at some time in the near future and given them the location. Going by the design I would say it was mounted on a sandstone block and the adhesive has cone adrift. One of the workmen will be able to put it back in place.
Leanne Will be great to see it returned. Fantastic outcome. Would love to see a pic once it’s remounted
Catehttp://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/05/21/2905709.htmManage
Uncovering gravestones at Toowong Cemetery
ABC.NET.AU
Coral Such a great find. Wow?
Naomi Here’s some history of aboriginal settlement around land that now has Milton state school on.

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine I went to Milton School in the late 1940’s with a girl surnamed Strachan who had a brother named Forbes. He is perhaps the third Forbes?
Dianne Catherine you would have gone to school with Naomi Strachan. Her brother was Forbes and he is the third Forbes Strachan in Australia. There were more back in Scotland. (A headache for the family as we research them). Naomi was my step children’s mother. She passed away last year.
Catherine Diane, it was Joyce Strachan I went to school at Milton with. We could have gone to the C&K Kindergarten at Rosalie, but that is stretching my memory. But I remember her brother’s name: Forbes. Was your Naomi named Naomi Joyce? Or was there another sister, “my” Joyce?
Dianne Catherine yes Joyce was a sister. She is still alive. I will let her know you have mentioned her. She will be surprised.
Christine Dianne will let Robin know too
Carol Naomi and Joyce are my sisters in law. Christene my husband Forbes Strachan’s niece. This post is getting more interesting. Enjoying the feedback.
Jim I tried to trace, back in Scotland, where the “Forbes” came from, it is often the mother’s surname, but did not find a connection!.
Carol JIM my husband is a Forbes Strachan grandfather was from Aberdeen
Caylie Carol just found you here! Have just private messaged you xm
Catherine Thank you Caylie. This has been such a fascinating detective story. Well done. Xx
Caylie Catherine I would love to talk to you about Milton SS in the 40s. Can you PM me also we can swap numbers?
Carol Thank you. Have emailed Carmel Cheers Carol
Catherine Caylie yes, I will do that.
Chrissy Another amazing find. I use to wonder if there were any treasures under your house in Copeland St Milton as it was an old workers cottage. Sadly now there is a very modern house there.
Ian It was never a workers cottage. It was a major four bedroom Queenslander on a massive 32 perches built in 1900 and a doctor’s residence with a three room servants quarters underneath. The doctor used those rooms as a surgery and waiting room. The current incarnation is a major adaptation of the original building. It is a totally and unrecognizable building. Coincidentally, the current owner who did the reno worked with my brother as an Air traffic Controller! I have some old photos of the original house from the 1960s if you would like them. Sadly my family enclosed the verandahs to provide accommodation for a tribe of kids and extended family. That was the way it was done in those days. My Mum sold the place in 1978 and couldn’t get $28K for it! She settled for $27,750! There was no real demand for the Queenslanders until a few years later. My Dad was the Alderman (Councillor) for the area for the Central City ward. The only interesting relics I can remember under the house were some aerial bomb fin assemblies from WW2 which people used as pot plant holders.
Caylie Here’s the finale to this tale… http://www.smh.com.au/…/double-luck-leads-to-missing…
Double luck leads to missing headstone being replaced at Toowong Cemetery
SMH.COM.AU
Jenni What a great outcome for all

Dianne then contacted me personally to discuss the headstone and her relationship with Forbes Strachan.

Hi Caylie,

Thank you for caring about Forbes Strachan. I have attached out theories regarding the headstone and out story about Forbes. The family would much appreciate you and your neighbours replacing the plaque. We would appreciate a photo is you are able.

Good luck with Under the Lino. We will make a pledge and look forward reading the ongoing and final story.

Regards
Dianne H and Christine C (great great granddaughter of Forbes Strachan)

 

Forbes Strachan

In September 2017 a Memorial Plaque/Headstone for Forbes Strachan was found under a house in Heussler Terrace, Milton.

 

 

 

 

It has been confirmed that Forbes Strachan was born on 20 October 1843 and died on 5 March 1919. He is buried in the Toowong Cemetery, Portion 6, Section 36, Grave 20. At the time of his death, he was living in Heussler Terrace, Milton, Brisbane.

There were no other Queensland deaths of a Forbes Strachan for the years 1915 – 1919. Friends of Toowong Cemetery confirm there was originally a plaque on the grave which has been missing for at least 32 years.

There are two theories regarding this plaque

1. The plaque was dated incorrectly when made and never used.

Although there were incorrect dates on the plaque, those who had it made did not know the correct details but had the best intentions. And subsequently it was removed to be corrected, given the family lived in Heussler Terrace, Milton.

2. The plaque was on the grave and stolen by party goers or other thieves.

Given all the facts, the family felt it was better for Forbes to have some headstone than none, especially as someone was caring enough to have a marble headstone made and incur the cost which would have been considerable at the time.

Should you, Caylie, and the Kudeborg family who found the headstone, be prepared to kindly return it to its resting place with the body of Forbes Strachan, your actions would be much appreciated. We thank you so much.

Forbes Strachan 1843 – 1919

Forbes Strachan was born on 20 October 1843 in Old Machar, Aberdeen, Scotland. On 20 May 1864 he married Helen Wilson at St Nicholas under the Banns of the United Presbyterian Church. Forbes was 21 years of age and had worked for a meat works in Aberdeen since he was very young lad.

Having been offered a position at a new meatworks being established in Queensland, Australia, Forbes left his very pregnant wife and four children in Scotland, with the promise they would follow him when he was settled. He left London on the Light Brigade on 2 October 1870, arriving in Moreton Bay on 11 January 1871. He was appointed as a meat preserver, superintending the erection of a Meatworks at Oakey Creek, near Toowoomba and the boiling down operations at Laurel Creek. This was regarded as the forerunner to the principal industry of preserving and freezing beef and mutton for export. At termination of this engagement he took up a position in Lakes Creek, near Rockhampton, Queensland.

Finally, in October 1872, Helen and her four children, aged 3, 5, 6 and 8 years, left Scotland for the exciting new life in Australia. Sadly, Forbes did not ever see the baby Helen was carrying when her left. Baby Isabella was born in January 1871, just as her father had arrived in Brisbane, and she passed away just two months old. Helen and the children had a harrowing journey. Many passengers on the ship contracted typhoid with 40 passengers dying on the trip. Arriving in Rockhampton, the ship was quarantined for 21 days, thus the Strachan family, along with the 306 other passengers, had to wait to see their families. Forbes would have been distraught having been apart from them for so long.

Lakes Creek meatworks, had been built in 1871 and by 1872 was largely a cannery, processing three quarters of all the sheep processed by Queensland Canneries.

Lakes Creek Meat Preserving Works, Rockhampton Qld 1891 Sidney Richardson
Source: Fryer Library, University of Queensland UQFL243, Box 1, Photo 157a

In 1880 a freezing plant was added and by September the freezers were full of frozen meat for export on the ship Faido. The ship was late and a fire went through the facility. With the opportunity of exporting the first frozen cargo to Britain, the owners, Whitehead and Co, took advantage of the down time to send Forbes Strachan to America to learn all he could about can-making, to purchase can-making machinery and engaging expert can-makers for the meatworks.

Forbes and Helen had two more children born in Australia. His beloved wife Helen died in December 1888 for heart disease. He remarried in 1892 to Margaret Atkinson – together they had one daughter. Margaret passed away in 1897.

Forbes continued connected with the industry, on the banks of the Fitzroy River, as a preserver, for at least a quarter of a century. He later, with his expertise in canning, worked for the North-West Island Canning Company. They exported thousands of cases of Turtle Soup and dried turtle. The war intervened and the business all but folded.

In the early 1900s, he moved to Brisbane to live with his son, Forbes Strachan jnr. From at least 1915 to 1919 Forbes lived with his son in Heussler Terrace, Milton.

Forbes Strachan, who lived an interesting and rewarding life, died, at the age of 76 years, in the Royal Brisbane Hospital on 5 March 1919. His address was given as Heussler Terrace, Milton. He was predeceased by two of his seven children.

 

From: Caylie To: Dianne Subject: Forbes Strachan

Now that is what I call a story – what a lovely piece of writing about your relative, Forbes Strachan. I would be honoured to write this up as a feature piece, to share with followers and perhaps, ABC Brisbane.

I’ll be seeing Darcy Maddock with my neighbours in the next week or two to officially hand back the headstone. I’ll take photographs of the event – it should be a formal, celebratory event and I’ll buy some flowers to put with the headstone too, Dianne.

Thank you for trusting me with your family’s story. I hope I can do it justice x

Caylie

From: Dianne To: Caylie

How wonderful of you Caylie! The flowers would be such a lovely touch. 

We are happy to give you our permission to write up our story as a feature piece to share with followers and the ABC should you wish.

Thank you again. 
Dianne

As a result of this discussion with Dianne, I was contacted by the ABC Radio host, Rebecca Levingstone, who invited me onto her Saturday morning program. We had a wonderful discussion about the UTL project, after which I handed over the headstone for her to see.

Click here for full interview: Rebecca Levingstone Program

One of the listeners of the show was a man called Tracy B, who emailed me shortly afterwards, to introduce himself. He had heard the ABC program by chance, and said that he and his sister were also relatives of Forbes Strachan, and would like to see the headstone find its place back over Forbes’ resting place at Toowong Cemetery.

Tracy then put his sister Carmel in touch with me…

Hi Caylie, my brother, Tracy, forwarded your email on to myself. By any chance do you have any other contact information for either Dianne H or Christine C?  I would very much like to contact them about our shared ancestor. Many thanks, Carmel

Hi Carmel, I’ll send her a Facebook message to contact you! This is very exciting! Caylie

Thanks Caylie.  Dianne has sent me an email and I have replied and am waiting to hear back.  You’re right!  It is exciting – a whole new set of relatives I did not know about. Carmel

During this time, I had been in touch with the President of the Friends for Toowong Cemetery Association, Darcy Maddock, a wonderful man who is a wealth of Brisbane historical knowledge. Darcy agreed to reinstate the headstone for the family of Forbes Strachan, and set to work on this project immediately.

After he heard me speaking on the radio talking about ‘stolen headstones’, Darcy set me straight on a few facts regarding the 1974 grave ‘clean-up’…

Hi Caylie, in 1974 Clem Jones sent in the Health Department to the Brisbane Cemeteries and began demolishing what they termed ‘untidy graves’. In most cases, they only had weeds, which could have been sprayed. They contacted Funeral Directors and sent letters to addresses that were up to 99 years old (some of the people were actually in the grave). They took a photo and when they got no-reply or a return-to-sender, the grave got demolished. If the funeral director had gone out of business before 1974, they just got destroyed and, if in the case of Alex Gow, their records had been wiped out in the 1974 flood (so no addresses), no further attempt was made and they were destroyed. Across Brisbane – Toowong, Balmoral, Lutwyche, South Brisbane and even God’s Acre, around 2500 graves were wiped up. Soldiers, Supreme Court Judges, famous pioneers, Mayors – you name it, they were destroyed. The stolen bit of the Forbes Strachan story might relate to a huge heap of broken headstones in a park nearby and others being found under houses and in gardens behind Petries at the roundabout and over near the park that used to be the rifle range.

I think we will have to meet up one days with a couple of hours to spare at the cemetery so I can show you some areas of the cemetery so you can get an idea of tantalising things there are there.

Cheers Darcy

 

A few weeks before I met Darcy, however, I’d taken the children with me to Toowong Cemetery to seek out the gravestones of the Webster family. As we drove the long way through Toowong Cemetery to the office, where the lovely Wendy would soon be helping us with directions, we were all was struck by the beauty and magnificence of the place. Views to die for, pardon the pun, despite the dull and rainy day. The Jacarandas were out and their purple blooms graced the grounds surrounding the tombstones, their vivid tones contrasting perfectly against the grey skies and blocks of granite in various states of repair.

After we’d done our search and found the gravestones we’d been looking for, I made the children endure another half hour of photos. I wanted to capture the ethereal beauty of the day.

As we approached the entrance gate on our way out, I stopped the car for one last shot from under some low-hanging Jacaranda blooms. I don’t know why I stopped there, but it just seemed like the right photograph to take.

Not long after that, I made arrangements to meet Darcy… We’d been emailing back and forth about the dimensions of the site and headstone, but a face-to-face was definitely in order.

Hi Caylie, here is a photo of the desktop on site. I have acquired the s/s bolts and brackets but will have to modify the brackets to fit. I need a double check on the thickness of the marble all round. I intend to put two up and two down and a single at each side. After all is secure I will turn it upside down and fill with cement so no one can ever undo the brackets and bolts. After the event I will lift and make a base for the desk to sit on clear of mowers and whipper snippers to prevent any damage.

Now I have 35mm for the marble so please a further check on all sides and then I will do the modifications. Cheers Darcy

Darcy Maddock was as warm and affable as the two men he reminded me of (Santa Claus and Papa Smurf… shhhh, don’t tell him I said that!). His passion for the cemetery and all of its inhabitants was infectious, and I was hungry to hear any stories Darcy had to share with me about its history.

First things first, though. We went for a walk to see where Forbes Strachan was at rest. I was shocked to realise that I had taken a photograph of his exact resting place only weeks before when I’d taken that one final shot under the Jacaranda blooms! Given the acreage of Toowong Cemetery, I was spooked (not for the first or last time in this project) about the serendipity of this event.

Darcy had constructed the concrete plinth for Forbes Strachan’s plaque, and we were all set for the family to visit the grave the following weekend to lay flowers and pay their respects. The time and care Darcy had given this project was a reflection of the respect he holds for the people who have gone before us, their families and their memories.

Rachel Clun from the Brisbane Times contacted me to do a story and take photographs of the event, given that it was a great Brisbane Historical mystery solved. We also teed it up with Carmel and Tracy to meet us there with Mark and Louise, my neighbours and current custodians of the marble grave marker.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/brisbane-news/double-luck-leads-to-missing-headstone-being-replaced-at-toowong-cemetery-20171114-p4yx0h.html

 

Double luck leads to missing headstone being replaced at Toowong Cemetery
By Rachel Clun

Louise K, Darcy M, Caylie J, Lyn M, Tracy B and Carmel S
The Reinstatement Photograph by Rachel Clun

So, that’s the end of a wonderful mystery that saw a missing gravestone returned to its rightful place, despite an incorrect date, with the help of social and mainstream media.

Not only was the ghost of Forbes Strachan laid to rest, but his delightful extended family, who had never met before, were able to connect and meet for the first of hopefully many more times to come.

Caylie x