ST. AIDAN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH CENTENARY CELEBRATION:   Sunday 13th March saw quite a large gathering in the grounds of St. Aidan’s Church.  Some travelled quite a distance.

Thelma Acland (nee Long) attended from Queanbeyan near Canberra.   Unfortunately the weather was not as kind as it could have been.  A huge afternoon tea was provided and there were also quite a number of photos to look at and stories told, especially those of Jean Heathwood (nee Townsend) and Hazel Fealy (nee Kelly) who are both in their 86th year, attend church every Sunday and were very much involved in organising the event.

The original church was built by John Bond and dedicated on 17th March 1911.  That church was destroyed in a storm on 18th November 1929.  As much as possible was salvaged from the original building and stored under Kelly’s house until it was needed.  The new church in McKenzie Street was built by Walton Albert (Jack) Thorpe and was opened on 6th April 1930 only 4½ months after the destruction of the original church.  Jim Williams told the story of the plaque on the alter, built by Jack Thorpe, dedicating it to his first wife, Dorothy Beatrice Harding, who came back to Australia with Jack as a war bride in 1919.  Sadly Dorothy died only 10 days after giving birth to their daughter Cynthia Harding Thorpe on 4th March 1921.  It was Dorothy’s wish that their daughter be raised by her family in England and Cynthia was returned to her English family.  Cynthia is now 90 years of age.  I remember members of her family visiting “Dayboro Cottage” some time ago and I took them around showing them where the family had lived and also took them to the Showgrounds to show them the War Memorial Association Honour Board, as Jack Thorpe had been very much involved in the establishment of the Dayboro War Memorial Show Grounds. 
I understand that it is proposed to produce a St. Aidan’s Centenary Booklet at some stage in 2011.  If you have any story to add please contact Belinda Pollard, c/- The Parish Office, 2 Wyllie Street, Petrie 4502 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with a copy to our society for our records.
PINE RIVERS MUSEUM HERITAGE TALK:
The monthly heritage talks are held at the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum on the second Wednesday of each month.  The next talk is on 13th  April – The History of Bribie Island from World War II defence forts to the present by Barry Clark, President of Bribie Island Historical Society.
FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH:
Charlie Nolan, a volunteer from the Strathpine Library, still visits “Dayboro Cottage” on the last Monday of the month from 10am to 3pm.  If you are researching your family history, come in on “Charlie Day”.  His knowledge of family history research is quite remarkable and he is always coming up with new information.  There is a small charge of $5 a session, morning or afternoon.
“DAYBORO COTTAGE”:
Our Society runs the Dayboro Visitor Information Centre in “Dayboro Cottage”.  See the separate article in this issue of the Grapevine. 
PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONTH:
Building No. 2 on the Dayboro “The Town of Yesteryear” Historical Town Walk brochure is “Hay Cottage”. 
This cottage is one of the oldest existing buildings in the former Pine Rivers Shire.  It was built on property at Rush Creek for Mr. Ernest Augustus Morris Goertz, a Brisbane businessman, about 1871.  The property was sold to Charles Hay in the 1890s.  It was relocated to its present site in Dayboro in 1989.  This site had previously been occupied by another of the three sawmill workmen’s cottages referred to in last month’s article and later by the Railway Station Master’s residence. 
Carmel Bond, President – Ph: 3425 1717 (h) or 3425 2032 (Dayboro Cottage)