That was the week that was! And what a week it has been! First of all on Wednesday we had the coldest day on record, with the maximum temperature not rising above 11°C. The previous July coldest day was in 2000 with 14 degrees. Then how about all the rain we had this week from upper level troughs on a north-west cloudband. At the same time we had a low pressure system in the Coral Sea responsible for the strong winds and heavy seas.

Our rain started at 8.15am Monday morning and continued on through until yesterday when it cleared out to sea. We recorded 105 mm of rain over the five day rain period. This brings the total for the month so far to 201 mm; representing the highest rainfall at Maleny since 1999 when we recorded 209 mm. The fog on Tuesday reduced visibility to 500m for most of the day.

The Settlers Conditions:

•        Annual rent of 2/6d per acre; payable on or before 31^st march each year of their five-year tenure

•        Continuous residence (failure to comply in any six-month period would see the land revert to the Crown)

•        Expenditure of ten shillings per acre for permanent improvement of the land.

Many settlers lived under canvas with their families while they toiled clearing scrub timbers and planting corn, potatoes and pineapples to meet the onerous obligations of land improvement. Later they would build a basic house, often no more than 8×4 metres

During this difficult time, with no income until harvest, the need to find extra work was essential. Local work was difficult to find and it often meant staying away all week. In order to comply with the ‘continuous residency¹ condition it meant the wife and children would have to stay on the property. There are some wonderful stories to tell of how the settler’s families were protected and cared for by members of the Aboriginal Gubbi-Gubbi clan. Two held in high regard by early settlers were King Sambo and Queen Beauty. Stories of carrying sick children to Peachester abound. Another aboriginal known as ‘Captain Piper¹, who with five gins, was a great help to one settler before and after his time spent in jail for an alleged involvement in a murder of a government botanist.

The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 was the beginning of the decline in the boom years for the town of Beerburrum. Farmers were unable to run a viable business or sell their property and many walked off the land. And the properties re-possessed for the State re-forestation programme.

Go to any of the Look-outs and as far as one can see there are regimented plantations of slash pine growing on land cleared by blood and sweat of early settlers.

Never-the-less, some pineapple growers persevered through the hard times and in 1947, as a producer co-operative, built The Golden Circle canning factory.

Riddle of the Week:

What’s worse than raining buckets?

Hailing taxis