. I S S U E N o 1 V O L U M E N o 1 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 2 In this issue: The story of James & Helen Johnston
WHO WE ARE The Friends of Balmoral Cemetery are a growing band of committed volunteers who are working to protect and preserve Balmoral Cemetery, an important part of Brisbane s history and which opened around 1874. The Friends motto of Restoration, Respect, Responsibility serves as a reminder that we can all play a part in protecting our heritage in our own small way. On 28 July 2001, an interim committee of the Friends of Balmoral Cemetery was endorsed at a community meeting chaired by Councillor for Morningside, Sharon Humphreys. This public meeting was well attended by the local community, many of whom became FOBC s first members. We are an independent, not-for-profit organisation and we work closely with the Brisbane City Council on matters relating to Balmoral Cemetery. Friends of Balmoral Cemetery
3. WHAT WE DO The Balmoral Cemetery is an important community resource as well as a place of respect. In a way, it s a bit like an open-air museum! Some of our area s earliest written history and monumental artwork can be found there. FOBC works to improve the overall appearance of the site through clean ups, tree pruning, rubbish removal and some restoration work. We are also working hard to document the history of the cemetery and prepare heritage trails, school activities and genealogical services. GET INVOLVED! The Friends of Balmoral Cemetery is a voluntary organisation and we invite local community members to become involved. For more information about the Friends, or to join, please: Write to: PO Box 330, Morningside Q 4170 Telephone: 07 3217 9361 We stage working bees at the cemetery every Wednesday, from 7am 9am, and every second Sunday from 8am 10am. Volunteers meet at the sexton s office near the Wynnum Road entrance. All welcome. Please note, there will be no working bees between 15 December 2002 and 15 January 2003. Our meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month from 7:30pm, at the Sexton s Office at the Balmoral Cemetery, Wynnum Rd Morningside. Members and observers are welcome to attend.
James Johnston s 2nd Home Mount Lang THE STORY OF JAMES AND HELEN JOHNSTON James Johnston was born in Midcalder, Edinburgh, Scotland on 27/02/1820 and his wife Helen Johnston (nee Sievewright) was born in Auchenblae, Kincardine, Scotland on 11/02/1821. They were married at Largs Ayrshire, Scotland on 02/06/1846. With their two sons Robert Melrose Johnston and William Chisholm Johnston (born outside Sydney Heads on 16/10/1849) they came out on board the "Lima" and arrived in Moreton Bay on 3 November 1849. James and Helen's children were Robert Melrose Johnston, William Chisholm Johnston, Mary Helen Johnston, Jane Blossom Johnston, Sarah Richmond Johnston, James Johnston, David Sievewright Johnston, Alexander Falconer Johnston, Helen Johnston, John Scott Johnston. James Johnston obtained work from Mr. G. Raff, at New Farm and then entered the employment of Mr. David Cannon Mc Connell, of Cressbrook, as Gardener at Bulimba House. Mrs. Helen Johnston was employed in The Bulimba House, attending to Mrs. Mary Mc Connell and looking after their first baby. After James Johnston had been working with Mr. D.C. Mc Connell for some time he purchased Friends of Balmoral Cemetery
5. 70 acres of land adjoining Mr. D.C. Mc Connell's property described as portion 9, Parish of Bulimba, this was the first scrub farm along the riverbank which he named "Mt Lang Farm" in respect of Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang who he thought highly of. With the occupation of these farms the settlement of the district may be said to have begun. The land had to be cleared by felling and burning the scrub, and then fenced and a house had to be built with a bark roof and timber slab walls and floors. In 1852, James Johnston's father and mother, Mr. Robert Melrose Johnston and Mrs. Jane Johnston (nee Chisholm) arrived in the colony with their two daughters, Miss. Jean (Jane) Falconer (nee Johnston) a widow & one child Miss Jane Falconer, & Mrs Elizabeth Scott (nee Johnston) who was accompanied by her husband Mr John Scott. In the early 1850's the Bulimba farmers grew maize, potatoes, cabbages & other vegetables. About 1856 bananas were being planted. By 1862 they were the principal crops and all up the riverbank was one field of bananas. Mr. James Johnston grew and manufactured a considerable amount of arrowroot, and he cultivated an acre of wheat, which was ground for him at Pettigrew's Mill in Bulimba. He also had an acre of cotton; it was spoilt by rain, which was continuous for eleven weeks. About this time (1862) there were very heavy floods and it was impossible to get to Brisbane. The farmers and their families had to exist on bananas. Mr. James Johnston went into sugar growing, and erected a mill at Tingalpa, where Kelly's Brickyards were. In 1874 he had a very bad accident, his foot was caught in the machinery and was so badly crushed that he had to have it amputated. The Sugar Mill at Tingalpa was afterwards removed to the old home at Bulimba. In Mr. D.C. Mc Connell's lifetime, Religious Services were held at "Bulimba House". Afterwards these were continued in Mr. James Johnston's house by Mr. Moore, of Brisbane. Mr. James Johnston was brought up as a Presbyterian, but after some years residence here he attached himself to the Wharf Street Congregation of Baptists, and when in 1863 a Baptist Place of Worship was built at Bulimba, he moved the night school which he had previously conducted at his house, and held it in the Baptist Church. His sister Mrs. Jane Falconer (nee Johnston) kept a day school for some time in the
church, as this was then the only public building in the district, many readings and other gatherings were appreciated by the people, who attended well. In the early days there were great numbers of Aboriginals. Mr James Johnston got on very well with them and was a great favourite of theirs. They called him "Kiwanan", and they made a great display on meeting him, or even on seeing him from the other side of the river, calling out "Kiwanan - Wanan : Kiwanan - Wanan". It is only right to say that the Aboriginals of Bulimba were of a friendly nature, and always remembered those who had been kind to them, and to the last, they could never do enough for the old farmers and their families. The Aboriginals were not lovers of hard work, but they were very useful in burning off and in gathering and husking maize. In June 1876 the MacAllister Ministry resigned office and the Honourable. Mr. William Hemmant, was the Colonial Treasurer and Member for Bulimba, resigned his seat. Mr. James Johnston was asked to contest the vacant seat, which he did, and was duly elected, taking his seat as a Member of Legislative Assembly on 11th July 1876. During his Parliamentary career the claims of Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang were before the house Mr. James Johnston spoke and voted in favour of a grant to the man who he described as "The Political Father of this Colony". Mr. James Johnston was a leader in all movements in those early days for the advantage of the district and it's people. He did not, however, live to hold the seat in Parliament very long, for he died of "Paralysis" on 3rd November 1876 and was buried at the Bulimba Cemetery. He was one of the first settlers in the Bulimba District, and was very successful as an Agriculturalist and Horticulturalist, and years ago his Orangery was one of the finest in the Colony. Mrs. Helen Johnston survived her husband by another 33 years. She died on 20th December 1909. Reference from:- Historical Society Qld. Journal, Volume No. 5 (October 1918) Thanks to Des and Renee Johnston for this article. Friends of Balmoral Cemetery
7. Acknowledgements We extend our thanks to the photographer Neville Bulley who provided us with the photographs in this issue of the FOBC Newsletter. DONATIONS: You may not be able assist us physically by attending meetings of working Bees but you support our ideals and aims, then why not make us a donation to assist us in carrying out some of the historic renovations to the cemetery?