A Part of Buderim's History

A few memories of Buderim in the 1920’s
by Merle Stevens (Morrish) aged 94 (2011, in her 95^th year)

Born at Maleny on 15^th December 1916, Merle came to Buderim when her father (Albert Morrish) purchased his brother’s farm on the southern side of Mons Road.

Her father grew bananas for a living.  The fruit was taken by horse and cart to the Glenmount Tram Station for transportation to market.

Merle was enrolled at Buderim School in 1923 and went there until she finished Grade 8.  Her best friends were Alma Solway, Lizzie Muckan, Myrtle Huet and “Hattie” Will.  She enjoyed music and singing and remembers how Miss Crosby taught her and Lizzie to sing duets.  Miss Beryl Waters taught her to play piano.

The walk to school took her up the hill past the coffee mill (which she remembers was owned for a time by someone named Board), then on past the Post Office and Middie’s shop.  One of the lady teachers lived at a boarding house near the school and at lunch time, a couple of students were sent there to pick up a hot meal and bring it to that teacher.

One of the teachers, Mr Campbell had two sons attending the school.  Merle remembers the day he caned one of them for some misdemeanour – she passed the boy on the steps and was horrified to see him dabbing at his hand with an apparently blood-soaked handkerchief – turns out it was a red handkie!

The waterfall down behind the School grounds was strictly out-of-bounds but Merle’s friend Alma lived on the other side of the creek and they spent many happy hours playing by the waterfall at weekends – with that delicious feeling of breaking the rules.

She thought Alma had a sibling born at a hospital on Buderim?  Did Buderim have a hospital at any stage?  She definitely remembers a dentist visiting the town periodically – she had to take her little sister Daphne in to have some dental work done but Daph had other ideas – she ran away and hid.

Dr Shaw was the local G.P.  She recalls his touching her father on the arm as he broke the news of her brother Jack being hit by a car on the way home from school - and not surviving. (1934)

Merle usually attended the Church of England service on Sundays but one Sunday went to the Methodist service with her friend Alma.  They were watched by a C. of E. family who must have reported this scandalous behaviour to their minister as the next Sunday he preached a sermon on the sin of attending the service of another denomination.

The Buderim Tram features strongly in her memories.  It took their fruit to market and letters could be handed to the driver for posting.

One day, Merle was sent to Glenmount with an important letter to post.  A heated argument between two men took her attention, and she suddenly realised the tram was gone and the letter was still in her hand.  She ran along the track behind the tram and caught up with it at Telco – gave them the letter – then realised that in her haste and fear of getting into trouble, she had run across the high rail bridge without noticing.  Now she had to get down on hands and knees and crawl back.  Harry Sargood had followed her and helped her back.

On Sundays, people came to Buderim on excursions.  They sat on long seats on the open trolley behind the little engine.  Merle and her friend used to drop wildflowers on the passengers from a bridge above the rail cutting.