A Part of Buderim's History

Meet the History Detectives Part 1

by Sue Pitt

There are many kinds of history. There are many kinds of historian. I am fascinated by how different they are, and by how many different techniques they use.

Alex Bond is very quiet. I visited the DERM Map Museum at Wooloongabba with Alex last year. We looked at the scrappy old hand drawn map of the Sunshine Coast that William Pettigrew used to carry in his pocket when he travelled here in the 1860’s. Alex is well known at the museums. He is searching out information about his Aboriginal heritage. His DVD Songlines Into Brisbane (2011) recounts what his mother told him about Aboriginal life in early Brisbane. He is working on a second DVD about the Sunshine Coast area, including Buderim.

We don’t know very much about Constance Campbell Petrie. She must have been fascinated by stories. She was 28 years old in 1900, and lived with her parents near the North Pine River. Her father Tom was 69 years old. Constance carefully recorded her father’s memories of his amazing life in early Moreton Bay. Thanks to her we have a very readable record of the life of the man who first came to Buderim in1862 with a team of Aboriginal workers. Constance’s  account first appeared as articles in the Queenslander, and in 1904, it was published as a book: Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland.

Librarians are nearly invisible. But if you’re looking for history, every Sunshine Coast library has a Local Studies section. It’s worth looking patiently through the titles, because our librarians diligently collect local stories, and maps, and photos, and press clippings! They must be our quietest historians! And if you’re into new technology, don’t miss the great pictures at Picture Sunshine Coast.

More historians to come in Part 2.