St George QLD - History

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HISTORY TIMELINE FOR THE BALONNE SHIRE

1901
Federation bought meagre rainfalls with drought years and devastation ahead for the Balonne Shire.
St George population was 900 and the State School had 107 pupils.
Hebel Provincial State School was opened on the 1st April with 9 pupils.

1902
Early Landholders applied for their land selection at Hebel.
Empty water holes, high stock losses, high debt and unemployment were the result of the on going drought. Mulga is the only feed around for stock.
Local Authorities Act of 1902 was brought down which saw Qld divisions replaced by Shires.

1903
11th March the new local authority ‘Balonne Shire Council’ was proclaimed by his Excellency the Governor and the Division of Ula Ula shall be now known as the Division of Balonne.
14th April council sat for the first time: First chairman was William Ross Munro. The first councillors were: John Roberts, C W Wippell, W E Walmsley, W B Anderson, P M Bowman and Dugal Cameron
The first meeting was held in Henry Street beside the Tattesall’s Hotel (now the St George Hotel/Motel).
30th April the drought was broken.

The Bank of NSW1904, The St.George Bridge 1877, the Qld National Bank 1870.

1904
St George Bore (Henry St next to the Fire Station) was completed. The original depth being 2709ft and having a flow of 570 130 gallons per day. It was contracted by T F Greelish and drilled by R J Thorburn
Public baths were founded at the Bore as the water ran hot and for a small fee they could be used.

1905
Large fire on The Terrace St.George destroys bakery, Standard newspaper premises, butcher shop, saddlery and Cobb & Co booking office.
The first edition of the Balonne beacon is published on October 4.

1907
Loan to reticulate St George was completed in this year .

1909
A new stock route developed from Culgoa to Hebel opening up the development of Hebel.

1911
Highest floods since 1890’s peaking at 43ft at St George.
Official opening of the railway to Thallon. The town was named after then Commissioner of Railways Mr J F Thallon.

1912
The prickly pear an introduced species (commonly used for garden hedges) was now recognised as a large problem and the Prickly Pear Travelling Commission was established.
Trunk line telephone installed at St George, Dirranbandi and Hebel.

Cavanough Store 1904, Nindigully Post Office 1917 and a Balonne River scene 1877

1913
23rd August Thallon School was opened.
Railway line to Dirranbandi was completed.
First swimming carnival was held in the Balonne River.

1914
Last Cobb & Co coach from St. George

1915
Another fire razed most of the newly built buildings along St George’s Terrace, St George.

1919
Influenza epidemic closed NSW/Qld border.

1921
First plane to visit St George en route to Sydney.

1922
St George had a new maternity ward of 6 rooms built (the first in Qld).

1924
First wireless in St George.

1925
First bowser petrol pump was erected.
Cactoblastis put an to end the prickly pear.
Balonne Shire Hall was opened with the capacity to hold 600 people.
A new hospital was completed with the thanks to Mr W B Anderson who lost 4 of his 12 children in a 6-month period. He fought hard for its establishment.

1930
Weekly air service started in November by pilot T R Young in an all metal Junkers monoplane named ‘The Glorious Queensland’. The first flight left ‘Eagle Farm’ at 9.15am on Saturday for the flight taking 2hrs and 40mins with 5 passengers and a mechanic.
Current St George hotel/motel was built but wasn’t named such until 1969.
High unemployment as sheep and wool prices dropped.

1931
Great Shearer’s Strike.

1932
Charles Kingsford Smith landed at St George an the 2nd July and invited locals to inspect the Southern Cross with no admission fee. The father of Charles Kingsford Smith had been a manager of the Bank of NSW in St.George.

1933
Current Primary School was built at St George.

1938
First direct telephone call from London.

1939
Mrs E Ashwin was sworn in as the first female JP the town had ever known.

1940
New St George aerodrome was completed and was capable of taking any plane in the Commonwealth.

1943
Disastrous bush fire in Dirranbandi.

1946
Back to St George week with Centenary Show and race meeting.

1953
Andrew Nixon Bridge and Jack Taylor Weir were opened.
Approval for the St George Irrigation Project was granted.

1957
Cotton was first planted in St George on a commercial basis. This was doomed for disaster due to limited planting area and knowledge.

1958
Airstrip in Dirranbandi.

1959
Existing Catholic Church was opened.

1972
Beardmore Dam was completed with a holding capacity of 81 800 megalitres of water.

1974
The first Qld Cotton ginnery was built in St George.

1978
St George High School was established, prior to this schooling only went to year 10. Further education meant boarding in a larger community such as Toowoomba.

1980
The disappearance of St.George man Andy Komarnicki is still a mystery to this day.

1997
Cotton Gin was approved for Dirranbandi.

1999
Wild hailstorm hits Hebel on January 30th unroofing 15 out of the 20 houses in the township, causing much destruction.
Opening of the second Cotton Gin at St George.

2000
Major fire at Beardmore Cotton gin destroys millions of dollars in cotton bales.

2001
Major Mitchell Expedition 1846 Launch Celebrations.

2002
Dirranbandi district protests over Queensland Government proposal to buy up Cubbie Station.
Australian Hotel riots.

2003
Balonne Shire celebrates its centenary.
Pilot’s Memorial dedicated in March. The memorial, located on the riverbank of St.George’s Terrace was constructed in remembrance of Squadron Leader John Francis Jackson and the only Aboriginal fighter pilot to serve during World War II, Warrant Officer Leonard Victor Waters.
Mungindi Truck Pull in April was a Guinness world record. A Mack titan truck pulled 87 trailers, 1235.3 metres long a total of 325 metres to break the previous record set in 2000 in Kalgoorlie.

2004
Balonne Skill Centre opens its doors.
St. George local Mr Barnaby Joyce elected as a Federal Senator.

2005
Deputy prime minister and leader of the Nationals Mark Vaile (in acting PM role) officially opens Senator Barnaby Joyce’s senate office and the Balonne Skill Centre on July 22.
War memorial moved from Victoria Street, St.George to the riverbank of St. George’s Terrace. Rededication on October 2 attend by ex – POW Charlie Kelly and Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne.
ICPA State Conference held in St.George form October 6-7. The conference was last held in St.George in 1985.
The Balonne Beacon turns 100.

Photos left to right -Bollon Qld National Bank1938, Dirranbandi 1953 and the Mungindi Hotel 1879