caloundra

Interesting story

Queen of the Colonies The vessel, Queen of the Colonies made five trips from the United Kingdom and Ireland to the colony of Queensland during the 1860s. Unfortunately, no picture of the ship is known to exist. During the voyage, which ended on 8th April 1863, the ship made good time. She anchored off Moreton Island on 6th April, and on 7th April at 5 pm, 13 crew and volunteer passengers took the lifeboat to the island to bury one of the passengers, Mrs Barnfield, who had died in childbirth. In the boat were Mr Barnfield, Captain Hill, and Messrs Durrant, Arundel, Langford, Ford, Eldridge (chief officer), Grant (fourth-mate), Roach and Murray (quarter-masters), and three able seamen. At 7 pm the boat returned and had reached the ship but a violent squall erupted and the crew were unable to reach the rope thrown for them. The lifeboat then disappeared. Captain Cairncross decided to continue to Brisbane on the 8th of April, whereafter search crews were sent to look for the life-boat. The men attempted to row to Brisbane but the boat overturned on a sandbank, and Mr Barnfield was drowned. They returned to a beach near where Caloundra is today. Three of the men (Eldridge, Grant & Durant) then tried to reach settlement overland and were the last to be found - on April 26th. The remainder had already been found at Caloundra. All were in terrible condition - sunburnt and starving, and nearly naked, having lost clothing when the boat overturned. A street in Caloundra is named after the ship Queen of the Colonies Parade - and for many years a Pandanus tree stood at Moffatt Head, which bore the inscription "Queen of the Colonies" and several of the castaways initials engraved on it. (The Queen of the Colonies Tree). The remains of the tree are now held by the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, in their Queen of the Colonies display. Source: nanopdf.com/download/queen-of-the-colonies-shipwreck-pand...

When weak waves kiss the sandy shore under the watch of the pandanus palm.

Those swimsuits should be brought back as retro

My Mum. Offered a movie contract in 1930s and turned it down. Much loved, much missed, Mum was a no-nonsense woman and very colourful, full of personality and brought a lot of joy to those who knew her. Not only a model but a dancer.

David de Pinna is this picture of your mum? We have no information of the woman in this photographs and are seeking information, such as her name, to add to our photographic description.

Yes she is my Mum. Thanks for asking. She was a model in the thirties and offered a movie contract by Charles Chauvel. She turned it down. She was mascot for Fourth Squadron during the war and held parties for The Americans away from home. She put on manikin parades in the 50s and knew Peter Finch before he went to England and I think she knew Roy Rene and Maida Jones. And the Macquires at The Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane. She described herself as a dancer and was in the vaudeville crowd. Oh, and Mum was a lovely woman much missed by her son and my sister. Thank-you for asking of her. She would be thrilled.

You have her right name in your caption:- Merle Constance Woodward married name Merle de Pinna - Thanks again.