2. The farm that currently divides
Mandalay into two sections was sold early this year and is to be
subdivided. In the 1940's and early 50's this was owned by James
Kenny. The lower end of the property was channelled with sand
pits, which provided various types of sand and loam. Kenny Street
takes its name from the Kenny family. John Kenny was killed when
clearing scrub. Members of the Kenny Family worked for Hayles
Cruises and also on cement barges such as the "Darra",
which plied the river until a couple of years ago.
3. The lagoon at Fig Tree Pocket
was much deeper in bygone days, and rich in fish and bird life.
Its Yugara name meant "abode of good spirits". Not
surprisingly, it was an aboriginal hunting ground. Nets were set
at one end of the lagoon, and when the ducks came, the Aborigines
would throw two or three returning boomerangs among them. The
ducks, believing they were hawks, dived down and became entangled
in the nets. In summer, the hunters would hide in the lagoon,
holding a small bush in front of them. Any unsuspecting bird which
swam near would be pulled under by the legs and caught. Sometimes
clans on their way from the feast at the Bunya Mountains camped
near the lagoon before travelling on to Nudgee to feast on
mussels. (Tell the Next Generation, p.2)
As they walked through the
district, the Yugara people would play games with boomerangs, vine
skipping ropes and kangaroo skin balls. A popular game was
"Murri murri" or kangaroo, where one man bowled a
disc-shaped piece of bark along the ground between two lines of
players, who then threw their spears at the moving target. These
games sharpened the skills needed for hunting.
During the Boer War period the
lagoon was named Lake Baden-Powell and became the venue for race
days, the race-course circling the lagoon. When Alfred Grant
subdivided the Mandalay area, there were plans to develop the
lagoon reserve into a unique environmental park. That money has
never been spent. Many locals are concerned that the Council will
decide to fence off sections of the reserve and develop sporting
fields. The Mandalay Progress Association has consistently opposed
such suggestions.
Since the 1974 floods the Council
has had a continual battle keeping under control the hyacinth that
continually spreads over its surface. However, the lagoon is still
rich in water fowl. In the evenings masses of white cattle egrets
roost in the branches of the trees in the centre of the reserve.
As indicated above, the lagoon
reserve was once known by an aboriginal word that meant
"abode of good spirits". The Progress Association sought
the assistance of Mr. Neville Bonner, Yugara elder, to find an
appropriate aboriginal term to convey that meaning. Mr. Bonner
"translated backwards" to find a name. With Council
approval he officially named the lagoon reserve at the
Cel-arbor-ation giving it the name "Biami Yumba Reserve"
(Biami = spirit/god; Yumba = dwelling/abode). A sign is to be
erected indicating the name.
4. The spread of suburbia into the
tip of the pocket was somewhat retarded by the 1974 Australia Day
flood. The greater part of the Mandalay area was inundated the
river breaking its banks at the Pony Club end of Botticelli
Street. However, the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam. has greatly
reduced concern over the possibility of flooding. and during the
last decade there has been a flurry of building activity as the
uniquely rural character of the area has attracted people .
It would be somewhat sanguine to
imagine that Wivenhoe dam will eliminate flooding altogether. In
the flood of January, 1974, for example, 45% of the total Flood
waters originated below where the Wivenhoe now stands. On the
other hand, in the 1893 flood, only 20% of the flood waters
originated below where the dam now stands, so the Wivenhoe would
have been more useful in the 1893 situation than in the 1974
flood. The accompanying graphs give some indication of relative
Flood heights and the theoretical impact of Wivenhoe and Somerset
dams. Interested residents may wish to refer to: Proceedings of
Symposium: January 1974 Floods - Moreton Region (The
Institution of Engineers, Australia; August 1974).
(Thank you to Norman Stringer of
Sprenger St for providing the abovementioned book for reference.)
5
