Invitation to share your knowledge
Do you have local stories about Sunshine Coast’s development of local farming practices and markets, or the community’s involvement with the war effort?
Meet with Historians in Residence Dr Tony Brady and Brian Rough at council’s Community Days to share your knowledge on the historian’s chosen topic.
Tony Brady is keen to speak with anyone with knowledge of agriculture in the Landsborough and Glass House Mountains region during the period of 1860 -1940. Tony is particularly interested in the types of crops grown, both successfully and unsuccessfully, and the various means used to transport the produce to market. If you have any family photographs of agriculture or produce transport from this period please bring them along.
Brian Rough is keen to speak with anyone who has stories or photographs relating to the Sunshine Coast area during WWII. His specific interest is the homefront and will include the activities of churches, and social clubs, community service groups, civil defence organisations, the Volunteer Defence Corps and other defence related bodies, as well as work undertaken by councils in the construction of roads, infrastructure and civic planning.
Registration essential. To book your one-on-one time with the historians, contact Cultural Heritage Services on 5420 8600.
| Registration | Historian | Location | Date | Time (allocated 15 minute sessions) |
| 5420 8600 |
Dr Tony Brady | Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct |
Wednesday 15 February |
9.30-11.30am |
| 5420 8600 |
Dr Tony Brady | Heritage Library |
Wednesday 15 February |
1.30-3.30pm |
| 5420 8600 |
Brain Rough | Landsborough Museum |
Thursday 23 February | 9.30-11.30am |
| 5420 8600 |
Brian Rough | Heritage Library |
Thursday 23 February |
1.30-3.30pm |
Background
The Sunshine Coast Historian in Residence program enters its second year.
The successful historians selected for the 2022-2023 program are Dr Tony Brady and Brian Rough. They bring extensive knowledge and experience in their individual field of expertise. Their chosen topics will help fill the missing gaps in Sunshine Coast’s history.
To undertake their research, the Historians in Residence will have access to council’s heritage collections.
Residencies are located at:
- Heritage Library
- Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct and Landsborough Museum.
Research outcomes may vary from the outline below. For information about the program, download the guidelines[221KB].
Historian in Residence - Bankfoot House/Landsborough Museum - Dr Tony Brady
Research topic: The Development of Agriculture in the Landsborough Region since 1868.
Summary - Story 1: Unearthing Agrarian Practice at Bankfoot. This research aims to build an understanding of how the property’s mixed farming practices might have changed through time and when faced with the advent and advance of industrialisation or the natural disasters of drought, fire and flood.
Summary - Story 2: The physiography challenges of farming the Glass House Mountains region. The Glass House Mountains region of the Sunshine Coast epitomises diversity. With steep hill slopes, gullies and swampy coastal plains that vary in soil structure, rainfall and temperature, the region presented numerous challenges for early farmers who had little guidance and relied heavily on trial and error in a time when there was no room for mistakes.
Summary - Story 3: Getting it to Market - the challenges and changes in getting Glasshouse Mountains produce to market. This paper will look at how getting produce to the consumer changed with time for Landsborough primary producers and how the change in end consumer may have influenced agrarian practice.
Historian in Residence - Heritage Library – Brian Rough
Research topic: Breaking through the clouds of war: living through World War II on the Sunshine Coast.
Summary - Story 1: The civic response to war: the role of local government on the Sunshine Coast during World War Two. This research will explore how decisions and actions taken during this period have shaped the formation of Sunshine Coast infrastructure, including roads and communications and impacted on the wider community evolution.
Summary - Story 2: The strategic importance of the Sunshine Coast in 1942. The region played an important role in the defence of South-East Australia, and from the outbreak of war until its end, thousands of Australian and American military personnel served, trained or passed through the region, interacting with the local population.
Summary - Story 3: Community organisations and social cohesion on the Sunshine Coast during World War Two. The role of communities will be explored from churches, clubs and social activities to civil defence organisations such as Volunteer Aid Detachments, Volunteer Air Observers Corps, and Volunteer Defence Corps (Home Guard); and the Air Raid Precaution organisation.
