Wacol, Wolston, Woogaroo 1823-2014, Volume 2 Biographies and Interviews
Wacol’s settlement history begins with John Oxley, who was the first white man to set foot in Wacol in December 1823 – the year before the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established.
The first white residents in Wacol were Dr Stephen Simpson, the first Lands Commissioner for Moreton Bay, and Captain John Chambers of the “Settlers Arms” who both established themselves on the eastern banks of Woogaroo Creek in 1843 – the year after free settlement began in Moreton Bay.
Since then, throughout its 190 year history, Wacol’s population has been focussed on three institutions – Wolston House (now a National Trust property), the Woogaroo Asylum (which still has some patients in 2014) and the Wacol Railway station and sidings (which are now being dismantled). These common themes appear both in the biographical records and in the personal recollections of Wacol residents.
This book comprises three sections. The first section contains brief accounts of ten people involved in the original Wolston House property and the second section adds ten more people from the wider Wacol community. These stories are gleaned from various records and resources and we have added contemporary newspaper items – a rich source of community history.
The third section of the book presents eleven contemporary interviews (conducted 2012-2014) containing personal and family memories which range over much of Wacol’s history.
These biographies and interviews form the second part of the community history of Wacol. They complement “Wacol, Wolston, Woogaroo (1823 – 2014) Volume 1,” which records the general history of events, dates and everyday life in this unique suburb.