Family History Centre celebrates

Legendary “gun” shearer Jackie Howe’s gold medals, shield and fob watch were highlights of a family history day at Glengallan on Sunday; the culmination of Warwick’s 150th birthday celebrations.
Howe, who became part of shearing folklore, shore at Glengallan, near his Warwick birthplace, Canning Downs, in the 1870s. A rations book held in Glengallan archives records issue of “1 pair shears” to J Howe. Among guests were his grandson Eric Howe and his wife Vi of Toowoomba.
A display of more than 100 family histories, assembled by volunteer Jenny Walker for Warwick’s 150th anniversary celebrations, attracted keen interest as did the family history archive and database, officially opened during the afternoon by John Oxley Library collections manager Brian Randall.
Earlier in the afternoon, Graeme Garde opened a permanent display of Queensland I Zingari Cricket Club memorabilia donated by Mary Feez in memory of the late Douglas “Ginger” Feez.
The IZs, formed by WB Slade, first played in 1871 at Glengallan.  QIZCC is the oldest active cricket club in Queensland and one of the oldest in Australia.
Since 1993, Glengallan Homestead Trust has been collecting and documenting history of owner and worker families and early settlers of the district.
Over the past three years, in particular, a dedicated group working under the guidance of archivist Fr Brian Sparksman, has databased thousands of photographs and documents and collated a comprehensive series of early maps.
They have also undertaken several research trips to Brisbane’s John Oxley Library, which houses a significant collection of Slade papers from Glengallan and other Warwick district papers.
Future opening of the archives on Sunday afternoons will enable public access to Glengallan records for family or personal research as well as sharing of information, copies of photographs and documents to be added to the database.
A surprise addition to the Glengallan collection during the previous week added to interest on the day. An old sword, given by her father, Virgil Willett, to the late Monica Connolly, nee Willett, was offered to Glengallan by Eric Connolly of Toowoomba who believes it once hung over a fireplace at Glengallan and was gifted to George Willett, the first of three generations named George Willett, who worked on the property.
Initial research reveals it is an English heavy cavalry sword, dating to 1796, and used in the Napoleonic Wars. It is likely the sword was brought to Australia in 1861 by W B Slade, and described in his memoirs, along with two duelling pistols, as having belonged to his father.
Given Glengallan’s chequered history, the Trust holds relatively few items with direct provenance to the place or the people who owned or worked the property.  Hence they have concentrated on accessing copies of documents and photographs for electronic recording of available information.
They encourage people to share their stories, which may be recorded for posterity as a lasting and living record of our people and our past through the Glengallan Family History Centre.