January 17
• Water Supply Cost Up to £195,000, 49 per cent increase in original estimate: “Increases in the basis wage and in the cost of materials over the three years since the scheme for the water supply for Stanthorpe was instituted have brought the total estimate for the whole scheme including the relocation of the Eukey Road, to £195,000. On 29 Match, 1947, the Shire Council adopted the scheme which was then estimated to cost £131,000.”
January 24
• Apple Acquisition – Payment for apples long overdue
January 27
• Suspected case of infantile paralysis
• Acquisition Payments, DSGC Chairman seeks deputation: “Mr. H.E. Phillips advises that he has written to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr A.W. Fadden, seeking his consent to receive during his visit to Stanthorpe Show, a deputation of DGSC representatives to place before him matters relative to acquisition compensation for the 1941-1942 season.”
February 7
• Stanthorpe 70th Annual Show – Wealth of Granite Belt Mirrored
February 14
• Formation of Voluntary Fire Brigades urged, Council to call public meeting: “The establishment of a voluntary fire brigade at both Wallangarra and Stanthorpe was urged at Friday’s Stanthorpe Shire Council meeting by the Health Inspector (Mr O.E. Curtis), whose recommendation was prompted by two fires in the past month that very nearly had Council decided to call a public meeting in Stanthorpe to form the nucleus of a brigade and to contact the disastrous consequences. Wallangarra Progress Association asking them to take action in this matter in the centre. (Fires at Samual Lee & Co and Building owned by
L. Wilmot), Cr. Ryan said, ‘The trouble with the previous brigade the town had was that they could never be located when there was a fire’. Cr. Townsend, ‘If a major fire occurred under the present circumstances, it would be practically hopeless to save the buildings’.”
February 17
• ABC Auditions Here: “The well-known dramatic producer in Queensland for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Mr Dion Wheeler, will visit Stanthorpe on.”
February 21
• Stanthorpe Water Supply – Council Agrees on Financing of Scheme: “Town to bear 80 per cent; Rural Area 20 per cent (if government subsidy is increased to 50 per cent). Cr Walker said he thought Ned Kelly must still be alive if it was suggested that the country areas should have to pay for a water supply for the town of Stanthorpe.”
February 24
• Shocking Tragedy at Texas: One Dead, Two Seriously ill – “Petrol lamp exploded at the home of Mr A Austin Hurford, Texas, Six people caught on fire and one died from injuries received.’
• Fruit and Vegetable Consignments Held Up at Wallangarra: “Heavy tonnage of vegetables which have been railed from the Stanthorpe district to Sydney markets have caused serious congestion at Wallangarra due to the shortage of railway trucks on the New South Wales side of the Border.”
February 21
• Local Play to Be Broadcast: “The play selected by ABC to be broadcast by the Stanthorpe Repertory Society is “Recipe for Murder” which was produced at the Rex Theatre last year.
February 24
• Tin Mining; Seven New Leases Applied For (in 1949): “In addition to these leases there are also those held and being worked by the Sugarloaf Tin NL, the Forge Syndicate, and the Trump Syndicate. There are also a number of small time scratchers securing small quantities of alluvial tin. The Ti-Tree Syndicate ceased operation in 1948, Messrs Riley Newman Pty Ltd continue to purchase tin in Stanthorpe.”
February 28
• 25,000 cases of apples to be exported next month. For the first time, cases of apples displaying the well-known Iona Label will appear in Singapore next months.
March 3
• Fire Brigade Formed: At a meeting held in the Shire Hall last evening it was decided to form a Volunteer Fire Brigade. Cr Rogers was appointed chairman and
Mr D. Thomas secretary.
March 7
• It will be welcome news for motorists that parallel parking will be abandoned in Stanthorpe and “nose in” reverted to.
March 14
• Apple and Pear Acquisition – Fadden Had Not True Facts
March 21
• Stanthorpe Wool Tops Markets at 110d per lb (RV Gleeson & N.H. Rayner – greasy wool)
• Automatic Phones at Cottonvale: “A rural automatic telephone exchange at Cottonvale was brought into operation on Friday, March 17.”
March 31
• Country Party Leader (Nicklin) in Stanthorpe – State Election
• Fruit Growers Threaten Boycott on Road: “Feeling amongst fruit and vegetable growers on the condition of the Amiens to Stanthorpe road has become strong enough to induce growers to boycott the town of Stanthorpe according to a report from Bapaume. The boycott is one of several measures being considered to secure action to improve the road. It was stated that those participating would secure supplies from Warwick.”
April 4
• Flying Saucer for Stanthorpe: “Mr Col Smith claims that he and fellow workers saw a foreign body that conformed in every way to the recent descriptions of a flying saucer.”
April 6
• State Elections – Mr PJR Hilton state Labor Policy
• Stanthorpe Boycott Off
April 18
• Wallangarra Water Supply Completed in Two Weeks
• Stanthorpe Scheme – Work to commence this year
April 25
• Fadden Denounces Socialism (Stanthorpe Address)
May 2
• PJR Hilton Retains Carnarvon with Reduced Majority (450 at 1947 election) – Held Carnarvon for Labour for 15 years.
May 9
• Mr PJR Hilton was today appointed a Minister in the State Parliament
May 19
• Work on Wallangarra Water Scheme Nearing Completion
May 26
• High Prices Maintained – Cattle Sale at Pikedale Station
• Short Supplies Responsible for Wool Rise
June 6
• Another 200 Acres of Trees to Be Planted at Passchendaele: “Within the next fortnight the planting of an additional 200 acres of trees – the program for this year – will commence at Passchendaele. To date, 1170 acres have been planted and the trees are in varying degrees of growth from one to 19 years. Since 1943, a privately owned sawmill has been operating on the reserve. 600 are planted to the acre- each being spaced out an average of 8ft x 8ft.”
June 9
• Soldiers Memorial: “Work on levelling the ground around the Memorial and building a retaining wall and steps had been completed with the exception of a
guard around the top of the wall. Title rested in J.V. Scully, C.F White and Harry Wright. New Trustees needed to be appointed.”
• Southern Granite Belt Fruitgrowers Association Formed
September 26
• Houses For Wallangarra: “Tenders have been called for erection and completion of four dwellings in Barrawell and Rayleight Streets and five in Margetts and
Merinda Streets.
October 20
• £135 allocated for Jubilee Celebrations (50 Years Since Federation)
October 24
• New England State Movement
October 31
• Chauvel Plans Three Australian Films
November 7
• Killed in Korea – Corporal Murray Ogden
November 14
• District Airport – Stanthorpe to have services to Sydney and Brisbane. Manager East West Airlines: “It is the intention of this company in order the service the Warwick Stanthorpe area to connect the proposed airport of Applethorpe with a service to both Brisbane and Sydney.”
November 24
• Further Expansion of Iona Coldstores, Storage capacity now 70,000 cases.
• Here & There: Stanthorpe & District Pipe Band Parades New Uniform to Presbyterian Church for the Churching
November 24
• Soldiers’ Memorial: Honour Board to Men Killed in WWII
December 1
• Graziers will do road work if Council rebates part of rates: “The Stanthorpe branch of the Graziers Association of South East Queensland offers to do all the work, supply machinery etc for miles of Springdale Road – Araluen to Springdale and Nundubbermere to Wobur.”
December 15
• Pikedale Wool Establishes Record State Price – 224.5d per lb for five bales of greasy wool
