When River Was Roadway

I enjoyed reading When River Was Roadway - Pioneer Farmers of Brisbane's Seventeen Mile Rocks District by Meg Gordon. This has been published by Centenary Suburbs Historical Society to which I belong and I designed the cover. The book focuses on the 19th century settlement of the current Centenary suburbs including descriptions of the pioneer community, the countries of origin of settlers, lifestyle including transport, community institutions, school, and churches. It also includes a history of the pioneers’ farming activities, the changing pattern of land ownership, changing sizes of land holdings and land usage. About 2/3rds of the book has profiles of pioneer families showing their land holdings and community involvement. It is quite a comprehensive work and it was interesting to learn the most of the farmers came from Germany and Ireland (Protestants). Most of them made a substantial contribution to their new country and embraced the opportunities presented to them. As I read the details of their lives, I couldn't help but wonder at the stamina and determination demonstrated by these people, particularly the women. This book is recommended to anyone with an historical interest in this area. 4/5