Category Archives: Warwick

Francis Irvine – Immigrant, Bootmaker, Shopkeeper & Baptist elder.

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By Rod Irvine. Edited by Bobbie Edes Within our Killyleagh siblings, the eldest two brothers John (b 1841) and Francis (aka Frank, b 1844) were likely responsible for the Irvine family coming to Queensland; they were the ‘trend-setters’.[1]&[2] On Saturday 13 May 1865, just as the American Civil War was in its final convulsions, they departed Liverpool on the modern clipper Melmerby arriving at Brisbane in September of that year.[3] It is not unlikely that John and Francis heard directly … Continue reading

Mary Ann Irvine and her Parkinson family.

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My last blog was about John Irvine, written from the (fictional) memories of Mary Parkinson as related to a friend.  Despite this approach to the story, the happenings were real, very real and would have had a life-long effect on Mary Ann, one of John Irvine’s younger sisters. Mary Ann’s story begins on a cold winter’s day on the outskirts of Killyleagh, about 3 klms from the village itself in the townland of Ardigon. Her mother Sarah had already borne … Continue reading

John Irvine – Bootmaker and preacher.

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The shot rang out in the quiet stillness of the farming community of Mt Thabor, just east of Warwick in South East Queensland.[1] The cows in the paddock opposite were mildly disturbed and the native birds squawked off in alarm. Mary knew the sound, as after all, her husband Clement Parkinson was a farmer and such is the necessity of country life. However, this shot on 5 June 1909 was different and more importantly she could smell the gunpowder. The … Continue reading