Waterford-Bethania Brass Band 1890 (Source: Joan Starr)
Sport and leisure
For the first settlers, the back-breaking work of clearing the land was as much activity as they could
manage, but as they became more established, sports and pastimes again assumed importance in their
lives.
The church figured prominently in weekly activities. Going to church was an event in itself, with
everyone dressed in their best clothes and people coming from a
considerable distance in carts and buggies. Harvest and other
festivals were celebrated with enthusiasm and weddings were
major events.1
Many church activities involved raising money. At Slack’s Creek,
for example, a tea meeting was held in aid of the Church of
England in 1887. An elaborate tea was served in a “bush house”
and was followed by entertainment using the verandah of the house
as a stage, lit with Chinese lanterns. Dancing followed.2
Church halls and schools were used as venues for concerts, but
only Beenleigh was able to attract travelling companies and
performers. Kingston Hall was built in 1918 and became the social
centre of the district. An additional wing was added in 1926 as a
War Memorial.
In Logan Village, penny readings were popular. Local people paid
one penny admission for an evening of home-grown entertainment
including book readings and recitation, music and singing.3
The river was merely a transport route in the early years, but after
LOGAN - RICH IN HISTORY, YOUNG IN SPIRIT - BY ROBYN BUCHANAN
Logan Witness 1887
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the arrival of the railway, the boats were sometimes used
for pleasure excursions. In 1887, 300 school children were
taken on an outing to Redland Bay on the steamer Kate
to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.4 On Boxing
Day 1888, 150 people packed onto the Louisa for a similar
trip. Children of Loganholme State School enjoyed a trip
to Stradbroke Island in Heck’s boat Iolanthe in 1922.5
Construction of the railway also made day trips possible
for Logan people. The line reached Southport in 1889
but a day at the beach remained a relatively rare event for
most families until the era of the motor car.
As in most districts, racing and other sports relating to horses were extremely popular. In 1878, a
grand equestrian tournament was held at Beenleigh on Easter Monday, complete with sack races and
greasy pole, and was followed by a ball at night.6 Racing clubs were formed in several districts including
Waterford, Nerang and Pimpama. The Logan and Albert Jockey Club was based at Beaudesert.
A number of sports and competitions related to work activities. Ploughing competitions were held
regularly at Pimpama, with prizes of up to £10. These matches were also followed by a ball at night.
Many people in the early years would have owned a rifle, used primarily for adding variety to the
family dinner table. This later evolved into the sport of pigeon shooting. These may have been clay
pigeons, but the report of one contest at Pimpama noted that the winner killed eight out of nine birds
released as targets.8
A rifle club was formed at Beenleigh in December 1888 and officially gazetted under the Defence Act.
In the early 1920s, a rifle club was formed at Waterford with butts on Bark Hill. The club is said to
have included several fine shots and it competed in a competition with other districts. The club
amalgamated with Beenleigh in 1947.9
Going to the Races in the 1860s - W.E. Hanlon
It was almost in the nature of a religious observance or obligation for these old-timers to visit the
city on the occasion of the Queen’s Birthday races. Many from all over the district rode from their
distant homes or camps, for the only time in the years to foregather in the city, there to swap
twelve months’ accumulation and overdue yarns to the accompaniment of tinkling glasses.
Practically all from the Logan, Albert and Coomera districts put up at Harry Biggs’ Steam Packet
Hotel, situated on grounds bordering on the now filled-in creek…. This creek at its mouth as large
enough to accommodate small cutters which lay there and took in or discharged their loading and
traded to the settlements on the various rivers at the Southern end of the Bay.
All horses were stabled in the hotel grounds and were taken out only when the mob rode out to the
great race on the day. I, though a mere lad, was occasionally accorded the privilege of accompanying
my father to this annual festival, riding my own horse.
When the muster of nags was made for the start home, the customary libation was poured out and
imbibed before staring for the ferry at William Street (Baxters as it was called) where we punted
across the river. Upon landing on the south side, a helter-skelter gallop ensued to the last pub on
the outskirts of town (Scanlons I fancy it was called) where the last to arrive had to pay for drinks.
Mounted again, another race was started with its winning post at the Eight-Mile Plains and still
another….. It might be inferred that these old-timers were a drunken lot but such was not really
the case for they only indulged to excess on such rare occasions…7
LOGAN - RICH IN HISTORY, YOUNG IN SPIRIT - BY ROBYN BUCHANAN
78
Churches were the centre of much of the community activity. Pictured is Loganlea Methodist Church (Source:
Armstrong family)
The small population and the scattered nature of the area seems to have reduced the number of team
sports played. Cricket and tennis were the most common sports and there were quite a few tennis
courts and cricket pitches throughout the district. Both were all-year round sports, played in winter
and summer.10 Beenleigh had a football team in the 1880s but this sport was not common until more
recent times.
Athletics and sports days were also popular. A meeting at Beenleigh in 1888 was held “on the new
track at the Royal Hotel” and offered a large prize of 60 sovereigns for the main race.
The Royal Hotel also advertised in 1888: “Skating is all the rage in Brisbane – the epidemic has been
introduced here by the enterprising landlord of the Royal Hotel Mr Guthrie.”11
Memories: Ian Rohl
There was not a great deal of sporting activity apparent in 1939, my father’s sister and her husband
built a tennis court behind their house, and this was very popular at weekends for social games.
Remnants of an earlier court next to Charles Kingston’s house remained, but I don’t know when
it was last used. A cricket pitch occupied a very small part of what is now Gould Adams Park. It
was quite close to the road and bordered by thick bushland. It was well patronised in the 1930s,
but by 1940, most of the young cricketers were playing away and would remain so for the next
few years. Other weekend activity included fishing in Scrubby Creek which then was quite
hidden by trees all along its banks.
There would be the occasional visit from the picture show man who would distribute fliers
advertising the films that would be shown in the School of Arts hall. This was Pagets travelling
talkies, who toured country towns with a van containing two theatre projectors, which they would
set up during the day. They would also lace up a big canvas screen on the stage. In the next year
or so, screenings were held on a regular basis and advertised on posters outside the general store.
LOGAN - RICH IN HISTORY, YOUNG IN SPIRIT - BY ROBYN BUCHANAN
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It was not until after World War II and a large increase in population that a large variety of sports were
played in Logan. A greyhound racing track, Lea Warra Park, was established at Loganholme in 1955.
It operated for a few years then closed by about 1970, and the land was subdivided.12
Today, the city has a wide variety of facilities including golf courses, playing fields, cycle paths,
swimming pools and environmental parks for walking and cycling. A recent development is Cornubia
Park Insports, a multisports centre with a gym, rock-climbing wall and courts for basketball, netball,
volleyball and indoor soccer.
Cultural Facilities in Modern Logan
Provision of library services was a high priority when Logan Shire was first formed, and a joint library
board was set up with Albert Shire Council for several years.
Today, Logan City has five libraries, with approximately half the total population taking advantage of
membership. The main library is Logan Central Library in the Administration Centre and includes a
Local Studies Collection. The Logan Hyperdome Library at Shailer Park was the first library in the
southern hemisphere to include a drive-through facility. This can be used to collect reserved items or
as a pick-up facility. Logan North Library includes the Charles Hamilton Special Needs Centre which
provides opportunities for people with a disability to access information. Other libraries are Logan
West at Hillcrest and Marsden Library.
Logan has its own Art Gallery in a building adjacent to the Administration Centre. The gallery has a
changing program of exhibitions and is also building up its own collection .
The city’s cultural groups include a choir, a youth orchestra, writers group, art association and historical
society. Annual events include a youth arts and music festival “Youfest” and the Logan Festival.
At the time of the 1996 census, 72% of the population of Logan City had been born in Australia, but
the city also had residents who were born in 160 other countries. This great diversity had added
considerably to the community and cultural life of Logan.
QCWA meeting at Floate’s Store, Slacks Creek in the 1950s.
(Source: Keith Schmidt/Doug Floate)
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Skinning the “alligator” (Source:Keith Schmidt/Dora Joyce)
Alligator captured
From the Brisbane Courier 24 June 1905
For several years past, statements have been made at various times to the effect that an alligator
had been seen in the Logan River. On one occasion, a man who was swimming in the river was
dragged down and the spectators stated that an alligator had seized him.
A few months ago, a report was made that an alligator had again been seen and that one of the
local residents had fired at it with a rifle. These statements were received with a considerable
amount of scepticism as it was thought that it as extremely unlikely that an alligator would be
found so far south.
It now appears, however, that the statements were well founded. On Thursday, we (the Courier)
received a letter from Mr A. G. Hinds, stating that he and his brother had that morning captured
an alligator 12ft 7ins in length in the river near the old Logan Village Ferry.
Another correspondent writes under Thursday’s date: Logan Village was in a state of great
excitement this morning when it became known that the alligator scare was not of a trifling
nature, as the saurian had recently been caught. It appears that Mr Hinds was first to see the
alligator floating on the surface of the water under a willow tree, a short distance above the village
ferry. The creature had apparently been shot a few days ago and had found its last resting place
where discovered. Mr Hinds, with the assistance of his brother and Mr Charles Rumph, towed it
down to the ferry landing and pulled it up to the bank. The schoolchildren were then allowed by
their head-teacher (Mr Cooke) to inspect the curiosity. It will be a relief to the parents of children
living on the banks of the river to know that the alligator now is a thing of the past.
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References
1
Eg see Annie Dunn Waterford Recollections, Undated typescript Logan Local Studies Collection
Logan Witness (LW) 12.11.1887
3
LW 30.3.1878
4
LW 17.12.1887
5
Loganholme State School Centenary booklet 1973
6
LW Easter 1878
7
W.E. Hanlon “The Early Settlement of the Logan and Albert Districts” HSQ Journal 1934
8
LW 26.11.1887 and 5.5.1888
9
Waterford SS Centenary notes
10
eg a cricket match on 30.6.1888 at Logan Village
11
LW 9.6.1888
12
Loganholme SS Centenary 1973
2
The Armstrongs of Loganlea and the Holzapfels of Mt Cotton enjoy a trip to the beach
(Source: Armstrong family)
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