Herbert Street from the Northern end.

THIS PAGE:
Introduction and Index.
This series is intended to take people down the old Toowoomba entrance to town on the uneven numbered (left) side of the street.
71/69. Wild Origins Receptions.
67. Burge’s Saddlery. (Lt. Burge. WW1). Lt. Neale D.C.M.
63-65. Private residences.
61. A.J.S. Bank. Now a private residence.
Page 2:  Commercial Hotel.
Page 3.  Blue Cow Hotel.
Page 4.  55: Part of Blue Cow property.  53:  B.N.W. Accountants & Allora Advertiser.  51: Community Hall.  49:  National Bank.  47: Allora Tyre Service. 45-43: Allora Medical Practice.
Pege 5.  41: Was Allora Service Station, now ?. C.B.C. Bank on Warwick and Herbert Street Corner.

71 Herbert Street.
Alexander Lumsden served his blacksmith’s apprenticeship in Glasgow, Scotland. He and his wife, Mary Ann and two daughters set out for Australia, landing in Brisbane in 1881. He was met off the ship by Allora blacksmith, Arthur George Anderson who had a contract on the building of the western railway line at Mitchell. On the completion of the contract, Alex Lumsden came to Allora in 1886 and set up a blacksmith’s shop on the Herbert and Jubb Street’s corner at what is now No. 71 Herbert Street. The site was subject to flooding and the blacksmith’s shop was moved in the early 1900’s to Warwick Street adjoining the lane, opposite the Presbyterian Manse. Albert Siebenhausen’s tailor shop and residence at No.80 Herbert Street were destroyed in the January 1909 fire. He rebuilt the tailor shop on the same site and built a new residence on the Herbert and Jubb Streets corner. The 1 acre allotment also contained his Fairview Poultry Farm. A. D. Siebenhausen sold his tailoring business to N. C. Thompson in September 1918. An advertisement in the Allora Guardian in February 1924 offered for sale the 1 acre allotment on which was situated an eight roomed house and numerous poultry sheds as he, Albert Siebenhausen, intended to re-open a tailoring business. An advertisement in February 1925 again offered land, house and furniture for sale, while an advertisement in July 1927 offered for sale by removal, the poultry sheds
The house was lived in by Mrs. Schriek senior and had been converted into two flats when, in about 1957, Colin Herbert (Paddy) and Lois Morrish moved into the house from their Goomburra farm. In the early 1960’s Bert Blanch pulled the house down and rebuilt it on the Morrish’s North Branch property where it still stands.
In February 1966 the Esso Service Centre opened on the site. The lessees were Ron and Beryl Pettigrew. Ron and Beryl relinquished the Esso agency in September 1973 and in March 1974 the site was offered for sale by auction. One stipulation was that the site could not be used as a garage. English couple Lionel and Shirley Watney bought the former garage and extensively re-modelled it. They had previously lived on the old Glengallan School site. The Watney’s opened a tea gardens and herb farm at No.71. By December 1986 this had evolved into Watney’s Restaurant. In February 1988 the restaurant was sold to another English couple, Brenda and Trevor Thomas.
Watney’s Restaurant closed and in August 2000, John and Joan Quirke opened Overland & Associates Real Estate at their home at No.71. The building was again remodelled and Simply Country Coffee and Gift shop opened and traded until its closing down sale in January 2008. No.71 Herbert Street is currently occupied by Wild Origins restaurant.

67 Herbert Street
1871 – 1925, Burge’s Saddlery.
William Burge was born in Somerset, England on the 6th June, 1850.William and his brother John, came to Australia with their parents Robert and Elizabeth, on the old Indian troop ship “Cambodia” in 1855 taking four months for the journey. After about twelve months in Brisbane the family travelled by three-horse dray to Pikedale. On the way there they passed through the site of the future town of Allora which at that stage consisted of a few bark huts beside the creek. Robert worked as a carrier from Quart Pot Creek to the New England district until the family moved to Jondaryan Station where he found employment as a shepherd. He took out a licence for the Bowen Arms Hotel in the later to be township of Jondaryan and also had a store in the town. The family moved to Toowoomba about 1869 where Robert had the licence for the Town Hall Hotel. William served his saddlery apprenticeship in 1969 – 1870 and came to Allora in 1871 and opened a saddlery in the northern end of Herbert Street at about what is now No.67 Herbert Street. In 1873 William married Mary Ann Lambley of Allora and they went on to have twelve children. The old house at the back of the shop was demolished in 1913 and a new house built.
Burge’s Saddlery operated until February 1920 when a partnership was formed between William Burge and William Neal under the name Burge & Neal.
William Neal had served his saddlery apprenticeship under William Burge and returned from the First World War to take up a partnership in the business. The firm of Burge & Neal traded until 30th June 1923 when the business was sold to Robert Stapleton. William and Mary Ann continued to live in the house at the rear of the saddlery where William was well known for his flower garden. He was also a keen bee keeper and older residents in the town can remember calling at Burge’s house for their honey supplies. William taught leather work at the Allora Rural School for some time after his retirement. He passed away in Allora in 1941 at the age of 91.

Lieutenant J. Burge
Joseph Burge was born in Allora on the 1st July 1879, the son of William and Mary Ann Burge. He attended the Allora School. He was a member of the Queensland Mounted Infantry and was a volunteer for the First Queensland Contingent in the Boer War. He saw much active service including the relief of Kimberley. He returned to Australia and was an auctioneer’s clerk at Deacon & Co. at the time of his enlistment in the 2nd Australian Light Horse on 11th September 1914. He had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant when he was killed in action while leading his men into battle at Quinn’s Post, Gallipoli, on the 7th August 1915.

Lieutenant W. J. T. Neal D. C. M.
William “Billy” Neal was born in Allora in 1897, the son of William and Emily Neal. He attended the Allora School and served his saddlery apprenticeship with William Burge. He enlisted in the A. I. F. on the 30th August 1915. After being posted to the 49th Infantry Battalion he was transferred to the 13th Machine Gun Coy.  He had been promoted to the rank of sergeant when he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in France in 1917. During the First World War the D. C. M. was second in ranking to only the Victoria Cross and its recipients were considered to have just missed out on being awarded the V. C.  Sgt. Neal’s citation read “When within 100 yards of the objective he brought his guns into action, inflicting many casualties. On the infantry failing to secure the objective, he showed remarkable coolness and judgement in withdrawing and setting his guns”. Set. Neal was presented with the    D. C. M. by the King in England when on a course for promotion to Lieutenant. Billy Neal returned to Allora in 1919 and became a partner in the saddlery business of Burge & Neal.
Billy Neal’s son Ray, remembered for his exploits in Selby Moore’s boxing tent at the local show, joined the Australian Regular Army and served with 6 RAR in Vietnam. Ray’s son served with the A. D. F. in Iraq.

63/65 Herbert Street
The one acre allotment that takes in the present day Nos. 63 and 65 Herbert Street was bought by Francis Kates in Allora’s first land sale on 5th March, 1860. In the 1879 Allora Municipal Council rates book, the land is recorded as still being owned by Francis Kates but occupied by Arthur Edward Gibson. Arthur Gibson worked at Kates’ flour mill in Drayton Street and probably lived in a cottage on the site.
By 1893 the allotment was owned by Sharpe & Leggatt, Building Contractors and Timber Merchants. Joseph Sharpe had come to Allora in 1888 as foreman on the building of the Queensland National Bank in Drayton Street. William Leggatt was born in Allora and took up the carpentry trade. The two formed the partnership of Sharpe & Leggatt and built the Allora railway station, Kates’ second flour mill in Forde Street and other buildings in the town. The partnership operated until 1901 when Joe Sharpe leased the Allora Saw Mill in Forde Street, built on the former site of Kates’ flour mill after it had been shifted to Clifton.
William Leggatt continued the business of building contractor and timber merchant from the Herbert Street site from February 1901. In 1906 the sale took place of three large sheds on the Herbert Street allotment. Bill Leggatt went on to build many structures in the town including the Railway Hotel, the Methodist parsonage, the building that was to become Miegunyah Private Hospital, and many others.
The Sharpe family lived on the Herbert Street site until at least 1906 when the sale of the sheds took place. They later moved to a new house called “Chislehurst’ in Forde Street opposite the saw mill.
In 1895 a new cottage had been built by Sharpe and Leggatt. This may have been the building that now stands on No.63. Nothing is known of No.65 until the 19th August 1950, when the Allora Baptist Church was officially opened there. The Baptist Church occupied the site the site until probably, the early 1970’s when it was closed and shifted.
Jeff Seibel, veterinary surgeon, opened Seibel Drug Supplies and Boarding Kennels at No. 60 Forde Street in July 1971. In November 1974, he moved to a new residence and surgery at No.65 Herbert Street. The partnership of Seibel & Fitzpatrick operated from December 1975 until it was dissolved in July 1978. In June 1988 Brian McLaren joined as a partner with Jeff Seibel in Allora Veterinary Services. Brian McLaren left the partnership in December 1990.
No.65 Herbert Street is currently a private residence owned and occupied by Bruce and Sandra Wilson.

61 Herbert Street
Samuel Gordon purchased the one acre allotment at what is now 61 Herbert Street in Allora’s first land sale on the 5th March 1860. In the 1879 Allora Municipal Council rate book, the allotment is recorded as being owned by Samuel Gordon and the Australian Joint Stock Bank and occupied by H. K. Alford, banker. The ½ acre allotment on the corner of Drayton and Raff Streets is recorded in the same way. The A. J. S. Bank was supposed to have opened in the old Dalrymple Hotel building on the Drayton and Raff Street’s corner in 1880. The rate book entry seems to indicate that it started in 1879 and the purchase of the allotment in Herbert Street for the building of a new bank was already under way.
The A. J. S. Bank building is believed to have been designed by F. D. G. Stanley, the Queensland Colonial Architect from 1872 to 1881. In his official capacity F. D. G. Stanley designed many public buildings in Queensland including the Supreme Court Building and the Brisbane G. P. O. In private practice he designed many other buildings throughout Queensland including the Queensland National Bank and St. David’s Church of England in Allora.
Henry King Alford was the first manager of the A. J. S. bank in Allora. He is reputed to have been the first white child born in what was later the city of Toowoomba. He was manager of the Allora bank for about ten years and married the daughter of Francis Kates, a prominent Allora citizen.
Great sensation was caused in Allora in April 1893 when the A. J. S. Bank suspended payment on accounts throughout Australia. Many private citizens as well as the Allora Municipal Council and Clifton Divisional Board had their accounts frozen. The money was released when the bank was restructured and reopened in June 1893.
Travers Robert Goff was the manager of the A. J. S. Bank in Allora in 1905. He was the father of the author of the Mary Poppins series of books. Helen Lyndon Goff was born in Maryborough, Queensland, in 1899 and came to Allora when her father was transferred to here in 1905.Helen Goff wrote the books under the name of Pamela Lyndon Travers. The Goff family lived in the A. J. S. Bank residence at what is now No.61 Herbert Street for a short time from 1905 to 1907.  Helen attended the Allora State School briefly while awaiting the engagement of a governess. Many of P. L. Travers characters in her books were drawn from real life characters. The sugary sweet governess character as portrayed by Julie Andrews in the 1964 Walt Disney film “Mary Poppins,” was apparently far removed from the real life character. The life of the Goff family was thrown into upheaval in February 1907 when Travers Goff died of influenza at the age of 43. He was buried in a rather plainly marked grave in the Allora cemetery on the 8th February 1907. Mrs. Goff and her three daughters left Allora to live in Sydney. Helen went to England in 1924 and died there at the age of 97 in 1996.
The name of the Australian Joint Stock Bank was changed to the Australian Bank of Commerce in 1909. The A. B. C. traded until the time of the Second World War when it was incorporated with the Bank of New South Wales under a Government bank restructure. The Bank of New South Wales must have operated in Allora only for a short time because Allora chemist Arthur Gunn, who took over Allora pharmacy in the mid 1940’s, lived in the old bank residence until he and his family shifted into the new house that they had had built in South Street.
Bert and Willamina Blanch bought the former bank building from Eric Clarke in 1960 and they moved into it from the house on their farm at Forest Springs. When they moved in, the bank premises was as it was when the Bank of New South Wales vacated it in the 1940’s. Bert Blanch died in 1976 and Mrs. Blanch lived in the house that they had renamed “Banksia” until she left to live in Ballina. The house was then occupied by younger daughter Annabelle until it was sold in the last twelve months.

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