We welcome any information that may contribute to this column (or any subject) on this site. We write what we know, but are interested in what you know, as it all adds to our knowledge of the area.  This column is written from research by Colin Newport. Please add your comment by writing to  allora_history@yahoo.com.au

Donald Clark
Donald Clark is reputed to have opened the first hotel, the Dalrymple Hotel, in Allora. While at this stage I have only come across anecdotal evidence to say that he did, I think that it must be a fact because there are several different references to it.
The main reference is in the book “Allora’s Past” by Bert Sims. “Donald Clark came to the Downs in 1857 and built a public house near the crossing of the Dalrymple Creek at the later site of the town of Allora.”. I think that the reference to the year 1857 is incorrect. Donald Clark was born in Nairn, Scotland, on the 28th August 1818. He married Ann Leslie at Nairn on the 3rd August 1851. They set out for Australia on the “Indian Queen” on the 18th January, 1854. Unfortunately Ann Clark died on board the ship on 10th April 1854 giving birth to twins. The twins did not survive and were buried at sea with their mother. Descendants of Donald Clark are in possession of a bible which is inscribed “Ann Leslie, Rockview, 7th May 1853” leading them to assume that she was a sister of the Leslie brothers. This is not right but there could be some family connection. The “Indian Queen” landed in Melbourne on 22nd April 1854.
Donald Clark married Maria Grace on the 6th February 1858 at Geelong, Victoria. He was described as being a “leaseholder” from the River Barwon. Their first child, John, was born on the Barwon River near Inverleigh, Victoria, on the 11th November 1858. Donald’s profession was given as “sheep farmer”. These facts seem to indicate that Donald Clark was settled in Victoria at that stage and had not just travelled there for his second marriage.
On the 1859 N. S. W. Surveyor General’s map No. 7985 for the Allora district, Donald Clark is shown to be the owner of two blocks of land, Portions 37 and 38, of 37 acres each. These blocks are marked as having been selected on 13/6/1860 and are situated on what is now known as “Hillside”. On map No. 6440 Donald Clark is marked as owning Portions 8, 10 and 11 of 25 acres each. These were selected on 14/6/1860 and are in the area now known as the “Licking Holes” adjoining the first two blocks.
William Jubb was a blacksmith who set a shop in Allora in the mid 1840’s. Map 7985 is marked “Jubb’s old house” and map 6440 is marked “Remains of Jubb’s Inn”. If  the Dalrymple Hotel was there in 1859 you would think that it would be marked on the maps.
The town of Allora was surveyed in 1859. The first block sold in the first  Government land sale on 5/3/1860 was Allotment 1, Section 3, on the corner of Drayton and Raff Streets. This was the block on which the Dalrymple Hotel (later) stood. Maps show it as having been bought by Simon Mayer. Simon Meyer was a prominent Warwick storekeeper at the time and may have had the hotel built. There is a co-incidence in the fact that Maria Clark’s sister, Elizabeth, married a Henry Meyer. The Henry Meyer family lived in Allora from about 1861 to 1866. I don’t know if there is any connection between Henry Meyer and Simon Meyer. On the birth certificate of Anna Meyer born in Allora on 1/7/1862 the nurse is given as Mrs. Clark. You would think that this would have been Maria Clark, Elizabeth Meyer’s sister.
The Dalrymple Hotel is not recorded in a list of Queensland hotels in the 1860 Government Gazette but the list might not be complete. I have not come across it again but I think that in one of Maurice French’s books there is a reference to an advertisement in the “Darling Downs Gazette” for the Dalrymple Hotel in 1860. The first reference to the hotel in the Queensland Government Gazette is in 1862 when John Holmes had the licence.
A granddaughter of Donald and Maria Clark said that her mother, Georgina Hannah Clark, spoke of her mother playing with the Hanmer children at Talgai. Thomas Hanmer was associated with (Old) Talgai from 1862 to 1884. She also said that John Clark boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Biggar in the Allora district. Thomas McFarlane Biggar was the second Head Teacher at the Allora School in 1873. John would have been 14 ½ years old at that time. He may have, more likely, boarded with the Biggar’s when they were at Leyburn from 1870 to 1873. In “Allora’s Past” it says that Mrs. Gwynne set up the first school in Allora in 1862. One of her pupils between then and 1866 when the National School opened was a “John Clarke”. John Clark would have been aged 5 at the start of the 1864 school year. If his parents were not living in Allora at the time he could have boarded with the Meyer family.
The granddaughter of the Clark’s said that they were on “Terrica” at Inglewood and “Merinda” at Goondiwindi. Her mother, Georgina Hannah Clark was born at “Merinda” on 9/11/1863. I would be interested in seeing the birth certificate to see what Donald Clark’s occupation was at the time. Contact with the Goondiwindi Family History Society suggests that he was a fencer but in light of his later land holdings he may have had a better paying job.
Family stories say that problems with the local aborigines caused the Clark family to move back to Allora. In the diary of John Roberts, an early Allora farmer, it records on August 20th 1866 “Donald Clark had 6 bushels. £1-10-0 paid, a balance of ₤1-0-0 left”. The 1868 Post Office Directory of Queensland for Allora lists-
Clarke Donald, farmer.
Clarke James, auctioneer and farmer.
Clarke Henry, farmer.
Clarke Joseph, farmer.
James, Henry and Joseph Clarke were brothers from Northamptonshire and no relation to Donald Clark. “Allora’s Past” says that Donald Clarke had a sawn timber cottage on the Clifton Road. This was on Portion 11, Parish of Allora, selected by Donald Clark in 1860 so the 1868 reference would probably be to Donald Clark. The cottage stood for many years and was later lived in by Charles Burge and family. The block is presently occupied by Norco Bowdler’s produce business. Portion 8 was owned by John Rinehart at the time of his death on 30/7/1865 so Donald Clark must have sold that block prior to that.
It is not known when the Clark family left the Allora district. Local rate books may give a clue but 1879 is the first Allora Municipal rate book held by Queensland State Archives. Family stories say that they selected land in the Leyburn district before moving on to Yandilla where they were well established on the property “Moyness” by 1880. The Clarks eventually built up their land holdings at Yandilla to 2,800 acres. Donald Clark died at “Moyness” on 26th February 1903. Maria Clark died at “Moyness” on 16th March 1911. Both are buried at Millmerran.

Allora Guardian 27th March 1926

Obituary
Mr. Robert Augustus Cunnington
The death of another of the old pioneering stock in the person of Mr. Robert Augustus Cunnington took place at his residence, Pratten Street Dalby, on Saturday 13th inst. at the age of 86 after a protracted illness. The deceased gentleman had a most varied and interesting career. His father was a military surveyor attached to the Indian army and the deceased was born in Allahabad in the Valley of the Ganges, Northern India. His mother having died shortly after his birth, the child was trusted to a faithful old ayah until the father married again. Surveyor Cunnington, however, was shortly afterwards killed in action and his widow subsequently married Lieutenant Buckley. The latter officer had a brilliant career through the dark days of the Indian mutiny and distinguished himself at the terrible siege of Delhi by organizing and leading the forlorn hope that attempted to restore the torn defences of the city. Of that ill fated but heroic attempt, he was the sole survivor, being left for dead at the wall, but he was rescued from amongst the debris after an interval of two days. The child was sent home to be educated under the care of the coloured foster mother, the ship on which they sailed making the passage round Cape Horn. There, it ran into foul weather and was wrecked but some of the passengers and crew were rescued after being some days in an open boat. Having completed his education in England the deceased elected to try his fortune in Australia and landed after a long voyage in a sailing ship in the year 1865. Subsequently he took up land in the Wangaratta district, Victoria. There he met and married Miss Sarah Ann Clarke with whom he shared the joys and sorrows of half a century of pioneering, followed by a well earned retirement and who, as his widow, survives him today. The country which he called his own during the seventies lay in the Wombat Ranges and furnished part of the field of operations of the notorious Kelly gang. In some of the expeditions against those desperados the deceased is reported to have taken a very active part, acting as guide to the parties of police. After spending some 30 years in this part of Victoria, deceased came with his family, then arrived at the adult stage, to Queensland where he settled in 1906. He had resided with his wife and family in the Toowoomba and Dalby districts ever since that date.
One son, Albert Edward, served in the Great War in the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance, and predeceased his father by some five years. Of the children who still remain to mourn the loss of a loving father, five sons, Henry Augustus and Alfred Ernest of Kapunn, Herbert Frederick of Victoria, Arthur Robert of Allora, and Charles Leslie of Toowoomba, four daughters, Mrs. W. J. Peake of Brigalow, Mrs. A. Nixon of Drillham, Mrs. G. McKean of Toogoolawah and Miss E. A. Cunnington of Dalby. The burial took place on Saturday afternoon at the Dalby Cemetery; the last rites at the grave side were performed by the Rev. G. Phillips of the Dalby Methodist Church. Messrs. Johnson and Carter had charge of funeral arrangements.

Mr. and Mrs. William Whitman
Mr. and Mrs. William Whitman lived in Allora from 1901 to 1913. William was Mayor of the Allora Municipal Council 1905/06. The following article appeared in the “Queenslander” magazine in January 1919.

A Western Pioneer
Prominent among the pioneers of the far west of Queensland is Mr. William Whitman, for many years a well known figure in Windorah and other out-back townships, but more recently a resident of the coastal areas. Mr. Whitman and his wife have recently celebrated their golden jubilee at their residence at Taringa, where they have made their home. For 67 years this pioneer of the outer areas has been an energetic Australian citizen, doing his share and more towards the subjugation of the wilderness.
Born in June 1840 in the Claridge Hotel, London (the property of his maternal grandfather, after whom the hotel was named), he arrived in Sydney in 1852 with his father, two brothers and four sisters at the time of the destruction of Tooth’s brewery by fire. He was at Palmers, Oakey, and Sheep Station Point, Turon River, Bathurst: afterwards went hawking with Lawrence and Worm. He went north to Rockhampton in 1858 in the sailing ship Trianon together with 500 or 600 passengers, to the gold rush at Canoona. After some months on the diggings he entered into droving and station work, and in the course of his droving trip he visited the diggings at Quart Pot Creek (now Stanthorpe, then a wild mining town with 40 hotels). In 1861 he started a butchering business with his brother James in Copperfield, Peak Downs. Early the following year the brothers sold out and went hawking on the Barcoo, reaching Avington, then the furtherest station down the river. There were no hotels, or stores, in Tambo, and later the Whitman’s purchased the hotel owned by Messrs. Morson and Solomon which they held for some years. At this stage they entered largely into the mail contracting business, running mails from Springsure to Blackall, Blackall to Bowen Downs and Lammermoor, Tambo to Thargominda, using about 700 horses, in fact being the Cobb & Co. of the west at that time. They eventually sold out to Mr. George Bredhauer, and pushing down the river founded the township of Wittown (now Isisford), building a store, hotel, butcher’s, blacksmith’s and saddler’s shops. Later they bought the store at Stony Point on Cooper’s Creek (now Windorah), owned by Mr. G. J. Fitzwalter and entrusted the management of that important concern to Mr. L. E. Ashby, who is now well and widely known in business circles in this city. Not content with purchasing the Stony Point store, the brothers pushed on to the next outpost of civilization, namely, the J. C. waterhole (now the township of Canterbury) where they built another store ; and still determined to be in the front of advancing settlement, they also acquired a store in Birdsville, on the South Australian border.
While at Wittown the brothers rented country from a neighbouring station and entered into the additional business of stock raising, rearing cattle and horses. Their increasing flocks and herds compelled them to seek for wider pastures and they therefore took up a large tract of new country on Wills Creek, in the Cloncurry district, which they stocked with cattle and horses, and named Teddington Lock and Bushy Park after their boyhood homes on the Thames. This country forms part of the great copper mining district of the present day. At that time the blacks were very troublesome and the brothers decided to sell out to Messrs. Kennedy and Powell, the latter of whom was murdered by the blacks some time afterwards. During the eighties the increasing prosperity of their businesses permitted the brothers to establish homes for their families in Rockhampton, and to acquire a considerable amount of land where Yeppoon now stands. In conjunction with Messrs. Atherton, Harrison and others they brought the attractions of Yeppoon into notice, and thus took part in the foundation of this favourite watering place, as well as forming the Western towns referred to. Mr. W. Whitman was always a keen sportsman, and at this period owned a number of first-class horses, including the famous racehorse and sire, Sydney, also Binalong, Fairy, Wittown, Dynamite and others.
In 1888 they retired from business, retaining however, the freeholds of the stores and hotels which they owned in the above named townships, Tambo, Wittown, Stony Point, J. C. and Birdsville. Mr. William Whitman and his family proceeded to Sydney, where they established their home. The brothers had invested heavily in Mt. Morgan shares, and at the time of the boom were tempted to plunge heavily, together with most of the wealthier men of the Central district, with the result that they lost their fortunes and had to go westward again and re-enter the storekeeping business, Mr. James Whitman going back to Wittown which by that time had become known by its present name of Isisford, and Mr. William Wittman and his family going to remote Windorah. This was the first and only serious reverse the brothers had received in their career and they set to work bravely to rebuild their shattered fortunes with notable success. Mr. Whitman remained at Windorah for about five years, and while there not only rehabilitated his own business, but managed the affairs for the trustees of a large station, Dalton, carrying 3000 horses and 2000 cattle. After about a year’s rest from harness, Mr. Whitman purchased a business on the Darling Downs, where he and his family resided for about two years. In 1913 he finally retired and came to Brisbane where he has purchased a residence in Taringa.
Mr. Whitman married Elizabeth Tucker, daughter of Mr. E. Tucker of Maryvale Station, near Rockhampton on December 30th 1869 and with whom he celebrated his golden wedding on Tuesday, December 30th, 1919 and who has been his faithful helpmate in storm and sunshine for half a century. Mrs. Whtman as a bride left her home at Maryvale to share her husband’s pioneering life in what was then the farther West. The roads were unfit for vehicles and the journey of 400 miles had to be made on horseback, each leading a packhorse. It was a wet season, and a number of creeks running bank high had to be negotiated, one of which Mr. Whitman swam with his wife on his back.
The surviving children of the marriage are Mrs. A. P. Jones, Lutwyche Road Brisbane: Mr. O. W. J. Whitman, Clifton; Miss E. A. Whitman, Taringa; and Mr. F. B. Whitman, Woodford.

Bakers in Allora
Bakers are easier to follow than some other professions because of the fact that they required a large fixed oven to bake the bread. Bakers tended to follow other bakers at a particular location.
There are no bakers listed on the 1868 Allora Post Office Directory whereas there are several butchers and storekeepers. The first person that I have seen who advertised as a baker was John Henry Charles Meyer who was a storekeeper and baker in the old Dalrymple Hotel building on the corner of Drayton and Raff Streets. On the 20th August 1881 J. H. C. Meyer moved his Bee Hive store and bakery to the corner of Drayton and Herbert Streets (now the Commercial Hotel) when Kennedy Bros. moved into a new store. J. H. C. Meyer was declared insolvent in October 1883.
On the 1st August 1890 John Morrow, the brother of the Presbyterian minister in Allora, the Rev. James Morrow, opened a new bakery in the northern end of Herbert Street near Kennedy Bros. store. John Morrow drowned in Dalrymple Creek on the 12th April 1891 and the bakery was taken over by his wife Lizzie. On the 29th August 1891 Henry Dean took over the bakery from Mrs. Morrow. His advertisement said that the had taken the premises previously occupied by the Q. N. Bank in Herbert Street and intended to erect first class ovens.
John Powell bought the bakery business from Henry Dean on the 24th June 1893. He retained C. G. (Charles) Downes as manager. In 1895 P. Grace took over the bakery from John Powell. It was described as being next to J. Powell (undertaker) and opposite Sharpe & Leggatt’s timber yard.
On the 23rd February 1895 F. J. Caskey bought out P. Grace.
Edward Pugh announced on the 5th September 1896 that he had secured the premises lately occupied by F. J. Caskey and that he was opening up a new baker’s shop. Edward Pugh died on the 27th March 1902.
In the mid 1880’s Heinrich (Henry) Reppel opened a bakery at what is now No.19 Drayton Street. This was taken over by his son Henry junior (Harry) Reppel on the 1st October 1899. On the 1st August 1914 he sold the business to Phillip Conley but on the 27th February 1915 he took over the business again. Harry Reppel’s brother Cornelius (Con) worked for his brother as a baker. On the 30th March 1929 the bakery came under the new management of F. C. (Fred) Turrell an ex Millmerran baker. The large brick ovens still stand at the rear of Lilley, Spanner & Stacey, solicitors.
On the 13th February 1899 Phillip Rooney announced that he had secured a first class baker and was starting up a new baker business nearly opposite the State School (at what is today No.48 Herbert Street). Phillip Rooney sold the bakery to G. R. (George) Tickle on the 8th February 1902. George Tickle’s Excelsior Bakery was burned to the ground in the August 1929 fire after which he built the current shop. The baker for George Tickle during the 1930’s was Jack “Treacle” McDonald. When Stan Carlyle enlisted in the army from Allora in 1941 his occupation was given as ‘baker’ and he may have also worked for George Tickle, his uncle. . Lloyd Shezgreen took over the bakery in the 1940’s followed by Jack McDonald in 1948. T. J. Glenny was the baker in 1949 followed by Jack McDonald again from 1950 to 1954. The ovens then fell into disuse and were not used again to bake bread until 1959 when for a short time, Kleases bakers ex Clifton, baked bread there. The ovens still stand at the rear of Cassie Cronin’s hairdressing salon.  F. A. (Frank) Chandler who moved his bakery business from Jondaryan to No. 66 Herbert Street, Allora in May 1940. He operated there until at least March 1943.  Kevin Dance was a baker at No. 66 at some stage.
From the “Advertiser”, H. W. (Bill) Turner had the bakery from August 1948 to June 1951. W. G. Schipp operated from 1952 until he sold it to J. W. Murray on 3/11/1955. H. J. S. (Jim) Hutchinson owned the shop from at least 23/4/1959 until he sold it to the Family Choice Baking Co. on 14/51970. He remained as manager but from that date the “Regal” bread was baked in Toowoomba and delivered to the Allora shop. In the early 1970’s the shop was renovated in brick, probably after the takeover by Family Choice. The Allora shop was closed by Family Choice in 1979 and from that time bread was distributed to the shops by contractor.
Allora Country Bakery operated at No.46A for a short time in 2006 with bread baked in Warwick. Doug Hughes baked bread at his mother, Kathy Hughes’ Allora Café and Bakery in 2007 and 2008.