Queensland Day - June 6th.

Queensaland Day is not the Queen's Birthday Celebration Day which is a public holiday on 13th July.

Here in Queensland we now Celebrate our State - Queensland which incidentally was named by the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, at the time when our State was seperated from New South Wales on the 10th December 1859 and became a seperate colony.

Our Celebrations now form part of Queensland Week and the special day of June 6th is known as Queensland Day.

How This Day Became Significant. A history lesson -- ??

The original permanent European settlement in Australia was at Sydney Cove in 1788 under Captain Arthur Phillip. All the Eastern Coast of Australia was then known as New South Wales. As time progressed a penal settlement was established in this colony on the banks of the Brisbane River and became known as Edinglassie but was altered to Brisbane after an early Governor of the New South Wales Colony.

By the 1850's the distance from Sydney and a desire of the free settlers to govern themselves led to a push for separation from New South Wales. Between 1851 -1854 a number of public meetings had been held. By 1856 several petitions had been sent to the Monarch, Queen Victoria, seeking the establishment of a new colony.

On June 6th. 1859, Queen Victoria signed the Letters Patent creating a new colony. On the 10th July 1859, the ship "Clarence" with the word "Separation" painted on its hull sailed into Brisbane carrying the Letters Patent.

The Queen favoured the name 'Queensland' over 'Cooksland' honouring Captain James Cook discoverer of our island in 1770.

There were jubliant celebrations by those meeting the vessel and the populace of Brisbane who learnt later that month that their first Governor was to be Sir George Ferguson Bowen.

Governor Bowen and his wife, Lady Diamantina, arrived in Brisbane on the 10 December 1859, landing at the Botanic Gardens. They were taken to 'Adelaide House' in Adelaide Street, the residence later being known as Government House until the completion of the official Government House overlooking the Botanic Gardens.

From the balcony of Adelaide House, now the Deanery of St.Johns Cathedral, Governor Bowen read the Letters Patent to the welcoming crowd of 4000, officially establishing Queensland as a seperate Colony. The Letters Patent were published in the Queensland Gazette on December 10th. 1859.

Now this is why we celebrate Queensland Day. .................... How do we at Samford Museum celebrate?

Invited Respite Groups and Seniors Groups come for the day and we entertain them.
Our local school children the Samford State School Songsters sing a repetoire of favourite fun Australian songs.

A pair of talented musicians, Phil and Jenny Luke, come and play lots of old time songs and tunes in a singalong atmosphere which everyone enjoys.

A Sausage-sizzle feeds us all at a small cost and cakes and sweets, tea,coffee etc are also on sale.

In addition to to these, there are things that are extras which we may come across during the year and these add to our day. It could be a whistler, an opera singer or a whipcracker or a poet or anything else that is fun.

The day is open to all and many of the local residents come and enjoy a chat and cuppa.

Our guests often like to reminiscence on old times and tell us their stories which we like to record for future generations if the storyteller wishes.

The Queensland Flag is flown alongside the Australian Flag and we endeavour to spread the history of our States beginnings to our visitors - one and all.