Mackay history: Reflecting on milestones before Governor visit

In early days, Mackay’s banks had to rely on their own system of personal identification for clients such as a “mole on the chest”, a “pock marked face” or, in another case, a “wart on fourth finger of right hand”.

Next week we will again welcome the Queensland Governor to Mackay on a visit to our city.

Almost 140 years ago, in 1883, Mackay welcomed the then Queensland Governor, Sir Anthony Musgrave, for the purpose of “turning the first sod” of the Mackay Railway.

This new railway was to run from Mackay via Walkerston to Eton, a distance of 22½ miles, with a branch at the 15-mile mark to Hamilton, this branch being 7½ miles long.

This was a momentous milestone in the town’s history.

Sir Musgrave travelled to Mackay aboard the specially chartered Governor Blackall to great celebration.

After putting anchor at Flat Top, the Governor and his entourage were transferred to the tender Porpoise and arrived at the river wharf in Mackay to a huge crowd.

Following several long welcoming addresses and even longer responses, a procession worked its way through the city, led by the town band, to Gardner’s Hotel, where rooms had been engaged for the Governor and his party.

Mackay pulled out all the stops.

The Brisbane Courier describes how the town had been decorated especially for the occasion: “...with bunting, palms, and green bushes, presenting a very festive appearance.

At the corner of Victoria and Sydney Streets a handsome triumphal arch bearing appropriate inscriptions had been erected”.

Of particular note was the Australian Joint Stock Bank building on Victoria St, conspicuous for the “excellence of its decorations”.

What became known as the Commonwealth Bank building was constructed in 1880 for the Australian Joint Stock Bank and is the oldest commercial building in Mackay.

Back in 1883 the bank building was definitely worthy of a second glance.

The structure was designed by the then Queensland Colonial Architect Francis Stanley, constructed by Brisbane building contractors Southall and Tracey, with the build supervised by the Brisbane architect Arthur Josling.

Stanley was responsible for the design of many other heritage-listed buildings in Queensland, including two other AJSB buildings in Maryborough and Townsville.

This was not the first AJSB in Mackay; the bank having been associated with the town since 1866.

The AJSB was established during the gold rush in southern states in the 1850s, opening branches in the emerging Queensland goldfields.

According to an article in the Daily Mercury in 1931, Mackay’s early bank customers comprised of mainly pastoralists, or “squatters”, as well as storekeepers, carriers and drovers. In those early days banks had to rely on their own system of personal identification for clients if this was required, and some of these were original – such as a “mole on the chest”, a “pock marked face” or, in another case, a “wart on fourth finger of right hand”.

Unfortunately, in its fledgling year, the Mackay branch of the AJSB was robbed.

Located in North St, in a rather lonely spot surrounded by sugar cane that afforded excellent cover for the marauders but little protection for staff, it was “stuck up” by two men with pistols, who relieved the bank of all the gold, notes and silver that they could find and stuff into their bags.

On leaving, the two robbers gave strict instructions that the two staff not sound the alarm for at least half an hour or risk being killed.

Mounting their horses, which were left outside tied up for the duration of the crime, they rode off at a leisurely pace towards Nebo.

The robbery cleared them £746, until they were later caught, still in possession of most of their ill-gotten gains.

As the city of Mackay grew and prospered, so did the sense of civic pride, which in turn manifested in many of its built structures.

These buildings were the outward display of many years of hard work in the local area, and a sense of confidence of what was to come in the future.

It speaks volumes as to the AJSB’s belief in Mackay’s future prosperity that they were willing to invest in the considerable expense of a new bank.

A reporter for the Brisbane Courier commented in a January, 1880, piece on the build that “the Joint Stock Bank has been associated with the Mackay district for nearly 14 years, having opened in January 1866, and has taken no small part in its settlement and progress, and could not give us a more practical proof of its confidence in our advancement than this imposing building.”

The same article put the building cost at £5000 (close to $1 million in today’s terms).

The design was described as “Strictly Roman” or “Italian Doric”.

Finely proportioned iron columns were made locally at the Victoria foundry.

The external work was finished with Portland cement and stained in a sandstone colour. Living quarters and outhouses were not to be spared the finer design details either.

The total building size was planned at 90 feet by 56 feet, with 34 feet by 18 feet being taken up by the banking room itself.

Decked out for the Governor’s visit, it must have been a memorable sight.

A viewing of this property in its current state may not evoke such happy memories.

After more than a century housing a bank, the former AJSB was put up for auction in the early 2000s and sold into private hands.

This period of its life has not been kind, and while its good bones remain evident, this is a building in serious peril.

This is a building waiting to be brought back to life, waiting to be restored to its former glory, and most importantly, waiting to again do justice to those early pioneers who worked so hard to make our city a place to be proud of.

Pictures: Courtesy of Trove, Queensland Government Heritage register documents and the 1883 view of bank is from Glen Hall