First Rockhampton Mayor John Palmer honoured with Quay St tribute

The legacy of Rockhampton’s first mayor has been immortalised, with his great-grandchildren and the current mayor unveiling a special plaque.

Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams with the great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren of Rockhampton's first mayor John Palmer.

The life of Rockhampton’s first mayor and one of its original storekeepers has been immortalised in a special tribute from his great-grandchildren and council.

John Palmer was Rockhampton’s first ever mayor after the city declared a municipality in August 1860.

On Wednesday, three of his great-grandchildren unveiled a memorial plaque on a bench on the corner of Quay Street across the Criterion.

The spot is just a short distance from where Mr Palmer’s store was located and is as close to the original site as they could get the memorial.

Mr Palmer, who was born in Ireland, was first recorded to have been in Rockhampton in the 1850s by John Macartney, who was one of the early pastoralists in the area.

The memorial bench unveiled in memory of Rockhampton's first mayor John Palmer.

At that time Mr Palmer’s store and the Bush Inn, which is now The Criterion, were the only two buildings in the city.

Andrew Palmer, one of Mr Palmer’s great-grandchildren, said unveiling the plaque was “fitting”.

“We’ve always felt he made a great contribution to the city and there was no real recognition of that, so we were very keen to see something the council recognised was an appropriate way to recognised his contributions as the first mayor and also a successful businessman,” he said.

“The location is adjacent to the store that he had, so it’s a sensible location and also next door to the Criterion Hotel which was the only other building standing in Rockhampton when he first came here.”

Mr Palmer was one of two mayoral candidates at the time of his election, with each candidate receiving equal votes and the tie was broken thanks to the vote of the returning officer.

During his 11 months as mayor, Mr Palmer demonstrated a commitment to learning and education, being a vocal advocated for the establishment of a school of arts.

Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams with the great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren of Rockhampton's first mayor John Palmer.

The plaque was officially unveiled by current Mayor Tony Williams, who said he and the city’s first mayor had something in common.

“I do have one thing in common with John, I’d like to see the city succeed and develop for the future,” he said.

“I think I can take away from history that he was well versed in that approach and it is a proud moment for the Palmer family what we have here today.”

Andrew said his great-grandfather would be “delighted” to see what Rockhampton was now, more than 100 years on from its foundations.

“The last 10 years we’ve seen a lot of consolidation, I think he saw Rockhampton had a real future, unfortunately he didn’t live to be part of that future for long but he would be delighted, I’m sure, to see the way the riverbank particularly has been developed,” he said.