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Wayne Kerrisk finds Rockhampton 1 o‘clock gun buried in his Wandal home

A retired Central Queensland teacher made an explosive find when he and a group of mates dug in his backyard and unearthed an iconic relic. See the pictures.

Wayne Kerrisk and a group of mates dug up the cannon which had been buried in his backyard for decades.
Wayne Kerrisk and a group of mates dug up the cannon which had been buried in his backyard for decades.

Ever since Wayne Kerrisk was a four-year-old boy he’d been told a cannon was buried in his backyard, and now he knows the stories were entirely true.

The retired teacher and his ‘Table of Knowledge’ crew have unearthed the relic and discovered a part of Rockhampton’s history.

The cannon dates back to the days where the Beef Capital’s population was just 1000.

The distinctive piece of artillery was known as the “1 o’clock gun” and would be fired at 1pm each day to let residents know the time.

“I mentioned to my mates I had a cannon in my backyard … and we decided to have a cannon party and dug it up last Wednesday,” Mr Kerrisk said.

Wayne Kerrisk with the cannon he uncovered in his backyard in Wandal.
Wayne Kerrisk with the cannon he uncovered in his backyard in Wandal.

The property, located on the corner of Jardine and Rundell Streets, was originally owned by Mr Kerrisk’s father, who paid his first rates on the block in 1952.

The first records of the cannon date back to the 1850s or 1860s, where a council office boy was paid 20 pounds a year to fire it.

There were also reports of people complaining about the cannon being too loud and shockwaves causing plaster to come off buildings.

Mr Kerrisk said the can was one stationed at a small quarry down formerly located nearby on Jardine St before it was eventually moved to where it now lies underground.

“When Dad bought the block he and some workmen were going to move the cannon to the empty block next door, but it was just too heavy to move,” he said.

“So they dug a trench and just pushed it in, he’d always pointed out the location of it.”

The 1 o'clock gun was fired everyday at 1pm and has been around since about the mid 1800s.
The 1 o'clock gun was fired everyday at 1pm and has been around since about the mid 1800s.

Mr Kerrisk said digging up the cannon was something he’d always wanted to do, but got the encouragement when his mates got excited by the tale of the relic’s existence.

“I think it was probably the ‘little boy syndrome’ in me, but they gave me the impetus to dig it up,” he said.

“It took us a couple of hours, we just used shovels and one of the guys had a metal detector so it picked the spot right up.

“I was very surprised at the size, it’s nearly 3m. There was a lot of cheering (and) there were about 15 of us digging it up.”

Mr Kerrisk said he would have a vacuum truck going to his house to clear around the cannon so they could have a proper look at the piece.

As for his plans for the relic, he said he’d like to donate it to the council for them to display in a prominent spot.

“Dad offered it to the council about 40 years ago but they didn’t want it, but I think they’ll take it a bit more seriously this time,” he said.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/rockhampton/wayne-kerrisk-finds-rockhampton-1-oclock-gun-buried-in-his-wandal-home/news-story/0771d247323ba5cdc79aed15b2ba3816