In July 2003 the handful of volunteers who had worked at the Boggo Road historical site and museum for up to 11 years formed the Boggo Road Gaol Historical Society (Inc.) as an incorporated association with the aim of protecting and researching the old gaol. Ex-officer and museum manager John Banks was our founding president.
While we were at the gaol we ran successful tours, maintained the grounds, installed exhibits, published books, hosted functions, paid the bills, and it was only through our hard work that Boggo Road was open to the public at all.
Although the gaol closed in 2005, we grew from a foundation membership of ten people to having almost 200 members by the end of 2010. These people come from a broad range of backgrounds. We still hold regular meetings, social events and community stalls while we continue our mission to protect and research the gaol. We also lobby government for the best outcome for the future of the gaol site, and hope to have a significant role at Boggo Road when it reopens.
Our research has diversified to include various aspects of local history, and we continue to build and strengthen our working relationships with other community groups. We continue to publish books, and now conduct tours of the nearby South Brisbane Cemetery, ensuring that we always have plenty of work to do before Boggo Road reopens again.
