The BRGHS has an excellent record in historical research. Our members have conducted such research since the early 1990s, and this work underpins all our publications and exhibits.

 

During 2002 we spent six months cataloguing the existing museum artefact and records collection. Since then we have amassed an extensive library of newspaper articles, official records, photographs, books and journal articles, and oral history recordings and transcripts, all relating to the history of Queensland prisons, inmates and staff. The gathering of this information has involved thousands of working hours and a significant allocation of financial resources. This work has allowed us to train BRGHS volunteers in archival research methods.

 

Our records and research experience continue to grow on a weekly basis, and we now have an excellent research library at our disposal. The underlying community approach to our research is that it both involves and is accessible to the public, and we hope to make the BRGHS Library collection accessible to the public museum visitors and students in the future.

 

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A key job of the BRGHS up to 2006 was the day-to-day maintenance of the Boggo Road site. A large site like Boggo Road will quickly become overgrown if left alone, and over the years we ensured that this did not happen.   This was no easy task, but for the BRGHS it was a labour of love. Grass needed mowing, weeds removing, yards sweeping, pigeons repelling, floors and walls cleaning, light bulbs changing, toilets cleaning, litter picking up, display cases repairing, and display boards constructing. The kind of people who would turn up every day and do this work for free need to be dedicated to the site, and the BRGHS members are.

Outside the former warder's quarters.

 

The BRGHS maintenance crew have long been the heart and lungs of our group, turning up and pitching in every week. Most of all, they enjoyed themselves and had a great time together, creating a relaxed and cheerful working environment that set the tone for the whole BRGHS.

 

In addition to the above jobs, the single most time-consuming task at the site was simply keeping it open for visitors. All doors and gates needed to be locked at night and reopened in the morning (no easy task in a prison). This meant that some of our volunteers were regularly putting in at least 60 hours per week at the site, on some days being there at dawn and leaving only after midnight . They also kept a close watch over the place and alerted the state government when their help was required to fix any problems.

It can truly be said that without the dedication shown by the BRGHS members responsible for maintenance and opening and closing the site, the Boggo Road Gaol Museum would have been closed to the public and all those who used the site.

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Boggo Road Tours

Guided tours of the Boggo Road site began in the early 1990s, and went on to become the big success story of the museum. In 2000 the ex-officers who conducted these tours were taking an average of one tour per week, but due to their own hard work and an increase in targeted promotion in schools they were conducting an average of one tour per day by 2005.

 

The overwhelming majority of these tours were for school groups, and we estimate that since the late 1990s tens of thousands of school children have visited the Boggo Road site. All these tours were volunteer-run, which allowed us to offer them at the affordable price of $4.00 per child. The low cost of these tours directly contributed to their popularity, with many schools making annual repeat visits and the teachers developed a great rapport with the tour guides. The other significant tour group markets were seniors groups and night tours. It was the personal experience of the tour guides that made these tours so successful. They were able to tell the inside story in a way that really grabbed the attention of visitors, who were invariably enthralled to hear from someone who knew the gaol so well.

 

Future Tours

When the museum reopens the BRGHS is hoping to be able to offer a number of tour options that build on our past strengths and (having done our market research, developed scripts and made costumes and props) we are ready to present tours that embrace modern educational techniques that increase visitor involvement.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE!

It is not yet known who will be managing the gaol site when it reopens

 

Anyone advertising tours or functions at the site has not been granted permission or the rights to conduct or promote any such tours and functions.

 

Please bear this in mind when passing on your contact details to anyone advertising any such services.

Please email us if you have any questions regarding tours and functions at the site.

 

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It has always been an objective of the BRGHS to study the area outside the prison reserve. There was, after all, a strong connection between the prison and the suburban development of the surrounding areas. The closure of the gaol museum during redevelopment has allowed us to expand our activities in this field, and we have since produced several local history titles, including the The One & Only Boggo Road (a history of early Annerley Road), the Boggo Road Heritage Walk, and Absolute Fairyland (the Dutton Park recreation reserve).

 

Our research has covered the nearby suburbs of Dutton Park, Fairfield, Highgate Hill, Woolloongabba, Annerley and South Brisbane. We will be using this material as the basis of of an exciting new suburban history series.

 

One of the most important heritage sites near the prison is the South Brisbane Cemetery (sometimes called the Dutton Park Cemetery), which is just a few hundred metres away. BRGHS involvement at this site began in 2003, when we started the project to install the cemetery plaque near the graves of the executed prisoners. There are many heritage connections between the prison and the cemetery. Many of those who worked (or were confined) in the prison are buried there; both sites were initially reserved in the 1860s and are now heritage listed; both were once felt to have a detrimental effect on the value of the area; and both were in need of a dedicated team of volunteers to look after them. In the case of the cemetery, this group was the Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery.

 

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this aspect of our work, or would like to help out or become involved.

 

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The Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery (FOSBC) is a not-for-profit, independent community organisation which has the objective of the long-term preservation of this important part of Brisbane’s history. The FOSBC were formed in 2005 by a small group of women who were concerned about the decaying state of the cemetery, which was the only major cemetery in Brisbane not to have a 'Friends of... ' group attached to it. Since that time the FOSBC have achieved a lot, including a huge and ongoing cleanup of the cemetery, removing debris that had built up over graves and pathways, straightening and cleaning headstones, and trimming back trees.   They also photographed each headstone and compiled a comprehensive record of the burials. Historical maps and plans were also located, along with documents relating to the early management of the cemetery. The group have extensively researched many aspects of the cemetery's history and have started to publish books through 'Inside History'.

Another important aspect of their work has been fighting to ensure that local and state governments do the right thing by the cemetery. The recent construction of the nearby Busway proved to be particularly controversial for the FOSBC, and the ensuing dispute over the extent of the cemetery boundaries drew the attention of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.   In 2008 FOSBC conducted a series of free guided tours at the cemetery, events known as 'Stories in Stone' (right). These will be expanded upon in 2009 with new attractions and publications. The FOSBC are always looking for volunteers to help out with this fascinating work. Contact them here or visit their website at http://www.southbrisbanecemetery.org/ .

 

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