Delayed because of the covid-19 lockdown , the superb Magnetic Island Museum 2020 Vision Exhibition will be on public view from Saturday June 13 at Picnic Bay . It derives its title from the fact that it presents a broad snapshot of the island in the 1920s .
We were privileged to be given a preview of the well researched and prepared,highly illustrated exhibition which covers all parts of the island during that decade. There are interesting photographs from a Townsville album covering aspects of island life including well dressed men and women during Easter trips to the island in l923 and l924.
A point of interest in light of the current pandemic is the map of the quarantine station which was well and truly closed by 1920 ; there is a headstone on the site today for seaman W.J.Carde, 23,off the SS Cinta, who died May 6 ,1900, under mysterious circumstances .He was variously said to have fallen from the masthead, died due to measles and had also been a victim of typhoid or the plague. It was revealed that the Queensland government did not want it known that the dreaded Black Death had arrived in the state.A newspaper account of the cover up wrongly named the victim W. J. Gard.
There are glimpses of various vessels , including the dredge Octupus (also referred to as Octypus and Octopus ), built in 1882, which was towed to Nelly Bay ,used as a breakwater, ending up scuttled off Arthur Bay. Currently working on Townsville's shipping channel is the above dredge ,Brisbane, visible from the island .
