Wild times in fabulous Charters Towers
The above book , produced for the Charters Towers and Dalrymple Family History Association , not only presents a fascinating insight into the boisterous early political life in Queensland's richest goldfield , but the equally volatile newspaper wars . A bundle of these books only recently came to light .
By Peter Simon
Today , as you walk about the central business district, some of the pioneers and politicians are discovered in 12 worn plaques scattered about the footpaths .
One , below , is for German immigrant , Isidore Lissner (1832-1902) , a prominent figure in Charters Towers, who became a politician .The Brisbane Stock Exchange even closed as a mark of respect when he died . His life makes interesting reading. Incidentally , it appears his christian name was Isidor , not Isidore .
The plaque is not far from a distinctive shopfront , one of many, remnants of earlier boom days.
On a recent visit to Charters Towers , I paused for several curried egg sandwiches and coffee in the city's park, named after Lissner.
Born in Posen, Prussia, he emigrated to Victoria in l856 during the goldrush. Obviously suffering from Bendigo gold fever, he went to New Zealand goldfields . On coming to Queensland , he made his way to Ravenswood , another goldmining boomtown.
Soon after he moved to nearby Charters Towers where he became a prominent identity both as a storekeeper, share dealer and politician .Elected the Member for Kennedy in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from October 5,l883-May 13 ,1893, he was given the Mines and Public Works portfolio .
In an extraordinary act, he travelled to England in l883 as a representative of Charters Towers miners to petition the Secretary of State for Colonies for a separate North Queensland state . He also served as the MP for Cairns from 1896 to 1899 and was buried in the Toowong Cemetery , Brisbane.
The above gravestone records the death of his wife, Louisa, at 33 . He is named as Isidor Siegfried Lissner.
An interesting chapter in the above book deals with the Fourth Estate, ,journalists and newspapers , in those heady days , which could be the subject for a dramatic Australian television series .
One of the newspaper men , mentioned recently in this blog ,was the Northern Miner editor , Irishman Thadeus O'Kane , who failed to be elected to parliament , the subject of a footpath plaque ,below.
The Australian Dictionary of Biography listing for O'Kane says that he, named Timothy Joseph O'Kane, was intended to go into the priesthood in Ireland. However, he went to London as a journalist , took up with actress Margaret Matilda Augusta Morris , sired five children , sought a divorce from her on the grounds of alleged adultery with Lord Palmerston , the suit later withdrawn in February 1864. Apparently there was no evidence of them having married . Not long after, he changed his name to Thadeus and headed for the colonies , Queensland , where he was dubbed "the best radical in North Queensland ", a major player in politics of the day , involved in many libel cases.
