Andrew Patterson looks back at his life growing up in suburban Brisbane and his career as a civil engineer in this memoir. Born during World War II, he grew up in a rented house in Doomben a short distance from the southern end of Brisbane’s main Eagle Farm Aerodrome—not a particularly safe place to live during wartime. Many family members and friends used their home as a staging post on their way north to war. His family life was sometimes odd, with his father always urging him to do well in school—or else he would turn him and his brother, Gavin, into “bloody little Bank Johnnies.” He said it in such a disparaging way that it sounded like this would be the worst punishment they could possibly suffer. He also recalls his array of experiences as a civil engineer working in Queensland and other projects throughout the world. Join the author as he shares a firsthand account of growing up in Queensland, his passion for sailing and flying, and his fascinating life as an engineer.

This book is an autobiographical account of the author's time from when he was nineteen and moved to Queensland, Australia from the U.K. The author, William Henry Corfield, was a carrier, publican, storekeeper and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

Reproduction of the original: Reminiscences of Queensland 1862-1899 by William Henry Corfield

Queensland classic edition, originally published by Watson Ferguson & Company in 1904. These stories, first appeared in the “Queeslander” in the form of articles, many of which referred to the Aboriginal People. These articles were then recorded and published by his daughter, Constance Campbell Petrie, in 1904. This book also provides a brief sketch of the early days of the colony of Queensland from 1837, through the eyes of Tom Petrie. He was considered an authority on the Aboriginal people and in this book there is a wide range of interesting and important information about them, including some vocabulary words.

When a ship is docked to clean away underwater barnacles and weed and to paint its bottom, dock workers referred to this as a “haircut and shave”. But the dock at South Brisbane did much more than this, repairing seriously damaged shipping in peace and war, building wooden boats – and even hosting championship swimming events.