Recession ruled Charters Towers in July 1904. Mr Frank Fraser, a stockbroker of Charters Towers, representing the Messrs E D Miles and Co. Ltd. accompanied by his family and his friend Mr William Brook MacDonald, a solicitor of Charters Towers to Inkerman and Kirknie Stations for a crocodile shoot in August 1904.…

As a lad living on a cane farm at Anabranch, and growing up between the wars, the Muir family had ponies to ride and a few times we entered them in the annual Show which was held mainly in June.By SweetFM

George Singer, the founder of Singer Motors Ltd. began the company with his brother-in-law, J E. Stringer in Coventry making bicycles. He was previously foreman of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company from which he resigned to begin making bicycles.By SweetFM

W Langford Penny (a salesman) was 25 and his mate Mr Raymond Becker (22) a fellow salesman, departed from Sydney in a Singer Junior 8 h.p. motor car Monday 2nd February 1931 for Townsville.By SweetFM

This area, from 17th Street to the Carstairs Shop (owned by the Faulkner’s) was known as Athalie Estate and had been subdivided by Mr Graham.By SweetFM

After the establishment of Home Hill in 1911, it was not long before the farmers and the town folk began to think of horse racing. They cleared the land at a number of places to hold horse meetings.By SweetFM

DELTA ADVOCATE 1951 By Arthur Durrant I started my 5 year apprenticeship on 25th June 1951 at the age of 14. The wages were £10 a week for a tradesman. My apprentice wage was £1.19s.6p but they were good enough to make it £2 a week.By SweetFM

Messrs Michael Keane and Macken secured premises in November 1897 in the old Queensland North Bank building adjoining the Queens Hotel, in Queen Street. The first edition began on 17 November 1897.By SweetFM

The Three Graces in classical mythology: the goddesses who bestowed beauty and charm and were themselves the embodiment of both. They were the sisters, Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne, the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome or according to some, Hera.By SweetFM

This is the story of a man called Alfred Cotton or A J as he was known, who was born on the Island of Jersey in the Channel Islands in the British Isles in June 1861.By SweetFM

Australians remember ANZAC on 25th April. It is fitting that we honour our men of the district who went off to serve our country, some of whom paid the Supreme Sacrifice and the soldiers who returned.By SweetFM

Tom recalls the vegetables and fruit coming in bags and wooden boxes by rail wagon which was not refrigerated, from BrisbaneBy SweetFM

Bellrieve House was built and opened for business February 1935. It was “a fine modern, two-storey building of concrete, which comprises of two commodious shops and suites of offices, erected by A. S. Wight and Sons, for Mr J Lynch”. Mr Frank H Claussen, dental surgeon, had his surgery on the first floor of Bellrieve House and J S Lynch had his acc…

Friday 27th January, 1905, the mail coach left the Ayr Post Office for Wangaratta, early in the morning. The vehicle is a light buggy drawn by a single chestnut horse, who though a little long in the back and hind legs, is very honest and willing. The coach carries two, the driver and one passengerBy SweetFM

A group of farmers, business men, and people of the Burdekin district decided to go into the manufacture of macaroni, spaghetti and other similar commodities in 1932.By SweetFM

The first railway in our region ran from Bowen to Wangaratta, (now known as Bobawaba, meaning large swamp). The building of this railway began in Bowen on May 1st in 1890 and was completed on October, 1st 1891.By SweetFM

After a seafaring life I heard of an abandoned selection on a tributary creek of the Lower Burdekin River (Ana Branch) which would prove eminently suitable for poultry farming, also that there was a good slab house with bark roof, a garden etc. I was in Brisbane and wired to the local Land Commissioner in Townsville, applying for this selection and…

A group of people from Home Hill, spent the New Year holidaying at the Cape, where they set up a number of camps. On the Tuesday evening, 1 January they sighted a vessel making for the Cape from the Burdekin Bar. The vessel anchored about two miles from shore. On Wednesday morning, twenty-two members of the crew of the sampan came ashore and landed…

Malcolm Kirke joins us to tell about his experiences who, as a 9 year old, witnessed the planes in the Burdekin River.By SweetFM

During WW11, the Australian and American Defence Forces were gathering in North Queensland prior to the Battle of the Coral Sea which took place in May 1942 and the coming conflict in New Guinea and the South Western Pacific Islands. The monotony of daily living was broken sometime in April 1942 when two Bell P39 Airacobras came to grief in the Bur…

When North Queensland was opened up in 1861, Bowen on Port Denison was the first major port for the district. The road, north from Bowen crossed the Burdekin at what is now Clare. It was known as Hamilton’s crossing.When North Queensland was opened up in 1861, Bowen on Port Denison was the first major port for the district. The road, north from Bow…

Cyclone Connie crossed the coast at Cape Upstart to arrive and hit the district with vengeance on Monday, 16th February 1959. Cyclone Charlie arrived in the early hours on Monday, 29th February 1988. The Burdekin was once again visited on 4th April, 1989, by Cyclone AivuBy SweetFM

On 9th March 1903, Leonta hit Townsville, Ayr and Bowen with a vengeance. Most buildings were wrecked in Ayr and Brandon. All communications were cut.By SweetFM

In February, 1864 the Burdekin River was in flood which was no doubt was the result a cyclone. Captain McEwen of the schooner, “Three Friends” encountered winds and flood when he tried to unload supplies at the Burdekin Landing, (later known as Wickham).By SweetFM

Peter Sue lived on the main highway now where Plantation Park is today. Ah Bang was another Chinese Gardener who lived further down the creek from Peter Sue.By SweetFM

George Shepherd lived further up Plantation Ck. He gave his address as C/- of the Five Furlong Post at the Ayr Racecourse Jacky Brown lived near the Town Dump. He was generally regarded as a Petty Thief and spent a fair bit of his life in Stuart Jail. Jacky probably got put away for a lot of crimes that he never committed but looked forward to what…

When the sugar industry began in 1882, there was no rail line between Ayr Brandon and Townsville. A fleet of small steamers called sugar lighters carried the sugar to Townsville, and bought back supplies.By SweetFM

Upstart Bay – Fishing, Graves, Shipwrecks And Wartime Reminiscences George BetteridgeBy SweetFM

Horses were used to pull vehicles through the sand in the river and vehicles were placed on rail wagons during the floods to travel across the Burdekin River.By SweetFM

Captain John Clements Wickham of the “Beagle” first navigated the Burdekin River in 1839. In 1861 when the land in North Queensland was opened up, a little port known as Wickham (named after him) was established just up from the mouth of the BurdekinBy SweetFM

Some Home Hill personalities took a cruise in a boat, the River Rat owned and skippered by Kelly Couper. They travelled down the river from the railway bridge through Groper Creek, into Salt Water Creek before returning to Home Hill.By SweetFM

A flying boat of war time vintage ex RAAF A.24-385 Catalina VH-ASA, (Able Sugar, Able or Australia South America), fully equipped with long range fuel tanks, was given to them by the Australian Government to use on this flight. it was named Frigate Bird II.By SweetFM

Eugene L’Huiller, known as Blue, was born at Miles in Queensland and enlisted in the RAAF at Sydney on 4th October 1939By SweetFM

Charles Kingsford Smith and Bert Hinkler made news with their flightsBy SweetFM

The trip to Plantation Creek always took place in the Christmas Holidays. We went to what we called the Boat Creak at Seaforth, Conley’s Farm.By SweetFM

Christening parties are enjoyed in any family. Here is one enjoyed by the people of Brandon, in November, 1898. The party was a roaring success, and will be remembered by all present for their lifetime.By SweetFM

Mr Craig, secretary of the Ayr Pastoral Agricultural and Industrial Association assisted by his able committee ran a successful show, enjoyed by all. During the day the Life Boat Band from Townsville entertained the crowds. At night there was a concert and a dance which whiled the night away.By SweetFM

The bridge was started in February 1913 and by June 1913, was finished.This bridge was originally constructed of local timber which was cleared from the surrounding farms so that sugar-cane could be planted.By SweetFM

Nellie Stewart was a world class entertainer who had an unforgettable experience whilst traveling to Ayr.By SweetFM

Women giving birth to babies in the early years of the Burdekin District were either assisted by other women or midwives. Some women would have traveled to Bowen, Townsville or Charters Towers well before the birth took place. Lying-in Hospitals are Maternity Hospitals of today. By 1916 all Lying-in hospitals had to be registered.…

It took twenty-eight years for the town’s folk to get a Lower Burdekin Hospital built for the district.By SweetFM

It is believed that the original street names of Ayr were of either Egyptian or Turkish origin. On an official town map of Ayr dated April 1921 the Turkish Egyptian named streets were changed to the names of pioneering families of the Ayr District.By SweetFM

The Butter Factory was built on Allotment 2 and 8 Section 46 on the Railway Reserve across the line from the station on the hill near the Black BridgeBy SweetFM

The burning of sugar cane before harvest is a common occurrence in the Burdekin region. It's a practice that has been happening for many years for a variety of reasons.By SweetFM

Cecil Clive Oats was born in January 1923 weighing fourteen pounds. He was the youngest child of a family of ten and went to school at Iyah where the family lived. He later went to the Home Hill State Rural School. His father died when he was seven. Basher left school at thirteen years of age to be an apprentice baker, at the Wattle Bakery operated…