Page 6 - eMuse Vol.9 No.03_Classical

How a forgotten
Queensland

bushman made

amazing history
that few can even

remember

Painting of Billy Mateer’s Ride by Pam Hopkins
“So I wired him (the P.M.G.)
Part Two cord in 1932 . From the outset to ‘Please warn inhabitants
let me state that it is no crime
BILLY MATEER for people of eighty years of Brisbane, Goodna, Ipswich,
Lowood, other centres, of
age with less than four years to
live to develop a faulty memo- tremendous flood, eighteen
THE MAN WHO RACED THE FLOOD ry, particularly of events that ninety level already exceeded
occurred nearly forty years or several feet. Stanley River only,
by Athony Hammill half a lifetime previously. Bert Brisbane to follow,’ and signed
Facey who wrote ‘ A Fortunate it. Not a soul was warned. Tel-
Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary Life’ was criticised for getting egrams from Esk had to be re-
things. By that measure, Billy Mateer was a hero some details wrong. The fate of peated by Ipswich office opera-
and much more. Unfortunately, he is also a the second telegram seems to tor, for there was no through
neglected hero. lie in Johanna’s evidence even wire at that time, and whoever
did that repeating, he had not
though she got the ride and the
MYSTERY OF THE TELEGRAM egraph office. Message forms town wrong. The testimony of the sense to even notify his su-
AND RECOLLECTIONS were filled out at the Post Of- elderly people is not to be dis- perior that such a message had
DECIPHERED fice, and then taken to the rail- missed; it simply means that it gone through, nor was even the
Those are the main sources way station for transmission at must be carefully scrutinised “Courier” informed. Nothing
of evidence for Billy’s ride, as in- the approved time. This was the and checked (where possible) was done, except that a copy of
complete as they are . The mys- case in 1893 when an important to separate the chaff from the my wire was pasted on a black-
wheat, as with all evidence.
board outside the G.P.O. which
tery here is, if the telegram was message concerning flooding
wired to Brisbane in time for in the Brisbane River was sent And what is on the public re- was seen and read by Mr. Perry
Saturday’s Courier, why wasn’t from North Pine Railway Sta- cord must always be open to [or Harry] Baynes (who had
it published in the Courier as tion. On being received in the scrutiny, no more so than when gone to see if a ship had been
was the first? city, the place of origin was we are attempting to unravel an reported by Cape Moreton as
having entered the Bay, which
intricate case .
I believe this mystery has noted as North Pine; so officials
now been resolved to a reason- thought it referred to flooding The first thing we note is that ship was to take to Batavia a
able degree of satisfaction. For in the Pine River, and no imme- Henry has nothing to say about consignment of their meat for
the solution we turn firstly to diate action was taken.” the fate of the second telegram, the Dutch Government) . As he
Merv Ewart, an historian who The above supplies an expla- simply stating that “...both horse had been at Caboonbah buying
and rider got safely to North
my bullocks, on seeing my sig-
wrote a history of the North nation for Johanna’s, ‘’I under-
Pine Railway Station. Merv stand him to say that they did Pine.” The conclusion we could nature, he acted immediately
Ewart is deceased so I cannot not take any notice of it.’’ There draw is that all went well with (by hiring vans to shift his firm’s
check his sources. He writes: is no indication that the message Billy’s ride, and the telegram was cargo on to high ground) and
“Even though the apparatus was received too late to publish. sent and acted upon; no prob- thus (as he told me himself) my
for sending the messages was For the second part of the lems! (apparently). It is on the warning saved them over three
at the Railway Station, the local solution we return to Henry subject of the first telegram that thousand pounds.”
Post Office was listed as the tel- Somerset’s letter in the Esk Re- he has plenty to say: In fact all that could be done
6 eMuse March 2020