Government House Open Day

Government House Open Day was held on Saturday 6th June as part of Brisbane's Queensland Day celebrations.

This provided a wonderful opportunity for select collection items from the John Oxley Library to be displayed in the ornate setting of the Investiture Room where members of the public could end their tour of "Fernberg" by viewing the State Library's treasures first hand.

Items on display included the Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party (1892), a logbook kept by Lieut. John T. Gowlland, commander of the ship Governor Blackall, during a search for shipwrecked passengers from the schooner Maria (1872), and an intimate journal kept by a young sailor, Charles James Card, during his service on board the HMS Rattlesnake (between 1847 and 1850).

These materials are also touring Queensland's regional towns as part of the State Library's White Gloves Tours throughout 2009.