Extraordinary stories

Frank Tunley

Richard Frank Tunley moved to Brisbane in 1884 and later established a successful manufacturing business. He was born partially deaf and was inspired to help others facing similar obstacles. Crafting his own Braille-embossed models, maps, toys and teaching aids in his home workshop, he firmly believed all children, regardless of ability, should have access to a good education.

In 1924, a year after he made his first Braille globe, he successfully campaigned to make education for deaf and blind children compulsory in Queensland. Tunley had a long running association with the Queensland Braille Writing Association and his fundraising efforts allowed it to move into a beautiful Queenslander in Annerley, where it is now known as Braille House. ‘Grandfather Tunley’ as he was known to the children at the Queensland Blind Deaf and Dumb Institution, later called Narbethong State Special School, also made many toys and aids for schools all over the world.

Frank Tunley passed away in 1968 but his legacy lives on through the organisations he was involved with and through these wonderful handmade education aids, which were generously donated to State Library of Queensland by Narbethong State Special School in 2018.

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The Petrie family

The Petrie family is intrinsically linked to the establishment of Brisbane, weaving together civic achievements, urban growth, architectural landmarks, colonial exploration, and First Nations history.  

Scottish-born builder and architect Andrew Petrie brought his family to Moreton Bay in 1837, following his appointment as the Superintendent of Works for the penal colony. Once disestablished, the Petrie’s became the first free settlers and began an architectural construction firm that would command most colonial contracts.   

Andrew’s sons, John Petrie and Thomas Petrie left legacies of their own. Thomas was an explorer, pioneer, and recognised authority on Aboriginal culture, with his ‘Reminiscences’ providing remarkable insight into the frontier experience of First Nations people. 

John became Brisbane’s first Mayor and Andrew’s successor to the Petrie firm, expanding their prominent social, commercial, and political position in colonial society. These enterprises were continued by his eldest son, Andrew Lang Petrie. Extant heritage buildings and placenames throughout modern Brisbane reflect the inter-generational contributions of this founding family. 

Discover more about the Petrie family story on the John Oxley Library blog.

Ray Barrett Collection 1927 - 2007 

With his lunar landscape face, Ray Barrett was often typecast as the ‘heavy’, but he was a much more versatile artist than that. 

His career was packed with work on the stage, in radio and on television and film.   

This collection covers it all, from his first press review at the age of 11, to a glittering AFI lifetime achievement award in 2005.  Along the way, the collection reveals his lesser-known career as a voiceover artist, and takes a deep dive into the world of 1960s television and the renascent Australian film industry of the 1970s. 

Ray Barrett was born in Brisbane in 1927 and died on the Gold Coast in 2009. His career, as well as his life, began and ended in Queensland.   

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Arthur McLeod

Arthur McLeod worked as an optometrist and lived in Camp Hill in the first half of the 20th century. He was a keen amateur photographer, documenting domestic scenes, recreational outings and visits to popular tourist spots such as Currumbin and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. 

This selection of photographs, covering a period of time between 1935 and 1955 come from a broader collection of 800 acetate negatives that Arthur’s family donated to State Library.

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Edgar Tolmie

Edgar Tolmie was born in Brisbane in 1910. He studied pharmacy and worked as a pharmacist in various towns around Queensland. He had a keen interest in photography and made home movies of his family and life in Queensland. His collection of motion pictures was donated to the State Library of Queensland and digitised with the support of donors through the Queensland Library Foundation Reel Rescue campaign. Edgar Tolmie's son Robert reminisces about his father's passion for photography:

"Dad's camera was always with him, even on horseback mustering cattle. Apart from his work and photography, his family was his other passion. He worked hard to provide for them and giving each of his children a start in life. He did this not just in a material way but by teaching them by example: honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic. That legacy lives on through his children."

The Tolmie family know that Edgar would be so pleased that his life's work is now preserved by the State Library of Queensland.

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Uncle Bill Lowah

Uncle Bill Lowah (christened Samuel William Belza Lowah) originally from Thursday Island, however at a young age moved with his family to Machans Beach, near Cairns, where he grew up happily embedded in family and community. 

Uncle Bill became an active part of the social justice movement in Brisbane from the early 1970s and was appointed to the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation from its inception in 1991. Over the following decades he worked tirelessly with many community organisations to improve health, housing, and education outcomes for First Nations people, and helped advise state and federal governments on improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Fluent in two Torres Strait dialects as well as English, Uncle Bill has a deep love of language and its power to move. He is a poet of some renown and is a jazz musician; continuing the strong musical traditions held in his family. Now a proud grandfather and Elder, family and friendships remain important touchstones in Uncle Bill’s life, while he continues with his advocacy and social justice work.

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Cecil Edward Search

London-born Cecil Edward Search heeded the 'call of the west’, embarking on a life of dusty roads and carriages after docking in Brisbane in 1875. The amateur artist spent decades working in remote Queensland outposts for the iconic transport company Cobb and Co.   

Search worked during the height of the ‘coaching age’, where the expansion of transport networks redefined rural life, connecting communities with mail, supplies, food, and new settlers. In his spare time, Search painted watercolour scenes of his surroundings, documenting the changing pastoral and urban landscapes.  

These watercolours were produced in the British watercolour tradition, focusing on a realistic representation of the natural environment to provide a visual record. Most of his work dates from the late 1880s to mid-1920s, a time in which watercolour painting was widely established amongst amateurs, favoured for its portability and convenience. 

Search’s paintings offer a glimpse into 19th-century life in rural Queensland, representing his own experiences working for Cobb and Co., as well as the story of our state’s regional growth. 

Discover more about Cecil’s extraordinary story on the blog.

Vida Lahey's Writing Slope

Writing slopes are collectors’ items now, but when Frances Vida Lahey was born, in the 1880s, they were in their heyday. The Victorian version of the laptop, they were personal possessions. Regular writers in a household would each have their own, which they carried from room to room when at home and would take with them on their travels.

This writing slope belonged to Vida Lahey, one of Australia's best known female artists. She spent most of the First World War in London, before studying art in Paris after the war was over. It’s thought she may have used this very writing slope on her travels to write the postcards on display.  

Whenever it was acquired, it’s clear that she owned it until she died. It was used it as a prop for teaching in her mature years and can be clearly seen in photographs of her house which were taken after her death. 

Acclaimed for her painting, she was one of the first women in Queensland to make a professional living from her craft. She also made an immense contribution to arts education in the state, which was recognised in 1958 with an M.B.E. for services to art. 

The varied objects on display, including the Blue Vase painting, are drawn from State Library’s large collections of archival material related to the artist and the Lahey family.   

Discover more about Vida’s extraordinary story on the blog.