Bakers

Rosewood History

“It’s all about a balancing act between time, temperature and ingredients: That’s the art of baking.” – Peter Reinhart

Who doesn’t enjoy the sweet smell of freshly baked bread wafting from an oven? It can really get the taste buds tingling. How many loaves loaf of bread made it home from the bakery minus a small test sample pulled from the middle?

Researchers say that the aroma triggers a feeling of well being and comfort and evokes pleasant memories of childhood days. It has been referred to as “the staff of life” since Biblical times, another way of saying it has been the main staple in our daily diet.

In the early days of Rosewood and the neighbouring districts, the main ingredient for bread was readily available. Wheat of the very best quality was grown and, with the aid of steel hand mills, it was ground into flour to make delicious and nutritious bread. Rye was also grown by some German settlers. They mixed it with wheat flour to make a darker and wholesome bread. A variety known as Egyptian wheat, which had rust resisting properties, was grown in the Laidley area and some was successfully grown in the Rosewood district. Some of the stalks reached a height of 6 feet (1.8288m) and it was calculated to give a yield equal to forty bushels to the acre. The dark colour of the flour made a sweeter but no less wholesome bread and it was slightly cheaper to buy, so was favoured more by the general population.

Pioneer women traditionally made their bread at home using camp ovens. Eventually, skilled bakers working in their shops complimented their efforts and became integral to rural and urban communities. Wood fired ovens for bakeries were installed in a separate room at the rear of their family residence because of the risk of fire. The scent of the baking bread would spill out and fill the street.

The job of a baker was labour intensive and time consuming for little profit. All of the preparation and cleaning up was done by the baker himself. Wheat had to be ground, ingredients like yeast, milk, salt, sugar and baking powder (Royal, Borwick’s or Aunt Mary’s) was measured and added while the ovens kept continually stoked to meet community needs. In the 1880’s roller-mill technology began to be imported from Europe which made the task less arduous.

Rosewood’s first baker, John Herman came to the town in 1881.

Bakers in Rosewood

The list will be updated as more information is discovered.

John Herman 1881-1882
Charles Rumpf 1883
Philip Angel 1883-July 1890 Built and owned Rosewood Stores and Bakery
Mr. J. Oliver 1891-1896
Edgar Henry Mann 1897-1902 Sold to Smallbone June 1898 Went to Laidley 1902
W. Smallbone 1898, 1899
C. T. Bragg 1900
Wallace Henry Collett 1899-1900 Built and owned the “Rosewood Bakery” but employed a “first class” baker.
Ben Meissner 1902-1903 Rosewood Bakery
Nehemiah New 1903
Robert Sellars 1903-1933 Owner, baker and pastry cook “R. Sellars” Rosewood
Andrew Anderson was a baker for Robert Sellars
Henry Duncan Dow 1903-1927 Rosewood Bakery
Charles William Grigg 1930-32?
Robert Grant 1925-1932 Rosewood Bakery
Davisdon & Grant 1943 Rosewood Bakery
James Edward Amos Evers, Owner and baker 1918-1925. “Evers Bakery”
Mrs Elizabeth Evers, Owner 1927-36 Evers Bakery
James John Evers, baker 1941- c. 1951 Evers Bakery
Norman Evers, baker – Evers Bakery
Hector Thomas Ross was baker and manager 1925-Jan 1928 Ever’s Bakery
Colin Roache was employed at Evers Bakery in 1951
George Alfred Hartley & Sons (based at Gatton) 1930 Rosewood Bakery
John Leslie Davey from the 1st December, 1930 Rosewood Bakery
William Feltham 1933-1942 Rosewood Bakery
G. Demaine 1937
Robert Clyde Grant Dec 1943-1945 Rosewood Bakery
Hector Thomas Ross 1946-1949 Rosewood Bakery
Neil Edward Gillott 1949-1951 Rosewood Bakery
John Frederick Hattersly 1953 Rosewood Bakery
Alfred Percival James Crew 1951-1953 Rosewood Bakery
John James O’Neill and a Mervyn Joseph O’Neill were bakers in John st., Rosewood in 1954.
Herbert Frederick & Merle Lorna Lawrence – Baker John St, Rosewood 1958, 1959 Rosewood Bakery
Trevor Lewis Charles Anthony – Master Baker, John St, Rosewood 1963 Rosewood Bakery
Robert Edward Hughes – Baker, John Street 1958-1968 Rosewood Bakery