Rosewood History

From the Queensland Times, Saturday, 9th October 1926, page 14

THE BREMER VALLEY.
MOUNT WALKER SETTLEMENT.
AN OCTOGENARIAN’S IRISH JIGS.
INTERESTING STORIES OF THE EARLY DAYS
(No.12)

Mr. Matt. Ryan and Mr. Edward Collins, living one on each side of Mount Walker, are among the few living members of the early Mt. Walker community. Mr. Ryan was born in Ireland “In the prettiest part of the world, Tipperary,” he says – in March 1845. His 61 years rest lightly on his sprightly body and more lightly on his cheerful spirits When he has visitors he can still dance a fine Irish Jig for their entertainment, and his eyes twinkle as merrily as his dancing feet. He is extremely reticent regarding his achievements, and the stories that are told about his wonderful horsemanship have to be gleaned from old neighbours who have seen them, and pass them on to their children as memories of the days when living in the bush was life. Mr. Ryan is an authority on Queensland Land Acts and has nade 11 selections under various Acts. He vigorously denounces the perpetual lease system as “a curse to the country, worse then the ticks:” 

Mr. Ryan came to Australia in the sailing ship Golden Dream, a 95 days’ voyage with 722 passengers. “Since then I have been through much of Queensland.” he says, “but I still remember Brisbane at that time as the ugliest part I have seen in any travels. “Hills, gullies, and swamps held the land now covered by the buildings near the wharves. He came to Ipswich by river steamer three days later, and went to the Seven-Mile Creek, where eight bullock teams were camped, and obtained work with a team going to Goondiwindi. The Goondiwindi trip, and the return, occupied nine months. He travelled with the bullocks so Boggabilla and Glenelg, and returned to Ipswich over the Toowoomba and Liverpool Ranges with wool for shipment to Brisbane.

FIRST LAND ACT.
His father, the late Mr. Martin Ryan, afterwards took up land at Peak Mountain, under the first Queensland Land Act. Very little land was taken under this system, by which the same price was paid for all clases of land in all localities. A number of small patches of land near the Five-Mile were first occupied under this scheme.The father and younger members of the family settled at Peak Mountain and Mr. Ryan and two other sons were working away from home. For almost two years the subject of this article was drawing timber with bullocks for the first railway line from Ipswich to Bigge’s Camp. He carted from Crow’s Nest and Perseverance the long piles for the Murphy’s Creek Bridge on the Toowoomba Range. After this he bought a team of bullocks for himself, and started cultivating at Peak Mountain. The total area he cultivated at this time was 130 to 140 acres. He grew cotton for eight years. In the first year he grew 90 acres, but it did not pay for the seed. In one good season he made £600 from cotton and maize, and lesser products. In one of the first years at tihe Peak Mountain settlement much damage was done in the district by the flooding of the creeks. In 1864 Mr. Ryan saw the One-Mile Bridge near Ipswich swept away bt flood. At that time there were very few settlers in the district.

MANY SELECTIONS.
Many settlers were made and kept poor by the Homestead Act, Mr. Ryan says. It allowed only 80 acre lots, in most places not enough for a comfortable living, and five year’s residence and complete clearing were required before other land could be taken. He took one of these blocks at Pine Mountain. The Conditional Act, which he believes to have been the best land Act Queensland has had, was introduced afterwards. By its provisions selections up to 240 acres could be made. Mr. Ryan balloted for an area under this system but drew only 51 acres at Peak Mountain. He then sold the Pine Mountain land, and went to Peak Mountain to fulfil the five years’ residence condition. When Mt. Walker was opened up he paid into the Lands Office two instalments on this block to release him for application for land Mt. Walker. He obtained 550 acres there, and went to live on the land. After three years he selected 320 acres at Colinton under the same Act, and finally paid two instalments on it to release himself for application for portion of a 45,000 acre lease that had expired at Colinton. In this he got three blocks of grazing and scrub land, 1280, 90, and 50 acres. On all of these properties he made the improvements required by the Act, keeping the Mt. Walker and Colinton places going at the same time. 

He ascribes much of his success in this to having kept an active breed of mounts for travelling betwecn his properties without waste of time. Under the Conditional Act Mr. Ryan paid 1/6 per acre per year for 10 years, a total of 15/ an acre, for his property at Mt. Walker. The hill country behind it was sold under the 1868 Act, by which the settlers could apply for as much as they could afford of any available Crown land. The price paid for this land was sixpence an acre.

SHOWGROUND JUMPING EPIC.
For nearly half-a-century Mr. Ryan has been a successful breeder of horses-blood, saddle, and draught. He was for 21 years an exhibitor of horses and other stock at Rosewood Show, and rode in ring events there when the stumps had scarcely been cleared off the track. The exhibitors in those days used to camp on the ground with their cattle and horses without any protection from the weather, and thought it fun. Mr. Ryan is now a life member of the Rosewood Show Society. Mr. G. H. Wilson and he were the first to show shorthorn dairy cattle at Ipswich, when the showground was at the rear of the Lands Office site. The building was not there then. He took most in interest the the ring events of the shows, and was known in nearly all of the West Moreton shows for his horsemanship. With one horse, Huntsman, he won nine hurdle races, and with another, Glen Athol, he also had great success. One of the epic tales of West Moreton show rings is that of his jumping at Laidley about 30 years ago. He had trained his jumpers over the fences on his Mount Walker property. A horse that had baulked at the jump on the Laidley ground made for the fence. Heavy rain had fallen, and the ground away from the ring was muddy and slippery. The horse took him at full pace between the machinery exhibits, and Mr. Ryan could not turn him aside for fear of running against plough and harrows, so he let him take his own course, straight for the post and rail fence at a place where a horse was standing on the other side. He cleared the fence and the horse, and landed in a water-hole. Another fence and a German waggon were ahead and he took both in one jump. Dozens of men in West Moreton remember the incident, but Mr. Ryan himself can rarely be induced to talk about it. He often took part in the races held periodically at Murphy’s, Mount Walker.

TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES.
When he settled at Mount Walker Mr. Ryan at first cultivated about 100 acres for maize and hay, and dragged the produce to Rosewood with bullocks often up to their briskets in mud. A pound a ton for chaff and 1/6 a bushel for corn were at the end of the road. When they got 2/ or 2/6 for their maize, the settlers considered they were making good money. The distance was too great to allow any profit in agriculture at Mt. Walker, and for 40 years the farmers of the locality have done little cultivation beyond their own requirements, because of the lack of a railway. Mr. Ryan has taken part in many agitations for the line, but all have failed. With the other men of the district he has had many setbacks in droughts. In 1877 he lost all of his cattle but five, and in the 1902 drought he lost more than 300 sheep and all but two of his 80 dairy cows. 

Mr. Ryan was married in 1873 at Peak Mountain, and has three sons and five daughters. His health and his activity are remarkable for his age. About a year ago a branch of a tree fell on him in a storm, and he was very seriously injured, but he has completely recovered, and is quite proud of a big dent in his skull that would be expected to kill even a young man. When he was young he was a fast runner, and was successful in pedestrian and step dancing events at many sports gatherings.

Q.F.C. CHEESE FACTORY.
Rosevale is a strong dairying centre. About 50 suppliers take their cream or milk to the Q.P.C. receiving depot and cheese factory there. The cheese factory has treated up to 999 gallons of milk a day. The cheese which is being turned out is graded at 90 to 91, a high quality. Most of it in the summer season is made into 801b. cheeses for export. At present 2lb., 10lb. and 40lb. cheeses ore being made, mainly for local trade.