Rosewood History. Qld

John THOMPSON – Carpenter

© Jane Schy 2026

John was born about 1864 at Morley, West Yorkshire, England to parents Joseph Thompson (Clothier) and Belinda née Dance (Dressmaker). The 1871 Census shows them living at 33 Wortley Lane, Wortley (near Leeds).

John arrived at Bowen, Queensland on 2nd June1874 on the Lady Douglas which sailed from London. He immigrated, aged 10, with his parents and younger brothers William and George and elder sister Sarah, who married William Perrem jnr. from Lanefield.

The family endured a treacherous voyage after the ship encountered a succession of heavy gales. The first storm lasted for over four days, blowing terrifically while the passengers were battened down below deck. Livestock was washed overboard, the forecastle was gutted, the rails were carried away, the galley fires were extinguished, and the issue-room was completely washed away. The vessel rolled tremendously in the angry sea, requiring every effort by the crew to keep the masts from going by the board.

In desperation, a deputation of passengers and crew pleaded with Captain Wymark to turn back. He firmly refused, stating his orders were to take the ship to Port Denison as quickly as possible—and as long as the ship floated, she would head in that direction. As subsequent gales battered the vessel, terrified passengers shook hands and said their goodbyes, especially when three topsail yards and a top-gallant mast were snapped and carried away.

To make matters worse, passengers who had paid for passage to Brisbane discovered they were being taken to Port Denison instead, causing widespread anger. Ultimately, the steamer Tinonee landed them at Port Denison.

The Thompson family journeyed South (probably by coastal steamer) and made their home at Coopers Plains, which is where John’s father died in 1897.

In 1891, John married Amy Alice SIDEY (1873-1941), the daughter of Thomas SIDEY and Ellen née BLEAKLY.

They had four children.
Ellen THOMPSON (1893-1951) =  Albert Edward MILLARD
Charles THOMPSON D.C.M.(1896-1964) = Ethel Gertie KASSULKE
George THOMPSON (1898-1998) = Daisy Isobel Maud BROUGHTON
John THOMPSON (1904-2004)= Edith May Bremming WALKER

By 1898, John and Amy had established their lives in Rosewood. John quickly immersed himself in civic duties, serving on the committee of the local Farmers’ Club before being appointed to the Rosewood State School committee in 1903. His standing in the community was further cemented on 24 September 1910, when he was installed as the Right Worshipful Master of the Freemasons’ Lodge Rosewood.

In 1910, John was appointed treasurer of the School of Arts. By November of that year, he had generously prepared the plans and specifications for a new building free of charge. In September 1911, the committee accepted his tender of £160 to construct the new facility. John set straight to work, pulling down their old premises at a separate location and recycling the timber into the new structure. Erected on a corner of the primary school yard—directly opposite the Rising Sun Hotel—the building was completed and fitted out in a few months. John also built and donated 120 feet of shelving for the reading room before the School of Arts officially opened its doors in January 1912.

John Thompson’s extensive body of work helped to shape the architectural landscape of the region for over two decades. Some notable examples of his completed projects include:

• June 1899: Built a cottage for William Perrem on his farm, as well as one for Tom Harding.
• March 1901: Built a residence for Charles Dutney sr. and two large shops fronting John Street, alongside a building for William Ruhno.
• October 1901: Built a new and commodious shop for Mr. J. W. Eichstadt.
• August 1902: Built a new hall for the Rosewood Masonic Lodge.
• November 1902: Built two new cottages for William Edward Collett.
• February 1903: Erected a shop and two houses for John Farrell in the main street of Rosewood.
• August 1903: Completed numerous sundry repairs to the poultry coops and sheds at the showgrounds for the Rosewood A. & H. Society.
• April 1909: Erected the Methodist Church at Grantham Scrub at a cost of £91 15s (plus 12s for extras).
• August 1909: Built a new butcher shop in Helidon for Mr. W. Plant.
• September 1910: Erected a six-roomed wooden manse on the Berlin Estate (Rosewood) for the Churches of Christ, West Moreton circuit (£200). Notably, this was the first residence built for an evangelist in the Commonwealth of Australia.
• May 1911: Built a two-story building in Railway Street, Helidon for Mr. W. Plant, featuring a lower-floor drapery for Messrs. M’Donnell and East and upper-floor offices.
• June 1911: Accepted a tender of over £500 to complete extensive alterations and add a top story to the Commercial Hotel in Rosewood.
• September 1911: Built a residence for James Evers on the Belmont Estate.
• October 1911: Built a residence for John Bowles on the Berlin Estate, and another for William Bowles on the same estate.
• August 1916: Extended the balcony of Henry Duncan Dow’s bakery premises over the footpath.
• January 1920: Built a new shop and awning over the footpath for Charles Williams in John Street, Rosewood.

John and Amy Thompson left Rosewood for John Street, Graceville, around 1923. A few years later, in August 1927, their former Matthew Street home, then occupied by dairy inspector Mr. William Scott Harding, was sold to Mr. Wilhelm Krause through agent William Ruhno.

The couple later moved to Holland Park where John enjoyed good health until January 1931, when he began experiencing heart problems. John passed away quietly on the verandah couch on 18th July 1931. Amy had initially thought he was asleep. He was buried at Mount Gravatt Cemetery, as was Amy following her death in 1941. They rest together in plot Monumental-3A-1-18.