Women publicans of early Barcaldine

Barcaldine started with a large number of hotels in the main street, Oak Street. Many burned down in the numerous street fires. Some of them were rebuilt, and some of them burnt down again, with fewer rebuilt.

There were female liquor licensees and owners of some of the hotels. It was quite commonplace for the women to take over the running of the hotels from their husbands, sometimes after they died, but for other reasons as well.

These are the brief stories of some of the women publicans of early Barcaldine.

SHAKESPEARE HOTEL

Mrs Emma Shakspeare

The Shakspeares arrived in Barcaldine in 1886 being the first hotel to set up business – the Shakspeare Hotel building being brought from Pine Hill. In January 1896 the license of the Shakspeare Hotel was transferred from Mr George Page Shakspeare to his wife Mrs Emma Jane Shakspeare. Mr Shakspeare died in 1912 while on a trip to South Africa.

Emma was the licensee until 1910 when Mr E J Shakspeare is recorded as the licensee.

The hotel was sold in 1911 to Mr Walter Crust and the spelling changed to Shakespeare Hotel.

Emma took up residence on her pastoral property ‘Stratford’ where she resided up to the time of her death in 1933. She is buried in the Barcaldine cemetery.

Mrs Mary Ann Dennett

Mrs M Dennett was the Proprietress of the Shakespeare from about 1913-1919. She made major renovations to the Oak Street frontage in 1914.

Mary Ann sold the Shakespeare to Mr B Culpan in 1919.

Mrs Barbara Mahoney

Barbara Mahoney was the widow of Mick Mahoney who stood as the Labor candidate for Mt Morgan in 1897.

She conducted a hotel at Bluff, then the Oxford and Coronation in Rockhampton, the Welcoming Home in Longreach, the Calnungal in Mount Morgan, Queen’s in Jericho. Barbara was then the licensee of the Tattersall’s Hotel, Blackall prior to buying the Shakespeare Hotel in 1922, purchasing it from Mr Robert Anderson.

After the fire in 1924, she re-built the hotel, reopening it in 1925 and conducted it till she retired in 1946. She then resided in Rockhampton. She was 84 when she died in April 1952.

The Longreach Leader paid her a well deserved tribute upon her death.

The late Mrs. Mahoney had a well deserved and-well earned reputation for business acumen, to which she allied a kindliness which endeared her to a great concourse of friends in all these dstricts, and her passing removes another of those women who have done so much in building up these inland towns.

Longreach Leader 24 April 1952

WEST END HOTEL

Mrs O'Connell

Mrs O’Connell became the proprietor of the West End Hotel in 1891. The hotel continued to be advertised as Mrs O’Connell’s West End Hotel as it went through a number of licensees and owners.

Mrs Ellen Dobbins

Mrs Elizabeth Donlan

The West End Hotel was built on the corner of Oak and Beech streets in 1887 by Geo Lewis. In 1912, the license was held by Mrs Ellen Dobbins. In January 1913 the license of the West End Hotel was transferred from Mrs Ellen Dobbins to Mrs Elizabeth Donlan, Mrs Donlan taking over by May 1914.

In 1914, Ellen was once again the licensee. On one occasion, she was found guilty of trading on a Sunday. The hotel burnt down in 1915 and 1920.

Ellen Dobbins died in 1934 at the age of 76.

Mrs. Elizabeth Donlan had been in the Australian, Belle Vue, Empire and Masonic Hotels, in Rockhampton before Barcaldine. She had three capable daughters.

The hotel was burnt down in 1909, rebuilt and burnt down a second time in 1920 and not rebuilt that time.

UNION HOTEL

Mrs Margaret Edg

In 1889, Mr Joe Edg and Margaret Edg were licensees of the Union Hotel (renamed from the Royal Hotel in 1888).

In Feb 1891, Mrs Margaret Edg gives over the Union Hotel to Mr Hubert O’Kane. Mrs Edg took up the licence of the Railway Hotel in Ilfracombe in October 1891.

Another female publican took over the licence when it was transferred from John Tomi to Mrs Margaret Irwin in October 1891.

Mrs Margaret Eliott

In July 1893, the Union Hotel license was transferred (after a delay) from Mr William Eliott to Mrs Margaret Eliott. The application was opposed on the grounds that a married women could not hold a licensed victualler’s license.

The Police Magistrate granted it after the Police stated they had no objections – they were just doing what they had been told.

Mrs Fanny Williams, Mrs Hourigan

In 1894, Fanny Williams notified that the Union Hotel Dining Room and Coffee Room would be under the care of Mrs Hourigan.

Mrs Mary McInerney (nee Ah Foo)

In April 1897, Mr Michael Nelson sells his interest in the Union Hotel to Mrs Mary McInerney (nee Affoo).

In February 1898 the Union Hotel license is transferred from Mrs Mary McInerney to Mr. E Manning of Longreach.

In July 1900, Mary is granted three months leave of absence from her licensed premises; Mr Christopher Kuder is in charge until at least 1910.

Mrs Mary Anne Kuder (nee Hinchey)

In April 1915, the licensee was Mrs Mary Anne Kuder.

By 1924, John Kuder was the licensee.

Mary Ann died in Barcaldine on 11 October 1922. She was born at Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland, in 1855, hence was 65 years of age at the time of her death.

In 1949, the Kuder Bros (James & John – and Annie Catherine) sold the Union Hotel to Mr Ramsden.

WELCOME HOME HOTEL

Mrs Mary McPherson

Mrs Mary McPherson, a widow with two children, was the first owner of the Welcome Home Hotel.

She applied for a license in July 1886 and sold the hotel and transferred the licence to Mr Thomas Lawrence Forbes in December of the same year.

Mrs McIntosh

Mrs Mary McIntosh owned the Welcome Home Hotel from at least 1897 until 1920.

She rebuilt the hotel after it was burnt down in the 1909 Oak Street fire.

The business was renamed the Federal Hotel after it was rebuilt.

FEDERAL HOTEL

Mrs Hannah Kemp

Hannah Kemp held the licence for the Federal Hotel from 1912 after her husband died, to August 1917.

Hannah (nee McCall) was born 9 August 1849 in Farnaloy Armagh Ireland. She died 13 September 1942 in Barcaldine. Hannah was married to William Kemp who worked as a carrier involved in the building of the rail line out from Rockhampton to Barcaldine where he gave up and became a publican. The youngest of their four surviving children, Rebecca, was born in Barcaldine in 1887.

When the family lived at the Halfway Hotel, 1894-1903 – the girls had a governess who taught them the violin and art among other things. Once they moved into Barcaldine and the Welcome Home Hotel, the girls went to the convent school.

The Kemps took on the licence of the Welcome Home Hotel in October 1902 until it burnt down in 1909 and changed the name of the new hotel to the Federal.