The many hats of T. T. Cornes

as that of T. T. Cornes. One can consult him about the design of a house; about its erection, and get him to furnish it after the most-approved style. He is a contractor, as well as a builder, an ironworker as well as house furnisher, and he is also a timber merchant who does extensive business. He is known to be well up in all that concerns a house, and he goes in for just the class of building most suitable to the climate’ (‘Among our advertisers’, The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW: 1895-1942), 16 November 1916).

‘T. T. Cornes, Undertakers and Embalmers, Morgan Street (opposite Calliungal Hotel [corner of Morgan and East Streets]), Mount Morgan. Telephone No. 48 [short telephone numbers in those days!]’ (‘Advertising’, Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld: 18781954), 24 June 1915).

Committed to public service, Tom was also an alderman of Mount Morgan Council – later elected as mayor. The caricaturist depicts a moustachioed Alderman Cornes with a receding hairline wearing a suit. The accompanying verse reflects his many important roles within the community and provides us with a glimpse into his character:

Above: Alderman T. T. Cornes by Pets MM [Mount Morgan] (‘Pretty Pets’, Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900-1954), 28 February 1915).

Born in the gold mining town of Thames, New Zealand, Thomas Thompson (‘Tom’) Cornes (1872-1933) was the eldest son of Mount Morgan pioneer, Scottish-born Thomas Glen Cornes (1842-1903). His father built many of Mount Morgan’s original buildings, such as the General Office Building on the mine site and Saint Mary’s Anglican Church (both now heritage-listed).

Tom started out as an apprentice at the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited under the instruction of his father in the late 1880s and worked his way up to chief patternmaker. In 1911, he bought a local mixed business, offering architectural, building and undertaking services (to name just a few). He advertised his business regularly in newspapers. Here are a couple of examples:

‘T. T. Cornes, Morgan Street, Mount Morgan.

It is not often that a firm has such a number of outside departments

Contractor, builder, undertaker –(House-for-dead-and-living-maker) –An alderman of good repute Not "ingloriously mute” [i.e. talkative!].

He plays his part with zeal and zest, And for the people, does his best, "Whate'er he touches he adorns" –

Mount Morgan ne'er will "cut" its “Cornes”!

Continued on Page 13

‘Pretty Pets’

As far as I can tell, at least twenty Mount Morgan ‘Pretty Pets’ appeared in the historical weekly tabloid, Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900-1954). The first ‘Pretty Pet’ was Leichhardt Hotel publican, James Stack, in 1912, and the final one was Alderman Cornes in 1915.

To date, twelve ‘Pretty Pets’ have been published in this series of caricatures of local identities. Here are three more: