— A Well-Deserved Commemoration —
Saturday 15th January was the occasion of a special dedication ceremony here in The Gap. It not only commemorated the man himself but also his devotion to duty. The occasion was the unveiling of a plaque at what had been the residence of the Caretaker of Enoggera Reservoir to commemorate the life and contribution of James Barnes – Caretaker and Officer in Charge of the reservoir from 1919 to 1950 – a span of 31 years. During that time, he and his wife, Bridget, raised a family of 8 children. In his role, James was not only responsible for the operation of the reservoir itself but also for maintaining the pipeline carrying the water into the city. It was a 24/7 job – he could be called out at any hour, in all weather conditions, to check on breaks, leaks etc in the pipeline. This often meant walking for miles to find the problem. He spent many hours travelling first by horse and sulky and later by motor car (from about 1925) delivering water samples from the reservoir to the City Hall for quality testing. M a r k i n g t h e commemoration, the family was well represented by grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. The ceremony
Descendants of James Barnes on the steps of the Caretaker's Cottage - now a Heritage Listed property
was organised by Bruce Barker - CEO of Trek2Health (which now occupies the house) with help from granddaughters, Desleigh and Julie, and grandson Neville, also playing his part. The family expressed their heartfelt thanks to Bruce, without whose efforts this event would not have come to fruition so quickly. Official guests included Jonty Bush – State Member for Cooper and Steven To o m e y – C o u n c i l l o r for The Gap Ward. Jonty Bush and Steven Toomey jointly provided the plaque, Rockworx kindly donated the granite rock on which the plaque is mounted, and
Hollingworth & Spencer B D L
Parks and Wildlife assisted in locating the memorial on site. Heritage Queensland kindly permitted the hanging of various photos inside the dwelling. In their various speeches, family members drew attention largely to recollections of family life in the home and mentioned that several descendants had not moved far from The Gap once they left home. They recalled well-known Gap families including the Fursmans, Twists, Curtis’s, Proctors, Poulters, and several others including Richard Speechley. The culmination of the ceremony was the unveiling of the plaque, conducted jointly by Jonty Bush and Steven Toomey, with James’
James and Bridget Barnes 22 December 1950
grandchildren in close attendance. Morning Tea followed the commemoration. Truly, a family of which The Gap should be very proud.
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The Western Echo February 2022 Page 14
website: http://www.westernecho.com.au
