November 14, 2022
A lot can change in a small town in 50 years … as visitors to Wooroolin quickly discovered on Saturday morning.
On November 11, 1972, a time capsule was encased inside a concrete plinth outside Wooroolin Memorial Hall with much pomp and ceremony.
A former Wooroolin resident (and ex-local councillor, recently retired Federal MP and knight of the realm) Sir Charles Adermann KBE sealed the capsule before it was laid to rest.
The plaque placed on top read, “This is to be raised at a public function, 11th November. 2022. Recovery instructions Kingaroy Shire Council. Commonwealth Bank, Kingaroy”.
The organising committee’s desire was that “some responsible public body will raise it”.
Well, a day late – November 12, 2022 – the wishes of those residents 50 years ago were fulfilled.
A ceremonial lifting of the time capsule was carried out by four of the people involved in that original ceremony half a century ago.
Joyce Horne was secretary of the original time capsule committee and Ivan Ritchings was a member. David Pailthorpe was also president of Wooroolin Rural Youth and Allan Obel was on the Wooroolin Hall committee.
A large crowd of Wooroolin residents, ex-residents and visitors gathered outside the hall on Saturday for the occasion.
The monthly Wooroolin markets, across the road, also attracted a large crowd with almost double the usual number of stalls in attendance.
Many people were camped in the free-stay area beside the grain sheds.
The morning was compered by Wooroolin’s most famous recent resident, retired international cricketer (and former member of the Wooroolin Bugle Band) Carl Rackemann.
Carl pointed out some of the changes Wooroolin residents have seen over the past 50 years:
- Back then, Wooroolin had one of the premier sporting events in Australia, a professional foot race known as the Wooroolin Gift – second only in status to the Stawell Gift – part of a big Wooroolin Sports Day
- Wooroolin had a railway line passing through it, now it’s a rail trail
- The old railway station building was in a different spot (it has been moved twice since then)
- The grain sheds were in use
- The Dalton family ran the general store; now they run South Burnett Tractor Parts
- A plant that grew wild around the area, corkwood, is now known as duboisia and is a big industry
- Where the cafe was, is now a vet; and where the butcher shop was, is now a cafe
- There was an RSL Hall at the sportsground
“And back then Wooroolin, famously, had a swamp. Now it has the Wooroolin Wetlands!” Carl joked.
After the official raising ceremony, and lots of photographs, everyone was invited to inspect the contents of the Time Capsule, which were laid out on display inside the hall.
A $5 entry fee was collected to benefit the Hall Committee.
The capsule contained 49 items and 36 photos, including newspaper pages, a Wooroolin Cricket Club cap, Rural Youth badges, coins, posters, a hymn book and pages of signatures.
Many had been tightly coiled up to fit into the brass cylinder but were in remarkably good condition due to the decision by the original committee not to bury the capsule which could have led to water damaging the contents.
The historic displays inside the hall also included large screens showing videos and photos, a big display of school memorabilia and Wooroolin Bugle Band items from over the years.
The band was started in 1958 by the late Jimmy Houston and, remarkably, still turns out for Anzac Day parades.
The rest of the town also threw itself into the “Back To Wooroolin” spirit, with an Open Day at St Andrew’s Anglican Church and a Rural Youth reunion at the Grand Hotel.
Wooroolin Lions Club members were kept busy serving up hot food.
The club is a relative newcomer, starting in 1980.
Footnote: Copies of a souvenir booklet, “Back To Wooroolin 50 Years On” are available to buy at the Wooroolin Post Office.
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Raw video from the Time Capsule unveiling, showing just some of the large crowd which assembled at the front of the Wooroolin Memorial Hall:
Well done, Wooroolin.
Back around WWI my grandfather Oliver Robinson won a foot race at Wooroolin. He was supposed to race an Aboriginal man who was the fastest man on the Darling Downs but the war got in the way.
He settled at Brigooda and raised a family, leaving the district in the early 1930s.
Are there any records of these races and the winners?