Peter Brown

It all began with the purchase, last November 1994, of a medallion. A quite insignificant piece but one which was to lead me along a trail of discovery which was, and is, both long and absorbing, and I might add, a little frustrating at times.

Carlisle number 1887/60 lists a medallion struck to commemorate the 50th year of the reign of Queen Victoria. There are many such medallions listed but this particular item caught my eye for the mere fact that it was a Queensland piece and what is more, it was struck for the city of Ipswich.

The origins of the city of Ipswich date back to 1827 when a settlement was established by convicts who were enforced to burn lime at a quarry for building works in Brisbane. After coal was discovered in the area, Ipswich gained in prominence as a settlement area and with the influx of Welsh miners, Welsh names abounding in the region to this day, the township soon became a rival to Brisbane.

Far away on the other side of the world in the county of Moray, a Scottish farmer’s wife gave birth to a son and they named him Peter. He was to gain a certain amount of fame many years later as the Mayor of Ipswich, Queensland. Peter was educated at Parish School Urquhart but left school at the age of fifteen to gain experience in farming. At the age of eighteen he became apprentice to Mr. John Mackenzie, a builder. After learning his trade he moved to Glasgow where he was employed by a large building company.

In the year 1862, Peter Brown sailed on board the ship the Duke of Newcastle from the township of Elgin on the north eastern coast of Scotland. His destination was the State of Queensland in Australia.

The Municipality of Ipswich was incorporated in the year 1859 and two years later a corporation seal was instituted. Designed by the Reverend L.H. Rumsey, it shows a shield inside of which, in quadrants, are a ribbon and golden fleece, a shovel and pickaxe and coal box, a paddle steamer and lastly sheaves of wheat in front of three factories. A crown surmounts this shield and beneath the crown is a rose, a shamrock and a thistle. Depicted also on either side of the shield is an ear of wheat and a cotton pod. The motto beneath the shield reads ‘Confide Recte Agens’. This seal cost the princely sum of £36-10s.

Peter Brown arrived in Queensland in December 1862 and it was in the city of Ipswich that he eventually made his home. He quickly established himself in the community as a builder contractor and over the ensuing years his name became synonymous with the erection of a number of large city buildings, including part of the railway workshops on the north side of the city and several premises in the city heart.

Within 14 years Peter Brown became an elected alderman under the leadership of Mayor Josiah Francis. It was the beginning of a 22 year span during which time Brown was launched into Public Office, displaying his skills and enthusiasm which saw him become one of the founders of the West Moreton Permanent Benefit and Building Society, of which he was Director. He was Trustee of the Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, held a position on the committee of the Ipswich and West Moreton Agricultural and Horticultural Society, was also a member of the Ipswich Hospital Management Committee and was Chairman on the Board of Directors of the Moreton Coal and Coke Company. As if this list of achievements was not enough, Peter Brown was also a Justice of the Peace and was on the Board of the local Fire Brigade.

He first took office as Mayor of Ipswich in 1880, thereby establishing himself as well respected and much lauded member of the community of Ipswich. This first year in the role of Mayor proved to be a precursor to a string of such positions which saw him in Mayoral robes again in 1887, 1888, 1890 and again in 1900.

June the 20th 1887 heralded the golden jubilee of the accession to the English throne of Queen Victoria. Celebrations reverberated around the globe for the Monarch whose Empire, it was said, never had the sun set upon it. In the township of Ipswich, Queensland, as part of these celebrations, a medallion was commissioned to be struck by the company of Stokes & Martin. The medallion shows a stylised version of an obverse bust of Victoria which appears on over 50 such Australian medallion varieties for that year. The simple wording states: VICTORIA’S JUBILEE with the date , 1887, below the bust. The reverse has the wording: IPSWICH MUNICIPALITY QUEENSLAND 1887 and inside this TO COMMEMORATE HER MAJESTY’S JUBILEE 1887 with smaller print beneath, this wording – PETER BROWN MAYOR. The medallion was struck in bronze and gilded. It has a diameter of 31mm. The addition of the Mayor’s name to this item became the catalyst for the author’s research into the man’s background. For his name to appear on such an item he must have been highly thought of and well respected, as indeed my findings proved him so to be.

In the early part of June 1900, Peter Brown was taken ill with a stomach complaint, he had been elected Mayor in that year for a fifth term. Over the ensuing weeks he became steadily weaker. Council business was chaired by Alderman R. Tallon during Peter Brown’s illness. On June 27th at 5 o’clock in the morning, Peter Brown, Mayor of Ipswich, passed quietly away. As a sign of respect businesses were closed on the day of his funeral and flags all over the city flew at half mast.

Council Chambers were closed with business suspended. He was awarded a Public Funeral and residents of the city were invited to attend. A staunch Presbyterian, he was buried in Ipswich cemetery after a procession had left his home on the corner of Brisbane and Milford Streets, he was 64 years old.

One lasting memorial to Peter Brown is “Brown’s Park Fragrant Gardens” formerly known as “Four Gates Park”. Of interest for further study, a fact which recently came into the author’s possession, is that a daughter of Peter Brown, Ann Grauer–Dewar, in 1915, married Mr. Pearson Cameron who was himself one time Mayor of Ipswich.