| Details History of the Cairns Historical Society (taken from the society's web page at http://www.cairns museum.org.au/histsoc.html) The School of Arts was an early organisation in the development of Cairns. It was established at a public meeting held in late October 1885 and was opened by the Premier of Queensland, Sir Samuel Griffith, when he visited Cairns in 1886 to turn the first sod in the construction of the railway from Cairns to Herberton.
The founding President was the Police Magistrate, H.M. Chester, and Trustees, R.T. Hartley, D. Patience and A.J. Draper.
During the early 1890's, with Cairns in the doldrums the institution went into recess, but was returned to active operation on 16 February 1897, and flourished from that time forward until taken over by the Cairns City Council in 1977.
In 1958 the School of Arts committee decided it should sponsor the formation of an historical society for the express purpose of studying and recording the history of the far northern region of Queensland. Having sought and obtained the backing of the Cairns City Council, The Historical Society Cairns North Queensland Inc was established. Under its very active inaugural president Mr S.E. Stephens, the Society immediately commenced to gather published and unpublished records and photographs of local events in the history of North Queensland. The Society publishes at monthly meetings a brief written record of some event in the past history of the area. |
