Overview
Joan Buchanan provides an engaging and detailed account of life in Tewantin from the 1920s onward, drawing on her experiences as a lifelong resident of the town. Born in 1925, she describes Tewantin as a small fishing village where everyone knew each other, with Noosa Heads still only lightly developed. Her grandfather, William Bowden, was one of the district’s early builders, constructing several notable homes including the Tait Duke House. Buchanan recalls a childhood marked by simplicity, financial hardship during the Depression, and close community bonds.
Her father worked as a fisherman, and she remembers mullet as a staple food during difficult years. After a period living with grandparents in Brisbane, she returned to Tewantin, later entering the workforce as a young teenager in Cooroy. During World War II she lived in Kingaroy, enjoying dances, skating, and social events connected to the nearby air force base.
Buchanan offers vivid recollections of leisure in mid century Noosa—days spent sunbathing, early surfing, and socialising with lifesavers, proudly noting she wore the first bikini on the beach. She also describes local dances, community balls, and elaborate mock weddings organised by her mother.
Throughout, Buchanan reflects on dramatic changes to Tewantin’s landscape, community life, and pace of development, contrasting a once quiet, trusting village with the busy region it has become.
