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HERITAGE NOOSA

Parkyn Family

DETAILS

Additional InformationOne of the first houses built on Gympie Terrace was Miner’s Rest, built by Richard (Dick) Parkyn around 1896.

Richard Bray Parkyn, a Cornish tin miner, migrated to Gympie in the 1880s to become a manager at the gold mines. On his journey, he passed through Tewantin and purchased land on Gympie Terrace, what is now number 219. In Gympie, he met and married Margaret (Maggie) Shields. They had seven children.

In 1925, Dick and Maggie’s second son, John, known as Jack, and his Cornish wife, Daisy, returned to Gympie Terrace and bought the boat Miss Tewantin. Jack had accompanied his parents to England in 1905 as an eighteen-year-old when he met the young Daisy. The young couple had maintained contact via letters for seven years before Daisy finally moved to Australia in 1912. They worked on a farm at Wolvi before Jack got a job at the butter factory in Gympie.

Miss Tewantin was a 60-passenger launch, primarily used for transporting people from Tewantin to Noosa Heads and back. But it was also used for tourist trips to the lakes and to the coloured sands via the river and Teewah landing. Sometimes it would also freight fish to Brisbane and bring back supplies, including materials that Jack used to build houses and a shop at Munna Point. Miss Tewantin also became the vessel that delivered mail to Gympie Terrace and Noosa Heads, and transport children to school in Tewantin, taking over the contract from Jiddy Massoud.

Following the opening of the Doonella and Weyba Bridges in 1929, Jack Parkyn purchased more land at Munna Point. He built six holiday homes in Russell Street and a shop. He also began clearing the paperbark forest opposite for camping purposes, a reserve set aside since 1900. Although there were problems with sandflies (midges), the spot was so well patronized that the Council took over the running of the campground in the 1930s. The Munna Point campground is now State Heritage listed.

The Parkyn’s shop at Munna Point sold home supplies, bait and tackle, and later hired boats. Each patron of Jack's holiday homes had a row boat included as part of the rent. They sold their properties at Munna Point in 1947. The Parkyns later established a jetty, boat hire and bait business north of Doonella bridge in Tewantin also. One of these buildings remains at what is now the Noosa Marina.

Jack and Daisy’s eldest son, Howard attended high school in Gympie, returning to Noosaville each weekend. He would sometimes accompany Captain Arthur Halliday in the Miss Tewantin with loads of fish to Brisbane, bringing back supplies for the store. The trip would take at least eight hours, so they would have to leave Brisbane early in order to reach Noosa in daylight to cross the dangerous bar at the mouth of the river (and possibly to load extra cargo and dodge the boating Inspectors). Howard planned to be an engineer but the Great Depression dashed this hope and he returned home to help his father. His first job was driving piles for the bridge over Weyba Creek. Howard remained a very active community member for his entire life.

In 1935, Howard caught a 454 lbs (206kg) grouper with the experienced assistance of Alex Gibson (which was handy as the fish pulled the young Howard into the water). This huge fish was a Queensland record at the time.

Howard’s brother, George, flew Catalina flying boats with the Americans during World War II (1939-1945). The Americans told him that Laguna Bay looked similar to places in the southern United States where they caught lots of prawns. George brought back the latest designs for prawning equipment and started a successful prawning industry in Noosa.

The Parkyn Brothers’ fleet of boats for hire grew to around thirty, as well as the Miss Tewantin, Miss Tewantin 2, and the prawn catcher Victory. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester travelled aboard the Miss Tewantin during their visit in 1965. The Parkyns sold the boat hire business the following year.

The original Parkyn home, Miner’s Rest, built by Dick Parkyn back in 1896, was acquired by their daughter, Bessie Smerdon. She modified it and renamed it Shieldston in honour of her mother’s maiden name. In turn, it was passed onto her son, Maxwell John (Jack) Smerdon, in 1970. Jack turned the house into two separate flats and in 1976 purchased the neighbouring property at #217. Confusingly, 219 Gympie Terrace was renamed Shieldston Flats and 217 Gympie Terrace was renamed Shieldston House. After the death of Jack Smerdon in 2004, Shieldston Flats was demolished and Shieldston House was moved to Pomona.

Photograph

'Miss Tewantin II', Noosa River, 7 June 1970

'Miss Tewantin' coming ashore with group of fishermen, Tewantin, 1930

Alexis Young

Anglican Church of the Holy Nativity blown off its stumps during cyclonic weather, Cooroy, 19 February 1954

Boating party, 'Miss Tewantin', Noosa River, 1928

Boating party, 'Miss Tewantin', Noosa River, ca 1920s

Boats, Parkyn's jetty, Noosa River, Tewantin, 1960

Camping and caravan grounds, Munna Point, Noosaville

Caravans, camp grounds, Munna Point, Noosaville, ca 1930s

Cottages, Russell Street, Munna Point, Noosaville, late 1920s

Daisy Parkyn with daughter Edna (Standing 4th in line) and Mick Sachs (Sixth in line), water divining, Tewantin, 1933

Daisy Parkyn, 90th Birthday celebrations, February 1978

Daisy Parkyn, Myrtle Furness (Iris Parkyn's sister), Jack Parkyn and Doreen Hargraves (employee), Munna Point, Noosaville

Daisy and Jack Parkyn, Noosa River, Tewantin

Dan Parkyn, Cornwall, England, ca 1880s

Daytrippers, Double Island Point, Great Sandy National Park, Cooloola, 1930

Daytrippers, Double Island Point, Great Sandy National Park, Cooloola, 1940

Deputation to Minister for Railways for Tewantin railway construction, Brisbane, ca 1900

Edna Parkyn, Daisy Parkyn and Sidney Ash

Boat

Afternoon T

Miss Tewantin

Miss Tewantin II

Victory

People & Family

Howard Parkyn

Keith and Alexis Young

Oral History

Howard Parkyn Oral History

Keith and Alexis Young Oral History

Article & Manuscript

Howard Parkyn Oral History - Transcript

Keith and Alexis Young Oral History - Transcript

Digital Story

Coloured Sands, Teewah, Noosa North Shore

The Big Fish that Stole a Boat

Audio

Howard Parkyn Oral History - Audio

Video

Keith and Alexis Young Oral History - Video

Parkyn family members, Tewantin, 1948

IDENTIFIERS

Subject (Keywords)FishingBoatsTourismCampingAccommodation

CONNECTIONS

PlaceGympie TerraceMiner's RestMunna PointBusinessParkyn CottagesParkyn's StoreParkyn's Boat HireBoatMiss TewantinMiss Tewantin IIVictory

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Parkyn Family