Wavell Heights

History of Brisbane's Wavell Heights

Wavell Heights' history has been compiled as a part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal history

The Jagera and Turrbal groups occupied land in the Brisbane and Ipswich areas. The exact boundaries are not known, however, the Turrbal generally occupied the area north of the Brisbane River. Both groups had closely related languages, which are classified as belonging to the larger Yaggera language group.

The Wavell Heights area has a rich indigenous history. Evidence of Aboriginal occupation can be found in a bora ring at Nudgee Waterhole and in sites of special importance at Dinah Island, near Boondall Wetlands. Aboriginal tribes from as far as Northern NSW travelled to the Bunya Mountains stopping at Zillmann’s Waterholes on their way.

Urban development

In 1941 Brisbane City Council requested that the area commonly known as West Nundah be recognised as Wavell Heights. It was named after Field Marshall Lord Wavell who was the Commander-In-Chief of the Allied Forces in the Middle East during World War 11.

After this War, returned servicemen settled in the area which had been a sparsely populated area of pineapple and diary farms. War Service and Housing Commission homes were built which created a population explosion in the area.

Wavell Heights State School was opened in 1948 and in the same year the Progress Association built a community centre, which incorporated a hall, boy scout and girl guide huts, a kindergarten, tennis courts and bowling green.

Notable residents

Mr Keith Boden has been the driving and guiding force behind the Neighbourhood Centre operated by the Wavell Heights Neighbourhood Society in Edinburgh Castle Road. The society and the centre continue to provide a real community benefit to the residents of Brisbane.

Keith has now retired from being the honorary manager of the centre. The Council has agreed to name the area around Council's Stormwater Quality Improvement Devices at Cressey Street (where the trees and vegetation are becoming established and ducks and birds are already calling it 'home') the 'Keith Boden Wetlands'.

Landmarks

Our Lady of the Angels Primary School was officially opened in 1950. The Presentation Sisters had been invited to take up teaching duties. The site of ten acres was purchased by Archbishop Duhig in 1921 from a German farmer. Archbishop Duhig sold a portion of the land, which enabled him to build the first church in 1937. He went on to purchase a further five acres with ‘a view of Nudgee College’. This completed the present day Catholic site of about eight acres. The new school comprised three classrooms above the church and one at the back of the church.

Reference: BRISbites, 2000

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