New Farm Library

In 1960, the Brisbane City Council planned to build a Library in Brunswick Street and two buildings were demolished to make way for the construction. It was to be called the New Farm District Library. At that time local residents had to travel all the way to Hamilton Library or into the City to borrow books. The site proposed was next to Rayner’s butchery in Brunswick Street.

Doubts in Council about the project placed it on the back burner for more than a decade. When Alderman Beattie Dawson stood for Labor for the Ward of Hamilton, which included New Farm in those days, she proposed a Library along with other works for the area. She lobbied so successfully for it that Council finally approved the construction in November 1973.

Alderman Dawson was the target of a lot of political pressure to abandon the plan – she was a local government representative for a very divided ward – and there was also strong opposition to a Library in New Farm Park, on environmental grounds. A challenge to the Courts that ruled against the Library was made on the grounds that the Park was zoned “open space use”. Council threatened to close Nundah Library which was in a Park, and although many Liberal MPs opposed the Labor Council plans for a new library, Beattie Dawson and Council were determined to succeed.

Council actually started the construction of a building in New Farm Park, and said it would be used for any legal purpose – but it intended it for library use if possible.

Through this time Alderman Dawson withstood extreme pressure to give in and weathered the stress admirably.

MLA Russ Hinze, the Local Government Minister, sensibly broke the stalemate by introducing an amendment to the Town Plan to allow the Library to open, and this was passed on May 24th 1975. The Library was soon ready and Alderman Dawson happily invited residents to a special ceremony on 18th. October 1975 when Lord Mayor Bryan Walsh opened the Library and business began on the following Monday.

The Library has always fostered service to its community, providing fiction and nonfiction books and multi media materials, community information and local history. Alderman David Hinchliffe and the Library organized a local history walk around New Farm to attract interest in a local history society, and followed up with a meeting in the Library on 18th June 1994 where the inaugural meeting was held. The society was named the New Farm and Districts Historical Society and Beattie Dawson was honoured by Life Membership of the Society. The Society met for many years in the Library and was very strongly supported by its local history collection and the Librarian.

The Library has provided other services to the community. Library staff initiated a Reconciliation Group in conjunction with the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre, and also took part in many St Joseph’s Day festivals. The Library book and magazine budget has been spent on material appropriate to the community, free internet access is provided, staff have organized countless author and literary events, and have developed and promoted a gay and lesbian collection for the New Farm and Brisbane GLBT community. New Farm Library is very much loved by its keen membership.

In 2001 the Ron Muir Room, a small meeting hall adjacent to the Library and managed by Library Staff, was opened for community meetings, and this room has been a valuable community asset being in regular use by many groups. The New Farm and Districts Historical Society was given a small lockable space in the front of the Ron Muir Room for an office where members are available for consultation every Thursday afternoon. For quite a few years the monthly meeting of the Society was held in the Ron Muir Room, but since the membership has expanded under President Ross Garnett, it now meets at the Merthyr Road Uniting Church Centre.

Further information is also available at the office of the Historical Society, next to the New Farm Library, open Thursdays from 2.00pm to 4 pm or by appointment.