Local History
Formation and History of Bunya Residents Association Inc
During 1992 in the Bunya Riverside Estate there was a group called Bunya Riverside Estate Park Management Committee. One of their main activities involved working with Pine Rivers Shire Council (PRSC) and the estate developers on tree plantings within the estate.
In late 1993 as a result of some robberies (15 in a 3 to 4 week period) in the Bunya Downs Estate a Public Meeting was held in Surrey Farm Park on Saturday September 10th in an effort to gather ideas to prevent this from happening again. A number of ideas were presented, one of which was to start a Neighbourhood Watch Program. At this time there wasn’t enough support to get the program going.
The Bunya Riverside Estate Park Committee decided to call a public meeting inviting all residents in the Bunya area with an idea to form an Association of Residents in Bunya. The meeting was held on the 13th of April 1994 at the Pine Hills Sports Club. Guests from PRSC at the meeting were Brian Battersby and Graeme Ashworth.
The meeting decided to form a new association and call it Bunya Residents Association. A draft constitution was tabled for discussion and it was decided to hold general meetings on the last Wednesday of the month.
Graeme Ashworth chaired the meeting while the office bearers were elected:
President - Margaret Wilmink
Vice President - Douglas White
Secretary - Margaret Bullen
Treasurer - Colleen Macchi
The General Meeting on July 24th 1994 approved the amended constitution.
The association has enjoyed the support of our council representatives. Initially the area was covered by Division 5 with Graeme Ashworth, however over time the boundaries have changed and the area is now mostly in Division 2 with Matt Constance (formerly Brian Battersby)
The association's past activities have included PRSC sponsored tree plantings, the naming of parks and reserves and representing resident issues to council and relevant authorities. The association organises the area participation in the annual Clean Up Australia Day and most years the Christmas breakfast at Bunya Crossing Reserve.
Some past notable issues:
Dredging the South Pine River in the riverside area, Western Bypass, road safety (signage, speed limits, road surface) and the development of Fernlands estate overlooking the Bunya Downs estate, campaign to stop Blue Hills Drive becoming a through road, submission to the Pine Rivers Plan.
Past tree planting activities include:
Street tree planting in Bunya Riverside, banks of the South Pine River, Surrey Farm Park cabinet timber planting in association with Jack Mitchell and Hill View Park.
Naming of parks and reserves:
George Biggs Park in Bunya Riverside, Bunya Crossing Reserve at the river end of Dugandan Road.
Neighbourhood Watch
Bunya Neighbourhood Watch was formed 29th October 1997 and is sponsored by Bunya Residents Association Inc .
On the 10th of July 1998 the association became an incorporated body and became known as Bunya Residents Association Inc.
In 2006 the association submitted a reviewed constitution to the Office of Fair trading, taking into account changes in legislation and the updated model rules. These amended rules were registered on the 14th of September 2006.
Compiled by Bradley Marks. (Brad has been an active member since formation of the association.)
The Bunya School
Melva A. Welch has written a fascinating account of the old Bunya School, which operated in the area between the years of 1875 to 1965. A few excerpts from her book are included below. To read the full copy, you can purchase the book from the Samford Museum. https://www.samfordmuseum.com.au/
The Bunya School opened on 25 January 1875 with an enrolment of 58 boys and 26 girls, but with an average attendance of 21 boys and 9 girls. James Breen was appointed in charge of the new school, which was set on 10 acres dotted by Bunya pines, intersected by a running stream.
Bunya also boasted a post office, opened as the Bunya Receiving Office in 1875, but because of confusion with the Bunya Mountains near Dalby, the name was changed to Wongan Post Office in 1888.
After the school closed in 1965, the site was leased by the Brisbane North District of Australian Boy Scouts’ Association. Today, the site is managed by the Moreton Bay Regional Council, in conjunction with the Bunya Residents’ Association. There are regular working bees held on the site, to help remove weeds, retain the heritage aspects of the site, and to ensure its future use as a local recreational/natural area. To find out how you can become involved in this project, please contact Carolyn on vicepresident@bunyaresidents.asn.au.
Bunya Nut Recipes
Also included in Melva A Welch’s book about the Bunya School are a collection of Bunya nut recipes, such as this one for Bunya nut biscuits:
Ingredients:
125g butter
1 cup boiled and chopped Bunya nuts
2 cups self-raising flour
½ cup coconut
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons milk
Method:
Sift flour and coconut, rub in butter.
Add beaten egg, honey and milk. Turn into stiff dough.
Add cup chopped Bunya nuts. Place teaspoons of mixture onto a greased tray.
Bake in moderate oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden.
