 Arnie Twigg retiring from looking after the Chronicle files 5th June, 1987. |
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Arnie Twigg was a well known character around Maryborough.
In the days when lights were gas lit and not automatic, shops still wanted
lights on outside of their businesses at night. His job was to use a stick, with a hook on the end, to turn the lights on outside of the Maryborough shops. He
would return to turn them off in the morning. “He was a little man, often on
his own, walking the streets at dusk and dawn” a reader remembers.
Gas was big business in Maryborough. “The Maryborough Gas
and Coke Company Ltd was formed in 1878 – the directors being many Maryborough
businessmen namely – Henry Palmer, John Walker, John Graham, J.Gilbert, R.M.
Hyne, W.Young and E.Booker" (Scougall, n.d.).
If you walk into Bowen Street Maryborough today you can see
the brick building which was constructed in 1883. It was designed by Willoughby Powell, and
over the entrance is the motto in Latin Ex Fumo Dare Lucem (Scougall,n.d.). Scougall says, “I
am told that the translation broadly means to bring light from smoke."
Gas became the predominant source of lighting from the commencement on the second of August, 1879 through to the fifties. Information about this beginning can be found
here
Expansion plans can be found here
After this time demand for gas diminished, until March, 1965 when “the change over from a coal gas plant to a reforming plant using
liquefied petroleum took place" (Scougall, n.d.).
With the reduction in the demand for gas, Arnie’s services
were no longer needed. He moved on and worked for a time organising the
Chronicle files.
Do you have any more memories
about Arnie or the gasworks?
Scougall,I. (n.d.) The Golden Mile, Local History Talk,
Maryborough Library. Also found in the Local History Vertical Files.
Tags #Gasworks #Maryborough #Arnietwigg
#frasercoastlibraries
2 comments:
I remember Arnie lived at the Queen's hotel and did odd jobs.He was rouseabout. This was in the 1960's I think.
Arnie turned the shop lights off later the same night and not the next morning. We used to see him when we came from the picture theatre and would say "goodnight" to him as he turned the lights off.
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