A boozing billygoat, a cow in a chemist shop and a death during the 'brawl at the Royal' are just some of the tales pub-loving northern Queenslanders can entertain themselves with in a newly digitised James Cook University history book.
Written by Dorothy and Bruce Gibson-Wilde and originally published by James Cook University's History Department in 1988, A Pattern of Pubs: Hotels of Townsville 1864-1914 represents a comprehensive survey of hotels in the first 50 years of white settlement in Townsville, capturing insights from the heady days of the region's early pub pioneers.
The entertaining tome is filled with amusing and informative anecdotes centred on the role and types of hotels, publicans and their place in the community, and how hotels reflected the pattern of growth in Townsville.
One of the more colourful accounts set around 1893 involves Townsville's very own 'Boozing Billygoat', Billy, a pet goat with a penchant for beer who was owned by then Queensland Hotel publican Matt Jenkin.
The book describes the cunning way Billy would try to persuade a punter to part with a pot of gold.
"Peering from the laneway beside the hotel, he selected a victim, then followed him to the bar. There he gently nudged the 'selected one' and, rearing on his hind legs, placed his forelegs on the counter," the book reads.
"Most customers found these antics irresistible, though whether from terror or amusement is hard to tell. Billy then watched with eyes aglow until his beer was served, drinking with appreciation about four times as fast as his human friends. He then selected another victim until, 'three sheets to the wind', he staggered outside to sleep, snoring loudly."
Mr Jenkin was "usually tolerant of horseplay with his goat" until a prankster decided one day to paint his pet in red, white and blue stripes.
"Jenkin swore terrible vengeance for this assault; the paint could not be removed but had to be left to wear off."
Wandering animals seemed to be a theme when a dairy cow escaped its enclosure at the same hotel a few years prior for a memorable trip sampling "the delights of Flinders Street".
"Armati's chemist shop, next to the hotel, was irresistible. Amiably, she wandered into the shop, turning Armati and his assistants to statues, afraid to move lest they startled her into panic, causing terrible damage. Casually, the cow sniffed the goods on the counter and inspected the shop, then turned around and wandered just as casually out to the street to be captured shortly afterwards," the book reads.
"Wits in the town made much of this incident, generally agreeing that if everywhere else they had 'bulls in China shops', Townsville went one better - it had 'a cow in a chemist shop'!."
Though female drinkers were excluded from public bars and relegated to private parlours, male drinkers "had no objection to women serving them in public bars".
AJ Boyd, a journalist with the then Queenslander newspaper, described the Australian barman as quick with witty comments or replies but lacking the "swagger and dash" of his equivalent in the United States.
"He was 'neat and very fastidious in his dress ... active as a cat, watchful, quick at accounts, lively, often witty ... 'As a rule, he was 'horsey' but generally 'a sober man'," Boyd wrote.
But not even the watchful eye of a barman or barmaid could prevent the occasional outbreak of violence at the pub, highlighted by the infamous brawl at the Royal Hotel in West End in 1903, which resulted in the death of one John Henry Peak.
Drinking preferences also evolved over time in Townsville. Spirits were the order of the day prior to 1880, largely due to the absence of a local brewery until 1882, the expense of imported beers and the longer shelf life spirits offered.
People's fondness of a stiff drink was highlighted on the Gilbert goldfield in 1870 when the Queenslander newspaper reported carts that were supposed to provide relief for the starving population "seemed to be almost entirely confined to the contents of 'neat deal cases', duly branded 'cognac', 'best battle axe', 'fine Old Tom', etc".
A Pattern of Pubs co-author Bruce Gibson Wilde said the idea for the book came from his late wife Dorothy during work on her earlier thesis-turned-book, Gateway to a Golden Land: Townsville to 1884.
"She realised that the hotels played a key role in those first 20 years of the city's development. They provided a meeting place and sometimes were the only place where young, single men, who were often involved in early business, could get accommodation and meals. The hotels were both a place for boarding and drinking. They were providing an essential service to the community," he said.
"Dorothy followed the way the hotels progressed around the port area, starting with the Criterion, and eventually throughout the early city. Once the railways started up, the hotels followed the line and a pattern was identified, hence why we called the book "A Pattern of Pubs"."
Mr Gibson-Wilde said the usage and activities of pubs had changed significantly over time.
"They have gone from being places where people stayed for months or even years to destinations for tourists and recreational drinking. In earlier days, the hotels were very important for the essential services they provided to the growing community," he said.
"The book will provide an opportunity for the older members of our community to reminisce about the pubs of the past, especially those in Flinders St, and their ancestors who may dwelled in them or frequented them."
JCU Library Manager, Special Collections Bronwyn McBurnie said the digitisation of the book came about following an initial request from Mr Gibson-Wilde in 2021 who wished to re-print some of his wife's books, before he was encouraged to consider digitisation instead.
"Undoubtedly, readers would be surprised by some of those stories, particularly the beer-guzzling billygoat, though the stories of bar room brawls probably wouldn't even raise an eyebrow," Ms McBurnie said.
"Researchers we provide assistance to in the JCU Library Special Collections have found the book most useful in tracing what happened to a particular pub, for example, when and why it was demolished, or when it went through a re-build or transformation.
"But apart from that, it's a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the history of their local watering hole."
Ms McBurnie said books digitised for JCU's NQHeritage@JCU online repository first undergo an extensive selection process which determines both their cultural and historical significance to North Queensland and the tropics.
"Shortlisted items are then scheduled for digitisation, in an ongoing process which include obtaining necessary permissions that can take several years," she said.
The book joins Gateway to a Golden Land: Townsville to 1884, which began as a thesis written by Dorothy Gibson Wilde in 1984, which has also been digitised and made available through NQHeritage@JCU.
The book traces the development of the Townsville townscape during the first 20 years of the city's history, filling a major knowledge gap in the history of the region.
"Both A Pattern of Pubs and Gateway to a Golden Land are a very welcome additions to NQHeritage@JCU, as these books have become quite difficult to find in their physical forms, outside of a library," Ms McBurnie said.
To read A Pattern of Pubs: Hotels of Townsville 1864-1914, head to nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/917/
To read Gateway to a Golden Land: Townsville to 1884, head to nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/1003/
