13

"Nyleta"
Union street,
Toowong, S.W.1.
May, 17th, 1943.

Mr. Sydney May,
Hon. Secretary,
Q.P,N. Committee,
University of Queensland,

Dear Sir,

In reply to your letter of 4th April, 1843, relative
to the place name Toowong, I have made inquiries of many old
residents of the locality and in other directions with the
following results. I have no doubt that the name is derived
from Toowong, the aboriginal onomatopoetic name of the Koel
Cuckoo, (Endynamys orientalis), sometimes called rainbird.

This bird is not named a cuckoo by reason of its called, but
from the fact that it has the cuckoo habit of laying its eggs
in another birds nest. Tom Petrie, ---vide "Tom Petrie's
Reminiscences"-- stated that this name applied to a bend in
the river below the Indooroopilly bridge,. This will be the
place known as Long Pocket. But it seems to have no connection
with the naming of Toowong township. Petrie also stated that
the site of the Regatta Hotel was known as Jo-ai Jo-ai and that
a place near the Toowong Railway station was Bunaraba. No
translation of either word is given but the latter would seem
to be derived from Bunar-a-ba, place of bloodwood trees.

It may have been the site of an ancient blacks' camp which,
I am told, once existed on the rise on the Brisbane side of
Toowong Railway station. By the way, Patterson's sawmill
was first situated near the railway bridge opposite to the
Toowong Sports Ground.

On the evidence of Mr. Patterson of Patterson's Sawmill, and of
Mr.W.B.Pears, and old resident, the name of the site of the
present township was,in early days, known as Noana. No trans-
lation of this name is given, but I have little doubt that it
is a white man's, and , indeed, the latter day aboriginals'
pronounciation of Ngoa-nga, the natives' name of the Moreton
Bay fig tree, with the gutteral forming g's cut out.

I am enclosing some Courier-Mail excerpts on the name Toowong
by a Mr. H.C.Perry and myself. Mr. Perry has evidently
confounded the names of R.L.Drew and A.L.G. Drew. It was
A.L.G. Drew, and not R.L.Drew who had land on the Milton,--or
Toowong-Reach. A.L.G.Drew's daughter, Mrs. O'Neil Brenan and
her son are still living there, near the Regatta Hotel, but
neither can give any information about the naming of Toowong.

Coming to the statement given on the authority of Mr.
J.B.Fewings, I find that R.L.Drew once owned land on both sides
of Toowong Creek, then known as Sandy Creek, which included
the present Toowong Sports Ground, and that he lived on the
present site of Mr.--Henderson's residence. This land
was subquently held bt W.J.Scott, an official of the Land's
Department. I have no doubt that R.L.Drew was the originator
of the place name Toowong in this neighbourhood. He appears
to have taken a prominent part in local public and social
matters, and he made a gift of the site of the first Church
of England at Toowong which was erected on the hill on the
opposite side of the railway line to the Brisbane Boys' College
playground and overlooking his property. He had cut up his
property into small lots. As to the board mentioned by Mr.
Fewings as bearing the inscription "This is the Village of
Toowong" and placed at the termination of High Street, it may
be inferred that it was intended to indicate the position of
R.L Drew'shis property ,which the position of the board pverlooked, and
not the present township. The name was evidently adopted by
the Lands Department whan the Toowong Shire was proclaimed
before the Railway station was established.

[pencil note]
1879

Yours Faithfully,
FJWatson
(F.J.Watson)