Brims family papers

Donald Gray Brims was born in 1858 in the town of Wick in the far north of Scotland. He migrated to Queensland with his family in 1862, and grew up in Brisbane, Gympie and the Maryborough district. After becoming a qualified blacksmith and wheelwright he settle in Blackall, where he married Harriet Pettifore Elliot (who became a pioneering photographer in North Queensland), in 1881. The following year he established his own business as a blacksmith, wheelwright and brass moulder and gained a contract to perform maintenance for Cobb & Co. The Brims, now with four children, moved to Ingham in 1894 and established a sawmill nearby on the Seymour River. It was at Ingham that Harriet began to develop her photography business. The family moved to Mareeba in 1900 and it was here Donald and his sons Francis, Marcus and William, established a sash and door business under the name D.G. Brims & Sons. The family later moved with the company to Brisbane and by 1914 had established a joinery factory in Milton. The business soon began to focus on producing high quality plywood which continued as its focus for nearly 90 years. D. G. Brims & Sons remained a family company until it ceased in 2008.