Memories of Mossman Oral History

Walter Mullavey has lived in the Mossman district for all of his 92 years. His family had a hotel at the foot of the notorious Bump Track and his grandfather knew the explorer Christie Palmerston.

Ron Schild is the only pineapple grower in Mossman and is a local bushman who has often climbed Thornton's Peak, Mt Demi and the Devil's Thumb. He cut cane by hand when he was young. 

Susie Stafford was born and grew up in Mossman. Her grandfather was W.S. Johnston, founder of Drumsara which her father carried on. Johnston Road is named after the family.

Val McCracken taught at Miallo School in the erly 1950s before she married her late husband Charlie, who was a well-known local bushman and cane farmer. 

Mary Knight is is 92 years old and grew up in Cassowary. She was very isolated there and rarely came to Mossman, about 5km away.

Gladys Pitt was evacuated from Thursday Island in the Torres Straits during the Second World War. She came to relatives in Mossman and has stayed here all her life. One of her six sons is a Councillor for the Douglas Shire.

Norm O'Donoghue was born in Mossman. He still has a bullet that his grandmother fired at an Australian South Sea Islander who was breaking into her house.

Glenville Pike (1925-2011) is a noted historian of North Queensland and the Northern Territory. He has written 26 books and still contributes to the Northern Sun three-monthly bulletin. His articles Around the Campfire for the North Queensland Register, written under the pseudonym Sundowner, are well known.

Annette McArthur was born and grew up in Mossman. Her grandfather Dick Lunn ran the first picture show and had the first Ford Motor car dealership in town, which was carried on by her father Phil Lunn. 

Salty O'Rourke has lived in the district all his life, worked in Mossman Mill and spent 13 years in Bloomfield. His father taught local kids to swim in the Mossman River.

Alfio Zammataro was born in Sicily and came to Australia in 1953. He spent most of his time in Mossman, cutting cane by hand, and then working in the sugar mill.

Frank Rossignoli grew up in an Italian family and has lived on his farm on the esplanade at Newell Beach for over 50 years. He worked on the Kuranda range rod as the powder monkey's offsider, and in the sugar cane industry as a cane cutter and grower.

Ian Osborne is the third generation of Osbornes to live in Daintree Village. His grandfather Frank was one of the first settlers, and the road into the village is named Osborne Street. In has worked in dairy farming, as a cane cutter and as a beef producer as well as operating his own farm.

Shirley Vico was born locally ad was the Douglas Shire's last ever Citizen of the Year, awarded on Australia Day 2008. Shirley is involved with the Mossman Nursing Home project and St. David's Church in Mossman and lives in a beautiful Queenslander home 'Fairymount'.

Ethel Woods' parents were locals and she has lived in Mossman for most of her life. She and her sister Marie owned Mame's dress shop for almost 30 years. She was the primary fund raiser for the Bicentennial Olympic Pool in Mossman and her family farms at Shannonvale.

Bob and Dianne Crimmins have recently sold the only Funeral Director's business between Cairns and Cooktown. It had been in the family for three generations.

May Smith began her training as a nurse at Mossman hospital when she was 16, and returned to become Director of Nursing. She obtained Honours for her Master of Science by studying the Daintree ulcer.

Joe Noli has lived in the Shire for 68 years. He was an overseas member of the Florida Rare Fruits Council until he and his friends began a Council in Cairns in 1981. Now he grows heliconias and his flowers were used in presentations to medal winners at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. One of his daughters played soccer for an Italian club.

Diane Cilento was an internationally known actress who bought land at Whyanbeel in 1975. She opened her playhouse called 'Karnak' there in August 1992.

John Anich was born in Mossman of Yugoslav parents. He went to school at Cassowary and after studying in Brisbane, became the Mossman pharmacist.

Peter Rossi was born in Mossman of Italian parents and still farms sugar cane on the original 'Shannonvale' estate which now gives its name to the district.

Gregg Watson and his brother Drew own and operate Brie Brie Estate, one of the oldest sugar cane farms in the Mossman district, which has been in the family for four generations. Beginning with the Muntz and Crawford families, there has been a relative on the board of the Mossman Central Mill since 1899 soon after it began in 1894. The first sugar mill in the district was on Brie Brie Estate but only operated between 1883 and 1888, before the family owned the land.

Sev Andreassen is the third generation of his family to live in Mowbray. His son also lives there. His grandfather arrived in Mowbray in the 1890s and went beche de mer fishing from an old navy gunboat.

Rose Gusmeroli was born to an Italian family of cane farmers. Apart from a year away when she first married, she has always lived in the district. During her tough life she worked at the Miallo phone exchange and in Jack and Newell's store in Mossman and is now working at Woolworths.

Bernie Jack and Col Graves worked at the Mossman Central Mill during the installation of the first computers in the world to control sugar production. Bernie's father has lived in the area for four generations. His grandfather Councillor Andrew Jack was killed in the 1911 cyclone.