Australian icons Dame Nellie Melba, Steele Rudd and others are brought alive in this tragic tale of death by horse in Ipswich, Queensland, one hundred and fifty years ago. I told a version of this story on West Bremer Radio.

In August 1874, Ipswich’s “Queensland Times” newspaper reported that “little… of sufficient importance” had happened that month. It did note, however, that Ipswich has been “tolerably well supplied with amusements”, including concerts and an excellent circus.

The circus performed on two nights to crowded houses and included a stud of magnificently trained horses, as well as a clown by the name of Leon Tier who apparently was actually quite funny.

The concerts, there had been three of them, were performed by a Miss Christian. One of those performances was unusually a benefit event in aid of the widow of Mr. Daniel Brodie.

Daniel Brodie for twelve years had been a highly respected resident of Ipswich, and one day he was coming home from Brisbane when he was thrown from his horse near Oxley.

He was noticed by some people passing-by who picked him up in an insensible state and put him under a tree.  

He spent the whole night in freezing conditions under that tree, where he was found the next morning by some more people, who took him to the Oxley Hotel.

It was there that Brodie was attended by not one, but three doctors.

There was Dr John Jaap who was the superintendent of the Goodna Mental Asylum.

There was also Doctor William Von Lossberg. He was the first doctor on the scene at the St Mary’s School Tragedy, provided controversial autopsies for the Gatton Murders, testified to the low intellect of the last woman sentenced to hang, and thought that a man called Paddy the Horse may be insane.

And then there was Dr. Kevin Izod O’Doherty. He was an Irish rebel who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land for treason. He set up a medical practice in Ipswich, had been a member of the Queensland legislative assembly and soon of the legislative council, and was by this time one of the colony’s leading doctors.

Despite the three doctors doing all they could, Brodie faded away and died. He left a wife and six children.

That’s when a Mr. John Archibald leapt into action. He was manager of the firm where Brodie was foreman. He arranged for a gift of £100 which enabled Brodie’s widow Violet to keep the family together. Archibald would become one of Queensland’s great captains of industry, was chairman of Foggitt, Jones & Co. the building of which can still be seen in South Brisbane, he was twice mayor of Warwick, and a member of the Queensland legislative council.

After Brodie died, a son-in-law would be Steele Rudd who was one of Australia’s favourite authors including of the iconic “Dad & Dave” radio programme.

The benefit concert mentioned earlier was performed by Miss Mary Ellen Christian. She was famously the singing teacher of Dame Nellie Melba who was the world’s greatest operatic soprano.

And remarkably exactly eight-and-a-half months after Brodie fell off his horse, his seventh offspring was born, the child fated never to know his father.

And so in August 1874 when the newspaper said that little of importance had happened in Ipswich, the threads of history were actually being very busily woven!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A VERSION OF THIS STORY TOLD ON WEST BREMER RADIO.

Photo credits:
Dame Nellie Melba – Museums Victoria.
Leon Tier, clown at Burton Taylor Circus, 1871-1880 – State Library of New South Wales.
Dr Kevin Izod O’Doherty – State Library of Queensland.
John Archibald, mayor of Warwick – State Library of Queensland.
Nellie and Miss Christian – State Library of Victoria.