He is single-handedly responsible for millions of the population of Queensland today and contributed to saving millions more around the world. I told a version of this story live on radio 4WK. 

In 1866 a government advertisement appeared in the Brisbane Courier newspaper saying that about sixty women, recently arrived by the ship Wansfell, were at the Brisbane immigration depot open to engagement. They included cooks, laundresses, maids, and general servants, and could be inspected daily on application to the matron. The girls were great marriage material. It was signed by John McDonnell the Queensland immigration agent in Brisbane. 

This was not an unusual advertisement because single young women were exactly what the colony of Queensland needed to populate the huge landmass. Queensland had separated from New South Wales just seven years earlier, and McDonnell had advertised such new arrivals hundreds of times. 

Lieutenant-Colonel John McDonnell was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1829. He arrived in Queensland in 1860 and was appointed the immigration agent responsible for populating the new colony. He did far more than that. McDonnell founded the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on Stradbroke Island, was the first commandant of the Queensland defence force, and responsible for getting the first big military camp at Westbrook outside of Toowoomba in 1884. 

The arrival of this one ship Wansfell in 1866 is just one example of his work populating Queensland. By placing the single female passengers from this ship alone, around sixty thousand Queenslanders today owe their very existence to McDonnell, because those young women did their job. Extrapolate those fertile numbers across hundreds of McDonnell’s ships and the numbers run into millions. 

For example from the Wansfell, Anne Irwin was just fifteen years old when she arrived, got married straight away and had eight children. Sarah Ford had eleven children, one of whom was a decorated war hero Bill Lowe from Toowoomba. Eliza Renton had ten children one of whom was George Ockelford the Brisbane artist who famously won a medal for wood carving at the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago. And the list goes on. 

While McDonnell’s work as immigration agent was responsible for probably millions of Queenslanders today, his own children also made a mark. 

One daughter Florence McDonnell married Arthur Pixley who captained the first Queensland tennis team. 

Another daughter Eliza McDonnell married William Henry Beauchamp Persse. Persse was born at his ancestral home of Moyode Castle in Ireland. He was the son of Burton Persse who was Justice of the Peace, High Sheriff, and Deputy Lieutenant of County Galway. He was also master of the famous Galway Blazers foxhounds and hosted many distinguished guests including King Edward VII. 

McDonnell’s son was Dr. Aeneas McDonnell who was chief surgeon of the Toowoomba General Hospital. Dr. McDonnell became famous for two reasons. The first was his role in helping millions of people around the world through a revolutionary medical treatment.  

One day in 1910 Dr.  McDonnell read a long telegram from Sister Elizabeth Kenny who was a graduate nurse who he mentored. Sister Kenny was working alone in the bush about one hundred miles away and needed advice on treating four children with a condition that she didn’t recognise.  

Dr. McDonnell scribbled a reply: “Infantile paralysis … no known cure. . . do the best you can.” And she did – she cured them. When Sister Kenny visited Dr. McDonnell in Toowoomba, he was Incredulous and rushed her into the hospital to show he and his staff the heat and massage treatment that she had developed. 

Sister Kenny became world famous for her revolutionary treatment of infantile paralysis. A Hollywood film was made about her that starred Rosalind Russell as Sister Kenny. Russell was a glamorous American actress who was nominated for four Academy Award, she won five Golden Globes and one Tony Award. 

The second thing that Toowoomba’s Dr. McDonnell became famous for was his companion Sandy. When Dr. McDonnell died, he left £50 per year to Sandy. Sandy was his Scotch Terrier dog. That’s £1 a week was to be paid for the purpose of feeding and caring for the Scotch Terrier as long as he lived. 

Dr. McDonnell could think of no better owner to succeed him than Sister Hassell of Beaudesert who had attended Dr. McDonnell himself in his final days. Sandy therefore enjoyed the rest of his days at a property Veresdale near Beaudesert. 

So if it wasn’t for Lieutenant-Colonel John McDonnell and his son at the Toowoomba hospital, we would have millions of less Queenslanders today, the world would never have heard of Sister Kenny, nor would we have heard of Sandy the Scotch terrier dog. 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A VERSION OF THIS STORY TOLD ON RADIO 4WK. 

Photo credits:
John McDonnell c1861 – State Library of Queensland.
Burton Persse master of the hunt Galway Blazers – The Peerage com.
Dr A.J. McDonnell of Toowoomba – Telegraph, Brisbane, 10th August 1939, page 7.
Movie star Rosaline Russell and Sister Elizabeth Kenny – Worlds News, Sydney, 21st Mar 1942, page 2.