The Queensland city of Ipswich can boast an astonishing royal fruit shop owner. I told a version of this story live on Ipswich’s West Bremer Radio.

This year marks the 150^th birthday of a remarkable Ipswich fruiterer and possibly the most right royally-exposed fruiterer in history. His name is Joseph Henry Bearkley. He was born in 1875 which was the same year that his father got off a murder charge in Toowoomba.

Joseph’s father was Mr Archibald Bearkley who was one of the biggest property developers of his time. Bearkley Senior was famous for building hotels on the Darling Downs and was a staunch friend of the politician William Groom who was the only transported convict ever elected to the federal parliament. Joseph’s father incredibly later sued – unsuccessfully I might add – the dead man who he was charged with murdering.

In another interesting side note, Joseph’s uncle worked for Councillor John Rea who the chairman of the Walloon Shire Council. The uncle was effectively worked to death and died of sunstroke. Joseph’s family got some sort of retribution not long afterwards when the councillor died having suffered through a long and painful illness.

Meanwhile, Joseph himself was a magistrate in Ipswich and an officer of the Ipswich Fire Brigade. He was also the owner of a fruit shop on Nicholas Street in Ipswich and transformed the business into Bearkley’s Café. It was no ordinary café that we think of today, because it seated 250 people and catered for really big banquets. One example was when the café hosted in 1928 a huge event for the touring Great Britain rugby league team.

The remarkable Joseph Bearkley was also an alderman on the Ipswich City Council, and president of the Ipswich City Vice Regal Band. That meant he got to mix it with royals and the vice regal governor and governor-general. There’s a great photo (top of page) of Joseph (on the right) and his band with Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan the 13^th governor of Queensland, and Lord Henry Foster, the 7^th governor-general of Australia.

What’s more, Joseph was chief marshal in charge of not one, but three royal visits to Ipswich, which would be an Australian record. The first was in 1920 when Edward Prince of Wales the future King Edward VIII came to town. In 1927 there was Prince Albert Duke of York, and his wife Elizabeth, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the queen mother. Then in 1934 there was Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester the future governor-general who visited Ipswich’s Queen’s Park and the Ipswich General Hospital.

Through all that, Joseph did marry although I don’t think he had any children of his own. But he did suffer some loss when his nephew from Laidley was killed in action in New Guinea during the Second World War.

That whole amazing life is not bad for an Ipswich fruit shop owner who easily mixed with kings, queens, princes, governors and governors-general. Joseph Bearkley must be the most royally-exposed fruiterer in world fruiting history. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

Today Joseph is buried in the Ipswich General Cemetery without anything to suggest the amazing public life he led. Surely some sort of plaque can be organised to commemorate Australia’s greatest fruiterer.

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

Photo credits:
Ipswich City Vice-Regal Band at Government House Brisbane 1924 – Picture Ipswich.
Portrait of Joseph Bearkley Ipswich 1930s – Picture Ipswich Whithead Studios.
William Henry Groom – State Library of Queensland.
Great Britain Rugby League Touring Team to Australasia 1928 – Rugby Relics website.
Duke of Gloucester during his visit to the Ipswich General Hospital and Queen’s Park, Ipswich,1934 – Picture Ipswich Whitehead Studios.