Over a century ago a secret was kept from the governor when he visited Ipswich that almost drive him to torture, but there was another, ghostly secret that he was never told. A version of this story was told live on Ipswich’s West Bremer Radio.

Go back 117 years, and Andrew Barlow’s 1909 Ipswich secret aggravated the governor of Queensland, but there was another, ghostly, secret.

Andrew Barlow arrived in Ipswich in 1878 when he was appointed the manager of Ipswich’s Bank of Australasia. His home was the historic “Rosemont” built in 1872 with a beautiful cedar and leadlight entry, and it’s still there in Burnett Street at Sadliers Crossing today. (Pictured top of page.)

Barlow won the seat of Ipswich in Queensland’s legislative assembly and had a long and unusual parliamentary career of twenty-seven years. He was called “the continuous minister” because no matter which party was in power, he always managed to be appointed a minister.

In 1909 while Barlow was serving as the minister for education, he was speaking at the prize giving of Ipswich’s technical college. That’s when he let slip that he had a secret, but he would say no more. No one could get it out of him, not even the Queensland governor Lord Chelmsford who was with him in Ipswich that night.

Lord Chelmsford, who went on to become the governor of New South Wales and the viceroy of India, wanted to know he secret and actually half-joked about applying a form of torture. He even suggested that he’d take Barlow from Ipswich to Brisbane in the government motor car, and drive at top speed in an effort to get Mr. Barlow to spill the beans. Bear in mind that top speed in 1909 was perhaps a little more that ten miles an hour. Anyway, Barlow resisted the pressure and was reported as just sitting there, blandly gazing “at the audience with the placid and immobile air of an Egyptian Sphinx”.

The existence of Ipswich’s well-kept secret even made the newspapers, but still Barlow wouldn’t say a word.

The governor and public didn’t have to wait long, because just a couple of days later the newspapers reported that Barlow had revealed his secret by announcing ground-breaking legislation that proved to be really historic. Barlow announced the Central Technical College Act of 1909. It formally established Queensland’s first government‑run institution for technical and vocational education. This was the moment when technical training shifted from community‑run School of Arts committees to a fully state‑supported system. It eventually became the Queensland University of Technology, or QUT.

But Barlow had other secrets as well. In 1873 he had married Eleanor Outridge and so joined a notable and ghostly family. His brother-in-law was Percy Outridge who was Australia’s leading pearler and one of richest men in Queensland.

Barlow’s nephew Leslie Outridge was the last to fire the gun before a fatal shooting at the Ipswich Central state school fete, and later survived the sinking of the Centaur in the Second World War.

And for those with an interest in the supernatural, Barlow’s sister-in-law was Esther Outridge whose ghost possibly haunts the Hamilton and Alexandra College in country Victoria today.

So next time you feel that a politician isn’t telling you the full story, just pause because there might a ghostly reason.

Or if you really need to know a secret, go see the governor and she might arrange some sort of regal torture just like in Ipswich one hundred and seventeen years ago.

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

Photo credits:
Rosemont Ipswich 2018 – Realestate website.
Andrew Henry Barlow 1893 – State Library of Queensland.
Governor of Queensland Lord Chelmsford – State Library of Queensland.
Ipswich School of Arts building and Post Office, 1908 – State Library of Queensland.
Esther Evelyn Outridge – State Library of Queensland.