Roma History Lodge - Family & Local History of the Maranoa

Roma History Lodge - Family & Local History of the Maranoa 17 McDowall Street, (PO Box 877), Roma Qld 4455
We have a great collection of old photos at the Roma

Membership per year (due 1 July to 30 June):
Single $30
Family $40
Pensioner $20
Pensioner Couple $25. This includes three copies of our newsletter "The Maranoa Enquirer" emailed or (if requested) posted out to you. If you just want to receive "The Maranoa Enquirer" three times a year without being a member, the cost is $10 per year.

A young French History student who contacted us earlier this year has sent us photos of an event organised in honour of ...
31/08/2026

A young French History student who contacted us earlier this year has sent us photos of an event organised in honour of the soldiers who inscribed their names on the walls of the church bell tower in the Port of Bray. One of those soldiers was an Australian, from Roma, Charles Peter Brown, Service No 163. We were able to give the student, Axel Gressier, some details of Charles' life before and after he joined up. Some might remember him and his wife, Ivy, having a shop in the same location as WillEms Nursery is now.
Charles enlisted in the Army on 17th September 1914. He survived the war and returned to Roma where he and Ivy ran the shop for many years. Charles died in 1983 at the age of 89. He and Ivy are buried together in the Roma Cemetery.

"On the walls they wrote their stories"

On Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August, the reconstruction of a First World War camp was organised at the Port of Bray. Axel sent me these photos of the event, which was reported in a French Newspaper and on the Sir John Monash Centre website, link is below if you would like to read more.
https://sjmc.gov.au/graffiti-bray-sur-somme/

Last Call for Roma Swimming History – needed by mid-SeptemberElite swimmers and major achievements are an important part...
31/08/2026

Last Call for Roma Swimming History – needed by mid-September
Elite swimmers and major achievements are an important part of Roma’s story, but they are only one part.

The pool belonged to generations of Roma people. The children who learnt their first strokes there, the parents sitting poolside, the coaches and teachers, the volunteers running carnivals, the teenagers meeting their friends and the families escaping a hot summer afternoon are all part of the story we want this display to tell.

If you have photographs, names, dates, or memories from Roma’s swimming pools — particularly from the 1970s to now — we would love to hear from you.

Please comment below. Photographs and documents do not necessarily need to be donated — in many cases, we simply need the opportunity to scan or photograph them and record the story behind them.

Because the history of Roma’s pool isn’t just the history of the champions - it belongs to everyone who got in the water.

Email: [email protected] or visit the Roma History Lodge, 17 McDowall Street, Roma.

Opening Hours: Tuesday & Thursday mornings 9 to 12 noon, Saturday afternoon 2 to 5pm.

You are invited to the Roma & District Family History Society Inc’s AGM on Sunday 30 August 2026, starting at 2:00pm at ...
24/08/2026

You are invited to the Roma & District Family History Society Inc’s AGM on Sunday 30 August 2026, starting at 2:00pm at the Roma History Lodge, 17 McDowall Street, Roma. Barb Kunde has kindly agreed to be our Guest Speaker and her husband Bob Kunde Chairman.
Everyone is welcome to attend and listen to Barb’s family story and stay for the AGM. After a short break for afternoon tea, the August Monthly Meeting will follow. You must be a paid-up member to be eligible to vote at the meetings.
From Barb: “First of all, I’m a Third Generation Romaite. My grandfather Allan Stanley Cooke came to Roma in 1916 as the Cream Tester and Grader at the Roma Butter Factory. After completing his schooling at Eltham NSW he was employed at Nimbun Co-operative Dairy Company at Nowra in early 1908 and stayed there for 3½ years before moving to Foley Brothers in Lismore. While there he obtained the Department of Agriculture’s Certificates of Competency in Milk and Cream Testing and in Cream Grading. He received his Butter Maker’s Certificate from the Queensland Department of Agriculture in 1927.
After six months at the Roma Butter Factory, he returned to Lismore to marry my grandmother Ivy Mabel Hollingworth on 25 July 1917 and together they purchased the house, “Ivanal”, which Bob and I now own. I can only imagine what my grandmother thought of Roma after leaving the beautiful lushness of the Northern Rivers of NSW when compared with the dryness of western Queensland. However, being stoic and pioneering she made Roma home and enjoyed living here until her passing in 1971…”

A magnificent old piece of Roma’s history up for sale.
19/08/2026

A magnificent old piece of Roma’s history up for sale.

13/07/2026

On this day, 13 July (1901), Peter Jackson, 40, died in Roma, Qld. A champion boxer, Peter should have fought for the world heavyweight championship, but the man who held the title, American John L. Sullivan, refused to fight a black man. So, Peter fought Sullivan's main contender, James 'Gentleman Jim' Corbett. It went for 61 rounds and was declared a no-contest. Gentleman Jim eventually knocked out John L. Sullivan. During his career, Peter suffered a punctured lung that never healed and, weakened by incipient tuberculosis, he moved to Roma for a warmer climate, where he died. West Indian boxer Jack Dowridge asked for Peter’s body to be sent to Brisbane by train. A band escorted the coffin to the Roma railway station and a cortege at the Brisbane end accompanied Jackson’s casket to the Toowong cemetery. The Sportsman wrote: “The greatest boxer of his day is being laid peacefully away." Peter rests in a beautiful grave bearing the words "This was a man" in Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery. From our 'Grave Tales: Brisbane Vol.1' book.

Three times a year the Roma History Lodge members compile a 16 page newsletter sent out via email or posted out to our m...
19/06/2026

Three times a year the Roma History Lodge members compile a 16 page newsletter sent out via email or posted out to our members. This is a sample from the newsletter called 'The Maranoa Enquirer' from Issue #109 - Jan 2026. We have an amazing collection of family stories and photographs brought into the History Lodge or in this case, emailed to us. This is a story from John FIDLER, who is a former resident of Roma. His family were English and arrived in Roma in 1955 and ended up living at Winnothoola. There is also a story and photographs about the Roma Water Tower being built in 1954. And the beginning of a (long) story written by Arthur L WEHL. In fact Arthur's story is continued in Issue 110 - May 2026 edition (just off the printing press). The cost of subscribing to 'The Maranoa Enquirer' is $15 per year x three editions. Great present for older family members living away. If you are interested in subscribing, please email our Secretary Margaret [email protected] and she will send you details.

This house is from the 1928 donated album, but we aren't sure where this is. The caption says "K. Curran's residence" so...
17/06/2026

This house is from the 1928 donated album, but we aren't sure where this is. The caption says "K. Curran's residence" so I've looked up the Qld Electrol Rolls and the only K. Curran listed was Kevin Curran who was married to Laura Conroy and they lived in Arthur Street in 1928. His occupation was Tobacconist. His family were railway workers and about 1935, Kevin and his wife purchased a Newsagency in McDowall Street. If anyone can pick where this house is, please let us know.

Another beautifully built home from the 1928 donated album - Reg & Biddy JOHNSON's residence on corner of McDowall & Duk...
16/06/2026

Another beautifully built home from the 1928 donated album - Reg & Biddy JOHNSON's residence on corner of McDowall & Duke Streets, Roma across from St John's School. This is still in use as a family home.

Address

17 McDowall Street
Roma, QLD
4455

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 12:30pm
Thursday 9am - 12:30pm
Saturday 2pm - 5pm

Telephone

+61746227322

Website

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