A SERVICE of thanksgiving and a garden party has been held to celebrate 175 years of the McConnel family at Cressbrook.
Christopher, Susan and Caitlin McConnel hosted almost 150 guests, including extended family, friends, local community members and representatives of various industries within Australia who continue to work closely with the extensive history of the McConnel family.
Settled on July 15, 1841 by David Cannon McConnel, Cressbrook was the first run to be taken up by British settlers outside the 50 mile (80km) limit to the penal colony at Moreton Bay.
David married Mary McLeod, who founded the Hospital for Sick Children in Brisbane (then the Royal Children’s Hospital and now the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital).
Today, the McConnel family is the oldest identified family business in Queensland and the third oldest in Australia. Their home, the House at Cressbrook, it the oldest continually occupied residence and third oldest building in Queensland.
The celebration on October 29 was an opportunity for Christopher, Susan and Caitlin to give thank for, and to acknowledge, the significant contributions made by descendants of the McConnel family in the shaping of agriculture, healthcare, education and anthropology in Australia, over their family’s 175 years of settlement at Cressbrook.
It also signified the gratitude that Christopher, Susan and Caitlin have for the legacy left by their forebears, and for the significant and unwavering contributions of friends, extended family and interested parties that have ensured that Cressbrook continues uniquely in the founding family.
The service of thanksgiving was officiated by Father Ian Bailey, Anglican minister for the Brisbane Valley, in the Victoria Chapel at Cressbrook. The Victoria Chapel was built in 1901 at Cressbrook as a 25th wedding anniversary present from second-generation owner James Henry McConnel, to his wife Madge.
During the service, prayers were read by Susan Sullivan (nee McConnel) Deb Frecklington MP, Jocelyn Baldwin (nee Coleman) and Glen Brieschke. A commemorative plaque was also unveiled and blessed, in keeping with the centenary and 150th plaques marking the previous milestones of the McConnel family at Cressbrook.
During the Garden Party, held at the House at Cressbrook, current custodian, fifth-generation Christopher David McConnel and his daughter Caitlin read speeches which provided some detail about the family’s connection to Queensland and Australia history over their 175 year history.
The family received congratulatory messages from Australian dignitaries including Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The family also received correspondence from the Queen, and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The McConnel family’s connection to the Royal family has spanned generations, from the mid-1800s to the present day.
- Photos: Sarah Chandler and Lou Gilbert
