When taking the train or driving across the A.J. Wyllie Bridge at Petrie, you can view what was once the property of an early settler who left an enduring imprint on community life and local landmarks.
In April 1883, the son of a Scottish immigrant, Alexander Jackson (A.J.) Wyllie, sometimes spelt Wylie, acquired a property of 50 acres abutting the North Pine River. He called it ‘Riverleigh’.
Anyone walking through Sweeney’s Reserve today can see two gateposts that once graced the entrance to the Riverleigh homestead. Constructed of timber and brick, the home was typical of more prosperous pioneers. Demolished in the 1950s, it made way for a hostel for the Australian Paper Mill.
Legacy, Community Service and Lasting Impact
Alan Meek, A J Wyllie’s grandson, recalls his grandfather was made of “stern stuff…straight as a ramrod with a goatee beard and a pair of spectacles.” Losing one eye in an accident while chopping wood at Riverleigh in the 1880s didn’t deter A.J. Wyllie from participation in civic and social activities. Between 1882 and 1921, he served on the Caboolture Divisional Board and the Redcliffe Shire Council, briefly as chairperson. When interviewed in 2004, Alan Meek said of his grandfather’s role, “He never got paid and he did his bit for the people, and that’s what he thought he was there for.”
Over his lifetime, A.J. Wyllie maintained a diary describing North Pine weather, crop plantings and daily events. One entry notes a council meeting he attended in 1887, which included discussions about extending the railway to Redcliffe!
Not only was he a founding member of the North Pine School of Arts, assisting in its construction, Wyllie also taught Sunday school at the North Pine Presbyterian Church for 51 years. The Pine Rivers Show ring events took place in the Riverleigh paddocks before the Lawnton Showgrounds were established.
An unsuccessful request by a Wyllie descendant to rename the suburb of Lawnton to Wyllie led Council to name the adjacent park and the bridge spanning the North Pine River after A.J. Wyllie in a nod to the former landowner’s contributions to community life.
Wyllie’s passing at Riverleigh in April 1934 is said to have been so significant that many of the people who attended Sunday School still remember the day he died. He is buried at Lawnton Cemetery.
Featured image : Councillor A.J. Wylie (Wyllie) of Redcliffe Shire Council, 1905. (Image courtesy of City of Moreton Bay, ref: RMPC-100-100321)
Read more stories from The North Lakes Guide print magazine here:
- In the North Lakes Loop: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Podcast Review:Christmas Past
- New Netflix Christmas Classics
- Eco Eve: Living a More Environmentally Friendly Life!
- Steam Through History on Christmas Twilight Train
- Jungle Perch Kuhlia rupestris
- Join the Piggy Christmas Party at Farm Animal Rescue
- A Very Merry Christmas Storytime at Moreton Bay Libraries
- Christmas Events in North Lakes
- Bad Moon Rises Bright for Creedence Tribute Night
- Summer Feasts and Festive Cheer at the Kallangur Tavern
- Make a Splash and Dive into Summer at Moreton Bay Pools
- Festive Markets for Everyone
- Spaghetti Springtime
- School Holiday Fun Around North Lakes
- Giving Young Voices a Platform
