Residents of Scotland’s Orkney Islands may be surprised to find a connection between an island family, the Griffins, and the early development of Pine Rivers. When Moreton Bay opened to free settlement in 1842, Captain George Griffin and his family became the first Europeans to settle in Pine Rivers, acquiring Whiteside, a pastoral run, in 1843.
The 7250-hectare property encompassed modern-day Kallangur, Murrumba Downs and Griffin, extending from the North Pine River to Caboolture and eastwards to the coast. As a naval captain and East India Company officer, Captain George Griffin was often away at sea. Hence, his son Francis Griffin managed Whiteside with George’s wife, Jane and sons William and John. Together, they reared sheep, cattle and horses and grew maize, wheat and potatoes.
The family homestead overlooked the North Pine River adjacent to Quinns Crossing on the old Whiteside Road, which was then the main road north of Brisbane. It was a popular stop for squatters, pastoralists and officials of the time. Reverend John Dunmore Lang, who’d arranged the migration of settlers and Moravian missionaries to Queensland, described the Whiteside homestead as a typical squatter’s residence “consisting of rough slabs fixed in sleepers below, a grooved wall plate above and roofed with large sheets of bark supported by rough saplings as rafters.”
From Whiteside to Modern Suburbs: The Legacy of the Griffin Family
Francis Griffin left Whiteside in 1847 and Captain George Griffin passed away in 1851, leaving Jane and John to manage Whiteside. John then married Isabella Joyner in 1852, the widow of William Joyner, who was the owner of the neighbouring run Samsonvale. William had died in 1847 in a shipwreck at Stradbroke Island. After Jane Griffin passed away in 1863, John oversaw both the Whiteside and Samsonvale runs, which, at that time, covered much of the Pine Rivers area.
In 1868, amidst land pressures, Griffin relinquished Whiteside (portions had been sold or leased to other settler families, including Tom Petrie, Charles Ogg (Ogg Road) and the Hyde Brothers (Hyde Road). Mr McGaven (McGaven Park) acquired Whiteside’s homestead section. Subdivision into acreage lots occurred in the 1970s. The Griffin family continued to work the Samsonvale run as a dairy and beef property until the Second World War. It was resumed in the 1970s for the North Pine Dam.
The Griffin’s pioneering achievements are acknowledged today in local place names – Whiteside Road, which led to the family homestead, Griffin Court (Murrumba Downs) and the suburbs of Griffin and Whiteside.
Read more stories from The North Lakes Guide print magazine here:
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