Ranges Bridge
Ranges Bridge is named after John Range who was the first person buried at the Dalby Monumental Cemetery. But, did you know John started his life in Norfolk, England and came to Australia as a convict? He was committed in 1845 for breaking and entering a house and stealing 25 sovereigns, one five pound note and one jean purse. In 1855, John was granted a Certificate of Freedom.
John seemed to thrive in Australia, keeping his nose clean and his eyes and ears open looking for opportunities. He traveled from Ipswich to Gayndar area, and owned land in Dalby, Taroom and Roma. John worked as a stockman and a stock keeper, and a courier but he found his niche as a publican. He spent about a year as a licensed publican at Taroom and then settled on the banks of the Condamine and started his own Inn. John and his family remained at the Inn until he died. John married three times – once in England and twice in Australia and had nine or ten children. At the Inn, John and Mary Ann had the rest of the children. They ran the Inn, had sheep, a food garden, and horses.
At the age of 48, John was found drowned after going down to the river with a towel under his arm to bathe. There were no suspicious circumstances. Mary Ann was pregnant when John died and the child was born shortly afterwards. Mary Ann became the licensed publican for a number of years, survived a flood which took all their sheep, and later she remarried.
Love this story? There are many more to be found on Ancestry. Come to the library and use our public computers to access the site for free. We also have some local history books you can read while in the library.