"Emigrant" MemorialPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates those from the ship "Emigrant" who died from typhus during the voyage and in quarantine at Dunwich in 1850.
A plaque relating to the victims is also on the tombstone, erected by his wife, of Dr David Keith Ballow who was also a victim of the typhus outbreak in 1850.
In 1850, the ship "Emigrant" left Plymouth for Moreton Bay with 276 passengers on board. Four weeks into the voyage, typhus broke out on the ship and there were eighteen deaths during the voyage. When the ship reached Moreton Bay, the passengers were quarantined at the Dunwich Quarantine station where a further twenty-six people died and were buried in the local cemetery.
Descendents of victims and survivors from one of Moreton Bay's early tragedies gathered for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at Dunwich Cemetery on North Stradbroke Island recently. People travelled from all across Australia to pay tribute to the passengers and crew of the ill-fated ship the Emigrant which left Plymouth, England, in 1850 bound for Australia.
Unfortunately for many of the 260 passengers and crewmen on board, this journey would turn out to be their last. Four weeks after departing, typhus broke out on board. There were 18 deaths during the voyage to Australia and a further 26 passengers died while quarantined at the newly commissioned quarantine station at Dunwich.
The long-ago tragedy brought together hundreds of people keen to learn about their family history. The plaque, unveiled by Mayor Don Seccombe, commemorates those who died during the voyage and in quarantine.
Coordinator of the Emigrant Descendents Association Peter Hodge was delighted with the number of descendents that turned out to the event, many of whom found out they were related to the passengers while surfing the Internet. Mr Hodge said it was amazing how many people these days were interested in researching their family tree and agreed that the Net was making it more accessible and easy. "That's why so many people are here today from so many diverse places. We have people from Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra - all over Australia, " he said.
Mayor Don Seccombe was delighted to see so many people on the day and thanked Peter Hodge and local historian Tracy Ryan for their tireless efforts in organising the get-together.
Mr Hodge also wanted to publicly acknowledge the efforts of Mayor Seccombe, Div 2 Councillor Frank Bradley and Tracy Ryan.
Bayside Bulletin, 2003.
Location
| Address: | Yabby Street, Dunwich Cemetery , Dunwich, 4183 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.493653 Long: 153.404867 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Pandemic |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 10th August, 2003 |
|---|
THE EMIGRANT
Dunwich was a government quarantine station from July 1850 until 1864. Within two months of opening, the station faced an epidemic of typhus when the ship Emigrant anchored in Moreton Bay on 8 August 1850 and was put into quarantine. Eighteen people had died at sea and 28 more died at Dunwich. Two of them lie in marked graves: Dr Mitchell, the ship`s Surgeon Superintendent , and Dr Ballow, Surgeon General for the Brisbane District. This plaque commemorates those passengers and crew who died. Most lie in unmarked graves or were bured at sea.
DIED AT SEA
Date Name and Age Place of Origin
[Names]
DIED AT SEA AFTER ENTERING BASS STRAIT
[Names]
DIED AT ANCHOR IN MORETON BAY
[Names]
DIED AT ANCHOR, QUARANTINE STATION
[Name]
DIED AT QUARANTINE STATION, DUNWICH
[Names]
References 'List of Emigrants per ship Emigrant, arrived 10 August 1850, as inspected by the Immigration Board on 26 September 1850', Archives Office of NSW, Reel 2461; Moreton Bay Courier, 7 September 1850
Dr Ballows Grave Plaque:
AROUND THIS STONE
ARE INTERRED
THE MORTAL REMAINS
OF
TWENTY SIX IMMIGRANTS.
WHO
SEEKING IN THIS LAND
AN EARTHLY HOME
HAVE FOUND ELSEWHERE
WE TRUST
A BETTER COUNTRY.
