CAIRNS HISTORICAL SOCIETY WANTS SOME STREET WISE HELP

Cairns Historical Society is taking to the streets and wants help with biographies of some of the city’s best-known byways.

This year the Society will produce books on some of Cairns’ oldest streets – The Esplanade, Lake Street, Spence Street, Abbott Street and Shields Street.

It needs help to research and write the books and is calling for anyone who can assist with the project.

Fleur Anderson, executive officer of the Cairns Historical Society, said the organisation was looking for anyone with memories or memorabilia of the streets, old photographs and documents, along with people who can help with research or authors who may like to help write the publications.

“The books can be visual, descriptive or text – whatever brings the history and atmosphere of these streets to life,” she said.

“The idea is to trace the history of each street through streetscape photos, one per decade, with descriptive text explaining the changes, along with any additional interesting detail on particular buildings or places.

“Volunteers would be given a street to themselves to research so they can receive author recognition on the front cover.”

Ms Anderson said the streets were chosen due to their prominence in the CBD and are likely to have the most photos and information.

The thoroughfares have witnessed the growth of Cairns from a bustling, boisterous frontier settlement to the tourist and economic hub it is today.

The Esplanade was the first street surveyed in Cairns in 1876 and was once a sandy beach. Lake Street was named after the skipper of the SS Victoria – one of the first vessels to visit Cairns – and Spence Street borrowed the name of the first collector of customs.

As well, the Society is seeking volunteers who may not have a connection or knowledge of the area but are interested in research, imaging and archives generally.

Anyone who would like to be part of the project should contact secretary@cairnsmuseum.org.au.