Information

The Soldier Settlement Scheme was a Commonwealth-State cooperative process of selling or leasing Crown land to soldiers who had been demobilised following the end of their service in World War I. In Sunnybank, from 1918 to 1919, twelve dwellings were erected on half acre blocks at a cost of £5,523, and then sold to returned soldiers with loans provided by the Queensland Government Savings Bank. The Sunnybank Model Development for Returned Soldiers was formally declared on 8 May 1922. The Sunnybank Scheme, like many such settlements, did not meet expectations. Farm land usually did not produce subsistence for families, whether the poor quality of the soils, insufficient plots, or lack of agricultural skills. The advantage of the Sunnybank Scheme was the provision of modern town houses where the standard was exceptional for an outlying rural district.

Citations

Stable Swamp Creek – Southern Arm Sunnybank Catchment and Heritage Walk, Coopers Plains Local History Group, 2006, p. 13; Residence. Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.

Image Citations

Soldiers Settlement House, Dixon Street, 1920s. Brisbane Images. Brisbane City Council Library Services. 2081.

Map References

QSA. QSA Series 1748 Moreton District, County of Stanley Maps – A1 Series. 5 chains to the inch. Model Suburban Settlement for Returned Soldiers, Sunnybank, Parish of Yeerongpilly, County of Stanley