Esteemed company

Published by The Garland Collection on March 1, 1935

ABOVE: The National Hotel, at the corner of Queen and Adelaide Streets, in inner-city Brisbane, as it looked to a photographer, probably from “The Courier-Mail”, in about 1939. The hotel’s ultra-secluded Rooftop Garden venue was booked for a private dinner party on 28 February 1935 attended by the-then Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Justice of Queensland, the former Queensland State Premier, the Queensland Police Commissioner, the Dean of St John’s Cathedral, a University of Queensland professor of history and economics, the Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, a couple high-ranking military officers, the gentlemen’s respective spouses, a few other leading lights of Brisbane – and Canon Garland. This image is Negative No. 78353 from the John Oxley Memorial Library Collection of the State Library of Queensland.
 
 

DINNER AT NATIONAL HOTEL.

 
The Administrator (Sir James Blair) [ James William Blair ] and Lady Blair entertained a number of guests at the National Hotel Roof Garden [ Brisbane ] on Thursday evening [ 28 February 1935 ].
The table decorations were pink and red roses in tall, silver vases interspersed with candlesticks adorned with crimson candles and dainty shades.
Lady Blair [ May Christina Blair, neé Gibson ] wore a trained evening gown of marine blue, triple georgette inlet, with a pink ninon vestee, and a floral posy on the corsage.
The invited guests included Mr. Justice Henchman [ Hereward John Humfry Henchman ] and Mrs. Henchman [ Isabel Henchman, neé Holliday ], the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. A.E. Moore) [ Arthur Edward Moore ] and Mrs. Moore [ Mary Eva (“Nellie”) Moore, neé Warner ], Colonel and Mrs. F.M. Lorenzo [ Francis Maxwell De Flayer Lorenzo ], Dean and Mrs. W.E.C. Barrett [ William Edward Colville Barrett ], Lieutenant-Colonel and Mrs. E.C. Plant [ Eric Clive Pegus Plant ], Professor and Mrs. H. Alcock [ Henry Alcock ], the Commissioner of Police (Mr. C.J. Carroll) [ Cecil James Carroll ] and Mrs. Carroll [ Alice Mary Carroll, neé Fahy ], Mr and Mrs. J.W. Greene, Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Hancock, Mr. and Mrs. George Brown, the Speaker (Mr. George Pollock), Misses Sutherland and Dunlop, Canon Garland [ David John Garland ], and Mr. Duncan Peirson (private secretary).

– from page 11 of “Queensland Figaro” (Brisbane) of 2 March 1935.