Teutoburg to Witta: How European settlement helped make Maleny

On The Cover…

Fred Warne, a British settler, stands moustachioed with his pipe, hat, and waistcoat, in a field behind his horses, ploughing a furrow for the late corn crop in the 1890s. The identity of the second man is unknown. Behind the main action, we can clearly see the timber slab and weatherboard-walled buildings, constructed under split pine shingle rooves. The post and rail fence around the field, designed to be stockproof, extends into the distance as it defines new boundaries of ownership. European practices had come to the Range.

Drive around the locality of Witta today, and you can’t help but notice all those German-sounding names. There is a reason for that. In the late 1880s, a few young men from the German Settlement south of Brisbane at Bethania decided to move out of the homes of their migrant parents, to strike out on their own. At the time, land was opening up on the Blackall Range.

Witta locals, Steve Chaddock and Dale Jacobsen, joined forces to create the book, Teutoburg to Witta, to celebrate the mostly European early settlers who called their district Teutoburg - with all those German-named streets. During WW1, in 1916, the name was changed to Witta. 

The book created by Steve and Dale tells the story of how a community formed, and contains 100 illustrations of photos, maps and diagrams, and is for sale for $25.

Local business have shown a keen interest in this book. ReMax Hinterland, of Maleny, have generously sponsored design and production. Witta businesses, The Crooked Fringe Hairdressers and Sommer’s Fuel Supplies have agreed to sell the book, as have Rosetta Books and Maleny Information Centre in Maple Street. 

For more information, visit website: www.dalelornajacobsen.com or email: dalelornajacobsen@bigpond.com Ph: 0413 843 652.