Interview of OAM recipient, Charters Towers 2013, Shirley Symes by Maria Caesar

According to the Australian Government’s “It’s an Honour” website, the main purpose of the Order of Australia is to recognise, by national honour, those who have made outstanding contributions that benefit their communities, and ultimately our country.

Maria Caesar of the Bush Curlews interviews the Charters Towers 2013 OAM award recipient, Shirley Symes.

Various groups Shirley is involved within the community

During the 1970s there was the restoration of the Stock Exchange Arcade. More recently was the Zara Clark museum, which had been closed down a few years ago. In both instances, Shirley gathered groups of interested people to save the National Trust buildings.

The Don Roderick Gallery had also been closed down until Shirley gathered a group of volunteers to re-open it. The gallery is now a great incentive for local artists to display their work and every year they have a competition, bringing in artists from out of town.

Shirley has always been fond of writing so she is a member of the Bush Curlews. She has had a lot of interest in the schools and was on the Advisory Board of All Souls St Gabriels School for seven years. Shirley’s husband used to own horses so she became involved with the Charters Towers Amateur Race Club, another club that needed reviving as it was very close to closing down.

In her younger years, Shirley played basketball in a team called the “Red Wings”, travelling out of town for several competitions. She was also a member of the Charters Towers Dramatic Society performing in plays in the Theatre Royal before the building was torn down after the war.

It was the loss of this “beautiful timber building with great acoustics” and several other valuable buildings within the town that ignited Shirley’s passion for reviving and restoring historical premises. Nowadays, the heritage structures that grace the town’s central business district are a major drawing card to tourists and movie-makers visiting the region. Shirley says she likes to “encourage people to preserve what we have and to bring about an awareness” of the importance of keeping history alive.

Coming to Charters Towers

Shirley was born in the Burdekin. After the death of Shirley’s father, her mother moved to Charters Towers. Shirley’s great aunt, Mary Palmer, also known as “Maude”, was the proprietor of the Occidental Hotel (located where the Commonwealth Bank is now), then later the Excelsior Hotel and then The Australian (now the Rix Hotel). Aunt Maude was a very elegant, artistic woman and Shirley had always looked up to and admired her.

Shirley was only seven years of age when they came to Charters Towers and has been here ever since.  She worked in a goods and produce agency called Bartlams Ltd (located where the Zara Clark Museum is now), until 1952 when she got married. Her stepfather had been the managing director of Bartlams Ltd until he retired.

Shirley's main achievements

There has been great satisfaction in rescuing and restoring the old buildings but generating awareness amongst other people of what we have is the hardest thing to do. When the group was working towards the restoration of The Stock Exchange Arcade many people were against it. The group constantly asked: “Why restore a building that broke so many people’s hearts?” There was a lot of vitriolic letters going back and forth in the paper. But now it is done most people appreciate the restoration.

You won another Australia Day award in a previous year. What award was that?

It was the Senior Citizen Cultural Award in 2011. As with the Order of Australia Medal, Shirley would have been nominated for the award by the community.

School life 

Shirley attended All Souls Saint Gabriel’s School, but during the 1940s when the war was on the Americans came to Charters Towers and many of the schools were confiscated. All Souls Saint Gabriel’s became a hospital. Some boarders were sent to Richmond, but Shirley’s parents didn’t want her to go out of town so she went to Blackheath & Thornburgh instead.

Charters Towers was a garrison city and there were two airstrips here during the war. The only schools in the city not vacated were Saint Mary’s and Blackheath & Thornburgh.  The military had taken over Mount Carmel – their students moved into the Park Motel. The military used many of Blackheath & Thornburgh’s playing fields as a defence base, keeping artillery there.

It was scary times, but when you are young you can’t quite comprehend the degree of danger. They had an air-raid shelter in the backyard and they each had a little suitcase with clothes and food. Her stepfather was an air-raid warden and used to walk around with a little cap, looking like a character from Dad’s Army.

Hobbies and Interests

Shirley enjoys painting and she tries to do so once a week. She also enjoys writing. Shirley loves music. She used to play the piano and also used to sing in the Eisteddfods every Easter. Shirley was a member of the Charters Towers Philharmonic Choir – there were about thirty people in the Choir. Gardening, beauty and colours all appeal to Shirley’s artistic nature.

Shirley has travelled abroad, visiting San Diego, New Zealand, the UK and Canada but her favourite holiday destination is Paris. She has been there twice, once in the spring and once in the winter and she fondly recalls the cars buried by snow as their windscreen wipers waved back and forth futilely.

Education has always been a main interest to Shirley and she believes that Charters Towers “is a wonderful educational centre. It’s a shame there was never a university located here.”

Shirley cherishes her role as great grandmother. Her first great grandchild was born just before Christmas 2012 and in 2013 she will be a great grandmother again, this time to twins, which is “very exciting”.

Overall, Shirley admits that she loves her life. She has met many wonderful people and has achieved a lot within the community, having saved numerous local heritage properties. It is with thanks to the efforts and dedication of people like Shirley that Charters Towers is now known as a town rich in history, and will continue to be so for many generations to come.