A Pioneer family in Queensland

The story of the Christiansen family of migrants who arrived in Australia in the 1870s emerged from a family portrait, two  pictures of a store in the 1920s and then the 1930s, a marriage certificate, a photo of that wedding and the memories of an 80 year old lady.

old christiansens                     old store earliest old store later                                    wedding photo mums parents

 

They were pioneers in the Pialba region of Queensland. They began with a general store but ended up with the store, a bakery and the only picture theatre for miles around. As well, they had the first car owned in the area. Although they ‘went bust’ in the Great Depression, they moved to Brisbane and rebuilt their life. It turned out to be a very interesting story.