Three adjoining businesses on Bourbong Street have taken a collaborative approach to achieving a cohesive heritage colour scheme and rejuvenating their shared historic façade.
The owners of 63, 65 and 67 Bourbong Street have repainted and refreshed the shopfront exteriors with help from a Bundaberg Regional Council grant.
Coyne Mahoney, who’s family owned 63 Bourbong Street for decades, said she and the other building owners, Daniel Unwin and John McGrath, all agreed a joint approach was best.
“When we first began the application process, we decided that the only sensible way to proceed would be to ensure that the whole building be painted,” Coyne said.
“And so began the collaboration between the owners of the three separate titles.
“With the help of Hasters Painting company’s experience, diligence and passion, the process was seamless and the impact on the community and businesses was minimal.
“But the impact the completed works have made to Bourbong Street were definitely not!”
Owner of 67 Bourbong Street, John McGrath, said the repainting contributed to the preservation of the heritage character of the building.
“Because the owners of all three shops with the same façade accessed the grant program at the same time, the streetscape of this section of the street has been considerably enhanced,” John said.
“This example of cooperation and coordination between the shop owners and the BRC has produced a result that all appear to be happy with.”
Historic site of Mahoney & Dexter butcher shop
A historic site plaque placed outside the building by West Bundaberg Rotary details the history of Mahoney & Dexter Master Butchers, which was established in 1923.
Butchers Stan Mahoney and Herbert Dexter leased a butchering business on the site that included an ice works and large stables, to accommodate deliveries by horse and cart.
After Herbert left the business in 1934, Stan continued to open butcher shops across Bundaberg’s suburbs.
He purchased 63 Bourbong Street in 1946, and upon his death in 1956 the business was sold to Kings Butchers, which closed in 1997.
“Originally it was one of my Grandfather’s Mahoney & Dexter Butcher shops so to see a piece of family history restored so beautifully is incredibly special,” Coyne said.
“On behalf of the entire Mahoney Family, I thank the Bundaberg Regional Council and particularly [strategic planning staff] for your commitment and dedication to restore Bundaberg’s historic buildings to their former glory.”
Coyne said Mahoney Dexters Road in Woongarra was also named after the industrious pair who ran an abattoir in the area.
Grant program a success
Our Stories Our Places was an initiative of Council’s 2023-24 budget which supported private owners undertaking heritage or character improving works on eligible places.
Coyne, Daniel and John received grants of $3,307.50 each, which represented 50% of the cost of the repainting works.
Applications for the program closed 31 May 2024, with some successful grant applicants still completing the works.
Owners of local and state heritage places, and commercial character buildings within the traditional main streets of Bundaberg and Childers, benefited from a $100,000 funding pool to undertake conservation works across the region.
Read more about the buildings improved under the grant program here.
on this old central block plan i have, a G W Wolff & Co is marked. underneath is penciled in Dexter & Son Butchers. not far away, a small building behind H T Christsen is marked “Magazine”. not far away facing Quay Street was the Bundaberg Naval Office & Drill Shed that became Hamilton & McKay Garage & repairs. Reddan & Mellor, Drapers, is also shown. most places also have a stable
Why do businesses get grants to paint their buildings? What happened to pay for it yourself?
Built c1886 originally occupied a bookmaker, a drapery importer and a general produce store. Later the Union Bank
the original lots in this section go back as far as the land sale of May 1870. I collected the original title deeds a long time ago. expensive and time consuming and forman thought he was entitled to the collection for nothing. People should stop with spreading misinformation.
Strictly speaking the plaque is inaccurate. There was an auctioneer on the NW corner of Tantitha and Bourbong St with the butcher shop adjacent. That was opened in 1879 by Pollock’s and had several owners before Mahoney and Dexter
but who was the original owners of those blocks in 1870. of course there is a lot of inaccuracies. the block plan i have about 1923 showed the corner block as a horse paddock.
spend some money and procure the land titles and trace them through, and pay attention to the transaction stampings. i could trace through the early Rates records but that is way too advanced for a lot of people. those do reflect the changes of ownership and who might have been the registered lease holder.
I already know who owned every block of land but I don’t see how it matters as nearly all where absentee landlords (speculators). The nw corner certainly wasn’t a horse paddock and had been occupied since 1891. A quick check of photos and a sketch of that time period will confirm that. Or try looking at the numerous newspaper ads for businesses on that corner might help. Looking through rates is not that hard and only confirmed what I already knew