QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Sowing the seeds of the Granite Belt

Henry took a keen interest in the scientific aspects of horticulture, serving on many technical and industry committees. In 1900 he was appointed to a government board to advise under the terms of the Diseases in Plants Act. When, in the 1920s, a university academic in Sydney claimed to have discovered the excellent germicidal properties of ti tree oil, Toowoomba locals were swift in reporting that as early as 1879 Henry Rössler had already distilled the oil and proved its efficacy, but was unable to find financial backing for a public company for its commercial production. After John’s return from Germany in 1883 the brothers set up a factory preserving, bottling and canning fruit and making preserves, jams and pickles. Driven by the need to increase the amount of fruit and to broaden their range, they acquired ancillary farms and orchards in several locations, including a large farm at Highfields, north of Toowoomba, and a 31 acre (12.5ha) citrus orchard at Worongary, near Mudgeeraba in the Gold Coast hinterland. In 1897 this orchard was producing almost 600 cases of fruit annually, and had a small sawmill to saw timber for the packing cases. It remained in the family until the 1930s. The Rösslers’ products expanded to include canned fruit, jellies, tomato and Worcestershire Sauce and candied peel, as well as lemon squash from fruit grown in the orchard at Worongary. The quality was excellent, and the business thrived – to the retail outlet in Toowoomba was added another at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.

Brother John, although his business partner, was not directly involved in running of the orchard and the winery, instead doing independent contracting before becoming a licensed surveyor in 1872. He worked initially for the new Queensland government around Goondiwindi, further to the southwest, but most of his practice involved work in Toowoomba, Stanthorpe and the local areas. In 1881 he returned to Germany, speaking so highly of his new life he was warned by the Wiesbaden Prosecutor’s Office for unlicensed promotion of emigration to Australia!

Henry and John also took up a grazing lease on Boondandilla station between Millmerran and Goondiwindi, a property which they retained for many years. At various times two of Henry’s sons acted as managers. Both brothers, though committed family men who valued their privacy, were also public figures who were highly regarded in the community and felt a responsibility to serve it. Already in 1868, three years after arriving in Toowoomba, John was one of three men selected by the German community to represent them in presenting an illuminated address to Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, on his visit to Toowoomba. And in 1878 Henry was persuaded to stand as a candidate for the Queensland parliament in the electorate of Drayton and Toowoomba. His supporters hoped that as a German-born candidate he would appeal to the large German population of Toowoomba and its surrounds. Henry and his family were staunch Catholics, however, and he was unable to overcome religious prejudice among his mostly Lutheran compatriots so his bid for election was unsuccessful. Nonetheless,it showed his standing and respect in the community.

For almost 30 years they consistently won awards at Agricultural Shows in Toowoomba, Brisbane and interstate. In 1907 Roessler Brothers preserves were chosen as one of the Queensland exhibits at the Franco-British Exhibition in London.

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