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Stalworth, Queensland
Stalworth is a rural locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Stalworth had a population of 37 people.[1] GeographyOkeden Road forms most of the south-western boundary of the locality.[3] Hopefield is a neighbourhood in the centre of the locality (26°07′00″S 151°36′00″E / 26.1166°S 151.6°E).[4] The land use is predominantly grazing on native vegetation with some crop growing and plantation forestry.[3] HistoryThe locality was officially named and bounded by government on 16 October 1998,[2] although the locality name has been used since the earliest days of settlement. A hall was built at Stalworth which hosted dances and social events for many years. It opened on Saturday 21 September 1929[5] and was later extended with significant alternations and improvements which were opened on Saturday 3 March 1934.[6][7] Church services and activities were also held in the hall regularly.[8][9] A Stalworth branch society within the Christian Endeavour movement met in the hall and they hosted the Weinholt Christian Endeavour Union rally there in 1937.[10] Other social activities in the district included the formation of a Stalworth local soccer team.[11] There was also a cheese factory at Stalworth for a short time. Newspaper articles from 1925 report that it was destroyed by fire on 30 December 1924 along with the adjoining residence,[12] and the circumstances were regarded as suspicious with the possibility of insurance fraud.[13] It was insured for £1100[13] and was owned at the time by E.V.Hobbs who did not reside there but engaged a caretaker.[14] The caretaker was James Wardill.[15] A local farmer giving evidence at the subsequent inquiry held in Wondai Court House[15] testified that the factory had by then been in disuse for many years,[16] however the owner testified that his son-in-law had operated the cheese plant for a short time between approximately 1919 and 1922 generating turnover to the value of £6000.[14] An advertisement was placed in the Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser newspaper on 6 June 1917 calling for tenders to construct the Stalworth cheese factory by its proprietor E.T.Howes of Memerambi.[17] One of the first settlers in the district was Sydney Shaw, who subsequently became the first teacher at nearby Abbeywood State School.[18] Communication services were established relatively early. Telephone was first made available at Stalworth on 25 March 1926.[19] Further, the district is mentioned in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 23 June 1932 when the Postmaster General was calling for tenders for mail delivery in the area - "Proston and Proston, via Block 10, Stalworth Post Office, Slingers and Jingeri letter-box, twice a week. Tenderers to state additional price required for three trips a week."[20] DemographicsIn the 2016 census, Stalworth had a population of 33 people.[21] In the 2021 census, Stalworth had a population of 37 people.[1] EducationThere are no schools in Stalworth but primary and secondary schooling (to Year 10) are available in neighbouring Proston. The nearest secondary school to Year 12 is at Murgon.[22] Children living in the area attended primary school at Abbeywood State School while it operated between the years 1914 and 1969. References
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