There’s no place like home

Despite the increase in new developments, Palmwoods has plenty of historical buildings which are luckily being preserved by many locals. One such couple are Yvonne and Bret Dalziel, who bought 1 Jane Street from Em and Alan Beutel in 2012.

by Victoria McGuin

You can’t help but notice the striking Queenslander on the corner of Main Street and Jane Street. Number 1 Jane Street and its surrounding gardens have been lovingly restored by Yvonne and Bret Dalziel, who dived head first into connecting with the community from the moment they arrived.

I went to meet them and find out more about this historical home, the people who lived here, and the work involved in preserving it for future generations.

“We are originally Victorians,” Yvonne said. “I moved to Sippy Downs in 2005, and Bret has lived in Queensland longer than he has down south, most of those years in Cooroy. I had a day off work and had seen the house on RealEstate.com. I walked in and knew this was something special, despite needing a LOT of work!

“I said to Bret, ‘We can renovate this house,’ and he agreed, so we bought it.”

Once they moved in, Bret and Yvonne knew their aim was to restore it to its former characterful glory, stripping away the modifications and varied décor. “There were 11 types of lino in the house!” said Yvonne with a laugh.

Bret continued, “Things had been added that weren’t original, such as walk-in wardrobes, which we removed. We took the 1960s louvre windows out and replaced them with windows from Tarragindi Hall in Brisbane.”

“I love to use second-hand materials,” said Yvonne, “and I found almost everything over time on Ebay, Gumtree and auction houses. The kitchen table is 150 years old and comes from Broken Hill, the kitchen’s hutches come from old homes in Hunchy and Buderim.”

The house is bathed in gentle light from the stained glass, lead-light windows. “Our front windows were done by Robbie Seville, to match those still in the house. Robbie also created the lead-light windows at the Palmwoods Memorial Hall. She was an incredible artist.”

Outside, Bret has painstakingly turned the large gentle slope into a botanic garden, creating an emerald paradise of rare plants, mostly cycads and agave.

Every room is sympathetically furnished to complement the house, along with an eclectic selection of ornaments and curios on shelves and cupboards, and some framed photographs of the original occupants of 1 Jane Street, the Collins family.

In October 1923, Walter Scott Collins had his home built overlooking the town, on a block he purchased for £105. Walter also owned the nearby shop (now the local SPAR), and his family history is steeped in both buildings.

Jan Keleher is the granddaughter of Walter Scott Collins and Jane Fleming, and she joined us to share some of the background to this home.

“Walter and Jane lived at the Collins General Store while the house was being built,” shared Jan. “They had three sons, Peter, Bob, and my father Reg, who was born in the shop!”

The family’s varied history is too vast to cover in a two-page feature story, but Mr Collins was a world traveller and a keen advocate for development of the North Coast.

Jane was a perfectionist and the Take a walk Around Palmwoods book shares a story about this on page 47.

Thelma Young (nee Harrison) worked for Mrs Collins. Her job was to iron the starched aprons worn in Collins’s Grocery Store. First, they had to be ironed on the wrong side, then on the right side. If they weren’t done properly the whole process had to be repeated before folding them in a particular way so they would be easy for the employees to put on.

“I remember that she thought it was bad form to throw the tea towel over your shoulder!” said Jan.

The three sons lived on blocks of land next door to the house and became local businessmen. “I know the eldest son, Peter, would ride on horseback to outlying farms to collect orders for the shop at one stage,” added Jan.

“Members of the family still come through to see the house,” said Bret, “they really appreciate that their family history has been preserved.”

Walter and Jane’s ashes are buried on the property, something Yvonne and Bret discovered when redesigning the garden. “My shovel hit something hard, and it was a metal box,” said Bret. “I knew what it must be, and there was another one nearby, so we changed the design so as not to move their ashes.”

“We have also found remnants of the stable life which was next door,” said Yvonne. “We found an old wheel, horseshoes and a coal pit. We went out with metal detectors and found buckles and bridles.”

Bret and Yvonne clearly appreciate the land and legacy they have taken on, and Jan is happy with these current custodians of 1 Jane Street. “The house looks lovely, beautiful… Yvonne and Bret have the right touch,” Jan said with a smile.

Yvonne and I walked through the house, and I noticed the attention to detail in every room, from the bed frames to the flooring to the light fixtures. In the pantry sit the original scales from the Collins Grocery Store, and even the door knobs have been lovingly restored by Yvonne.

“I learnt how to do ebonising with rusty nails and vinegar, and also gold leafing,” she explained, “plus using shellac, which is made of beetles’ wings, to seal it.

“I always wanted to be an interior designer,” admitted Yvonne, “and I always wanted a Queenslander. Bret and I didn’t want this home to look perfect, because it has history and we like the dents and the old floors, but, to us, that makes it perfect.”