QSA Talk: Warders, wives and children – The families of St Helena Penal Establishment

Presented in partnership with the Harry Gentle Research Centre, Griffith University

Join us for our next QSA Talk ‘Warders, wives and children – The families of St Helena Penal Establishment’ with Belinda Daly, a researcher and Harry Gentle Visiting Research Fellow.

St Helena Island (known as Noogoon by the Quandamooka people) is only four kilometres from the mouth of the Brisbane River. The Penal Establishment operated as an all-male prison between 1867 and 1932. Known as "Queensland's Inferno" the prison housed some of the country's worst crimininals. However, women and children - the wives, siblings and children of prison staff - also lived on the island.

Belinda Daly’s research brings the lives of these women and children to light. Her talk will share details of the 47 families who lived as part of the warder’s community, and will explore the many obstacles they had to overcome establish their lives on the island.

Can’t make it in person? The presentation will be available on our YouTube channel after the event.

Exclusive, behind-the-scenes access

Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour and come face-to-face with records that history has kept quietly out of reach. Places are strictly limited, so select "QSA Talk + Tour" as your ticket selection to secure yours before they're gone. Both tours are identical, so you only need to pick one ticket.

About the researcher

Belinda Daly’s career has specialised in natural and cultural heritage. As an educator, she has taught environmental and heritage conservation on boats and in mangroves, forts and prisons, and was also a Lecturer in Higher Education, managing the Bachelor of Ecotourism course. Her research has focused on Authentic Learning in Higher Education and a pedagogy for outdoor and environmental education. As a ranger and Senior Interpretation officer, Belinda’s role connected people to our natural and cultural landscapes in Southeast Queensland through immersion and story, to preserve and protect our unique heritage.

Today, as a researcher and a writer, Belinda’s focus is on the social history of St Helena Island, Moreton Bay. She has created the first ever digital database of all warders and prisoners connected to St Helena Island’s prison history and her current project is researching the female community present, but forgotten, on the island. Belinda aims to widen the known history of St Helena Island by rediscovering and sharing the untold stories and restoring them into the historical narrative through her writing - www.sthelenacommunity.com.au.