Wilhelm Bernhard Mark

Story

Wilhelm Bernhard Mark was born at Kiel, Denmark on the 30/5/1843. His father’s name was Wilhelm Mark and his mother’s name was Helene Marie Mathiesen.

He married Mette Kjistine Nielsen at Verstrup, Denmark on the 13 April 1867. He came out to Australia on the barque (A Sailing ship) “Gutenberg” which left Hamburg on the 15 December 1870 and arrived at Keppel Bay on the 24 March 1871, a trip of some 3 months. He was fleeing the Schleswig-Holstein Incident between Germany and Denmark and was looking for a better life for his young family. He had 2 children with himself and his wife on the trip out to Australia. It is very hard to imagine what it was like being dropped off in Yeppoon in 18871 when there was no infrastructure at all to accommodate anybody let alone a family with very young children. Wilhelm Bernard was a carpenter, aged 27. He was also a Miller and worked at the Kjaer Mill in Hejls, Denmark prior to emigrating. Mette was 26, Wilhelmina was 3 and Jesper was 1 year old. Another 5 children were born in Australia. The family resided at Gracemere and worked for the Archer Brothers, the original settlers of that area of the Fitzroy River basin. Queensland was only a handful of years old and the central part of Queensland was being opened and settled by the Archer Brothers. A tourist hut was built and still remains in Gracemere using the original hand-hewn timbers from Wilhelm Mark’s house. He has many hundreds (perhaps thousands) of descendants who have made Australia their home.

Wilhelm and Mette were both naturalised on the 8th June 1872. He was a carpenter until taking up a selection in 1884 in Bondoola. The parcel was 160 acres (portion 2253, Parish of Yeppoon, County of Livingstone). The property was named “Becklund”. He farmed the property until his death in Rockhampton on 2nd March 1908. Some of the descendants of his five sons also worked for Queensland Railways as follows:

Name Born Service Classification

William Adolf Mark 1895 1916-1918 Bridge Carpenter

Jesper Nielsen (Neil) Mark 1901 1917- Bridge Inspector

Eric Carl Mark 1905 1924- Fettler

Mervyn Neilsen Mark 1924 1940- Loco Engineer

William Mark

Theodore Mark 1896 1937-1948 Bridge Carpenter

William Rudolf Mark 1911 1935-1974 Trades Assistant

Hans Mathesen Mark

Bernhard Conrad Mark 1900 1916-1965 Clerk

Percival Mark 1904 1920-1967 Bridge Inspector

Hans Mark 1908 1923-1974 Bridge Inspector

Hans Mathesen Mark 1932 1948-1982 Bridge Inspector

Peter Gregory John Mark 1957 1974-1984 Bridge Carpenter

Steven Shane Mark 1959 1976- Engine Driver

Christopher Garth Mark 1960 1977- Station Master/Trainer

Lee Anthony Mark 1964 1981-1985 Nipper/Labourer

Bernhard Mark

John Hans Mark 1907 1925- Engine Driver

Walter Mark

Bruce Mark 1960 Engine Driver

Ray Langfield 1935 1951-1990 Clerk

The Mark family has contributed many 100’s of years of service to Queensland Railways, mainly in the Central Division, and in the maintenance of bridges and permanent way. As of 1990. it was well over 600 years.

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