Books

120 Years - Our Stories, Our Memories, Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, 1892-2012.

Co-edited with Helen Pullar and Joan Meecham, this book is a compilation of stories and memories of Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, over the 120 years of the School's history. The book contains 194 stories and 150 images, organised by decades, contributed by 140 past students and teachers. Each story is different and captures the essence of the School at the time, providing a valuable contribution to the social history of IGGS and Ipswich.

Learning by Doing: A history of Ipswich Kindergarten 1937-2012.

This book captures the 75 year history of Ipswich Kindergarten, from its establishment by Olive Hancock to the present day. It includes many photographs and memories and highlights the educational contribution this community kindergarten has made to the young people of Ipswich since 1937.

From Inkwell to iPad: Celebrating 100 Years of Education at St Joseph's Primary School, North Ipswich 1913-2013.

Written to celebrate the centenary of St Joseph's, the book documents the hard work of the Sisters of Mercy who established the School in rudimentary facilities in Albert Street, North Ipswich. It details the School's move to Pine Mountain Road and its subsequent expansion, recognising the achievements of a proud community who made this possible.

A Hard and Noble Life: A History of Nursing at the Ipswich Hospital 1860-2011.

A social history of the nursing at Ipswich Hospital, it recalls the training and working conditions for generations of nurses. The book is full of personal stories – many funny, some sad – designed to bring the human experience alive for the reader. It is thoroughly researched, attractively designed and captures the essence of the Ipswich Hospital over the last 150 years.

Unquestionably one of the Nicest Churches: St Paul's Anglican Church, Ipswich 1859-2009. St Paul's, Ipswich, 2008.

Written to celebrate the sesqui-centenary of one of Queensland's oldest churches, the book records the growth of the congregation and the church precinct, whilst paying tribute to the clergy and parishioners who have served the church for 150 years.

Queenie's Diary: A Schoolgirl's Life 1914-1915. Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, 2005.

Written with Helen Pullar, this book was born when the authors were given a diary written by a boarder at Ipswich Girls' Grammar School (IGGS) in 1914-15. The diary reflects the language and pre-occupations of a teenager of the time – passing exams, unpopular teachers, friendships and social activities. The diary was reproduced unedited and the authors provided background information which placed it in its historical context. The book provides a rich social history of IGGS, a family story and an insight into Ipswich at the time of World War I.

Play With Flowers and Smile: A Short History of the Ipswich Horticultural Society 1866-2004. Ipswich Horticultural Society, 2005.

A history of the Ipswich Horticultural Society, co-authored by Ian Pullar, the book documents the history of this long-standing community group.

Shifting Sands: Memories of Moreton Island. Moreton Island Protection Committee, 2005.

The inspiration behind this book was the collection of a number of oral histories conducted by the Moreton Island Protection Committee who was faced with the question of what to do with them. Margaret Cook (nee Pullar) organised the materially thematically and was able to produce an attractive readable book which wove the oral accounts into a contextualised history of Moreton Island.

Technically Speaking: A History of the Bremer Institute of TAFE. Bremer Institute of TAFE, 2002.

The book depicts the progress of vocational education and training in the region over 100 years and describes the evolution of the Technical College in Ipswich to its expansion to other sites. The book is much more than historical record of events – it captures the feelings of the people at the time, describing the struggle and achievements of its founders and subsequent staff and students.

Watery Sauces: A People's History of the Water Resources Commission (Queensland) and its Predecessors 1881-1995. DNR, 2001.

Written with Ian Pullar, the book documents the administrative history and achievements of this long-serving government department. It does not attempt to critically analyse the Department's work but to record the work of the Department and its officers as they managed the State's water resources and investigated, planned, designed and built dams, weirs and water infrastructure throughout Queensland. The book draws heavily on the oral histories collected from over 100 officers who worked for the Department throughout Queensland and gives many personal accounts of working for the Commission.

We Will Remember Them: A History of the Yeronga-Dutton Park Sub-Branch RSL and Yeronga Services Club. Brisbane: Yeronga Services Club, 1999.

A history of the Yeronga Services Club from its small beginnings as the Yeronga and Dutton Park subbranches, through their merger in 1948 to become the Yeronga-Dutton Park sub-branch. In 1974 they created the Yeronga Services Club which has grown from strength to strength. The book is the story of the people behind these achievements and the chronicle of the hopes and aspirations of many people to achieve these goals.

Rising From the Ashes: A Jubilee History of Ipswich Little Theatre 1946-1996. Ipswich: Ipswich Little Theatre Society Inc, 1996.

Ipswich Little Theatre is one of the oldest continuous amateur theatre groups in Queensland. From its beginnings in rented premises around town, with props stored in people's houses, the society reached a major milestone in 1969 when it converted the former Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator to its home. Since then the society has grown to support many sub-groups performing many plays day and night throughout the year. This book documents the rich history of this active and proud community group.

The Town on the Brown:
A History of Rolleston, Brisbane:
Department of Natural Resources, 1999.

This book was written when the town of Rolleston in Central Queensland was threatened with inundation by a proposed dam. Through documentary research and oral history, the story of this town on the Brown River was pieced together.

Reports

Queensland Schools: A Heritage Conservation Study, 1996.

Commissioned by the Department of Education, Margaret Cook co-authored this study with Paul Burmester and Michael Kennedy. It was the first time the entire Education Department property portfolio had been assessed in terms of its cultural heritage. Working through Department of Public Works plans, the team wrote a contextualised history, developed a series of typologies for the evolution of school design and assessed the intactness of every school in Queensland. This study is still used as the benchmark from which the heritage significance of a school can be assessed.

Queensland Health Heritage Survey, 1996

Completed with Thom Blake and Michael Kennedy, this study was at the time the most compressive heritage assessment of health buildings in Queensland. Team members inspected every government owned health facility in Queensland, researched its history, conducted comparative analyses of similar buildings and determined the cultural heritage significance of each place.

Prefabricated World War II Structures in Queensland for National Trust of Queensland, June 1997.

This report looks at the impact of World War II in Queensland in terms of its development of buildings. It provides a contextual history for the types of buildings that were constructed and offers an assessment for their cultural heritage significance. It was the first substantial heritage report on World War II buildings in Queensland.

Great Artesian Basin: Historical Overview.

Co-authored with Thom Blake, this report was commissioned by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water in 2006. Surprisingly little had been written on the history of the Great Artesian Basin. This report examines its impact on the development of the pastoral industry, the railway, stock routes and towns throughout western Queensland.

A Contextual Study of Tracks and Trails in Queensland, 2008

This report was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of its State-wide Heritage Survey which aims to identify unrecognised places of cultural heritage significance throughout Queensland. The commissioning brief specified that the report should provide a contextual history for the development of tracks, stock routes and coach routes and to provide a guide on how to assess the cultural heritage significance of any remaining physical evidence. This report looked at early routes, while a second report by Judy Nissen dealt with the Twentieth Century.

Police Stations and Court Houses in Queensland, 2011

This study was commissioned by the Department of Environmental Resource Management to help understand the evolution in the design of both police stations and court houses in Queensland's history. Through analysis of architectural drawings, the records of the Department of Public Works and other documents, Margaret Cook was able to develop a typology study which will help determine the cultural heritage significance of police stations and court houses for heritage practitioners and the wider community.

Cultural Tourism

Top of Town, Ipswich Queensland, 2010

Tapping into the growth of cultural tourism, this brochure was produced (in conjunction with Andrew Spark) to promote the history of the area known as the Top of Town in Ipswich and to draw attention to the rich architecture in the city. The booklet provides a self guided heritage trail.

The Wagon Route from Springsure to the Barcoo.

Produced with John Rolfe in 2003 for the Springsure Progress and Tourism Association, this attractively illustrated booklet provides the story of the development of this important early road in central Queensland for tourists visiting the region.

Heritage Trails series

This attractive heritage trail series was published between 1999 and 2000 with Howard Pearce and Kay Cohen. The series includes Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback, Heritage Trails of the Tropical North, Heritage Trails of the Great South East and North Queensland's Mining Heritage Trails. The series offers visitors to the region photographs and brief histories of the culturally significant buildings and sites often hidden away in Queensland towns.