If it weren’t for the formation of Brisbane, the son of the city’s first lord mayor may have never been born.
William Alfred Jolly, who was the mayor of the town of Windsor, became Brisbane’s first lord mayor in 1925.
William Jolly was the mayor of the town of Windsor, before becoming Brisbane’s first lord mayor.Credit: Brisbane City Council
His son, the late Norman Brisbane Jolly spoke to ABC radio in 1998.
“Mum tells the story that when Greater Brisbane was being mooted, that dad said to mum – because he was then mayor of windsor – ‘I think I’ll stand for the mayoralty of Greater Brisbane’,” Norman said.
“And mum said, ‘Well (and remembering that at that stage mum already had six boys) … alright if you’re going to stand for the mayorality of Greater Brisbane, then I’m going to have another baby’.
“I’m rather pleased he stood, because that’s the reason I’m here, apparently.”
On his middle name, Jolly said: “As a little boy going to school, I can remember I was most embarrassed by this name because it seemed to me to be … a funny sort of a name when everybody usually had John or Jack.
“I sort of got over that because when my son was born he became Warren Brisbane and when his son was born he became Andrew Brisbane. That tradition has been carried on.”
Norman said his father was such a humble man, he denied a knighthood, and a request to name the city’s William Jolly Bridge after him. His family agreed to honour him with the name of the bridge after the former mayor’s death in 1955.
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