by Pam Willis Burden

At its Christmas party earlier this week the Douglas Shire Historical Society was presented with an extremely interesting piece of our history – a tablecloth embroidered with local signatures from the early 1900s.

Thought to have been worked by Bridget Tait, the white cloth contains the names of one hundred people linked with the history of Port Douglas. The Taits owned the North Australian Hotel, now the Central Hotel.

Amongst the signatures are those of both victims of the 1911 cyclone – Andrew Jack and Timothy O’Brien.

Teachers, storekeepers, the butcher, the matron, the daughters of the barman, the editor of the “Record”, the Shire Clerk, a vast cross-section of people are represented.

Pictured: Pam Willis Burden with Marie and John Finn.

The names were written in indelible pencil and then carefully embroidered on the fine white linen. The work is unfinished, so some pencilled names can still be read.

Marie Finn, a descendant of the Tait family, said the cloth had been in the family cupboard for 100 years.  She has had it magnificently restored and framed, and presented it to the Society at their Christmas party.

Marie also displayed some beautiful silverware which was given to May Tait upon her marriage in 1907 to James Patrick Reynolds.

Marie and husband John travelled from Home Hill for the occasion.

The framed tablecloth will be on display in the Port Douglas Court House Museum in the near future.