“Old Bob” Kift died – “summoned to the ranks of the great majority”, as the Brisbane Courier put it – in August 1885 concluding a life that encompassed much.
Robert Kift was born in Bristol, England in 1823. He migrated to Australia via New Zealand in the early 1860s and went prospecting for gold. In evidence before the Queensland Mining Commission of 1871, he said that he had been a miner since 1852 in New Zealand, Victoria and New South Wales.
Gold was discovered in Gympie in 1867 and Robert was there by 1869, working a ‘reef’ with several partners. In the following year, they were caught up in litigation concerning their holding and he then put some of his leases up for sale.
He came to Brisbane and married Margaret Watson in 1873. They made their home in Shorncliffe where, in 1876, Margaret gave birth to a daughter, Mary Anne (Annie). A son, Robert, followed in 1878.
Civic Engagement and Legacy
Having done well in the goldfields, Robert made investments in property. Among his assets were Oriental Cottages on the Upper Esplanade, two large, well-appointed residences (“the best tubular ornamental iron bedsteads and spring mattresses … kitchen replete with every requisite”), boasting a coach house, a two-horse stable and a horse paddock. These superior residences were let to holidaymakers.
After Robert’s death, Annie continued to lease Oriental Cottages until she died in 1912. They, along with four other houses – still owned by Robert Jnr and Annie – were destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1914.
As a man of property, Kift became interested in civic affairs. In 1880, he was one of more than sixty “Inhabitant Householders of the Town of Sandgate” petitioning for Sandgate to be declared a municipality. This petition being successful, the first municipal elections were held in June of that year. Robert Kift was one of six elected aldermen and remained on the council until 1882.
He did not, though, lose interest in civic matters. Later that year, he was among petitioners to the mayor “praying for the removal of prickly pear” and other horticultural pests “growing in large quantities within the municipality” – perhaps no longer on the council but nevertheless a thorn in their side.
Eulogised on his death as a man of “geniality, original quaint sayings and thorough English character”, “Old Bob” (hardly an apt epithet; he was only 62 when he died) should be remembered for his interesting life and his contribution to local government in Sandgate.
Kift Street in Deagon is named after him.
[With thanks to the Sandgate Historical Museum (opening hours: Sunday and Wednesday, 10am to 3pm)].
Read more stories from the Sandgate Guide print magazine here:
- Station Upgrade On Track
- No Man’s Land No More
- The Myth of Hard Work Always Leading to Success
- Journey Through Ancient Egypt at Queensland Museum
- Organic Gardening in November
- Skating into Christmas with a Cool Performance
- Ready to Run
- Discover The Magic Of the Night Sky
- Sub Branch Builds Sense of Belonging
- Join the Pack: Walk for Diabetes Assistance Dogs
- O Christmas Tree!
