A casual reader of the history of Sandgate and surrounding districts could be forgiven for thinking that the pioneering work, the labour of settlement and the development of the area were solely the handiwork of men. On International Women’s Day, let us correct the record and remember one of the many women who contributed to Sandgate’s early life.
Emma Hinton was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1819. Arriving in Queensland in 1863, she came to Sandgate where she set up a school for young ladies and, later, a Sunday school which, as she told a gathering in 1904, she “used to teach … long ago under a cotton-tree on the beach”. In 1872, the nascent congregation of the Baptist Church built a small chapel in Loudon Street. Emma reportedly then conducted her “private seminary” in the church building and was no doubt happy to relocate the Sunday school to a more permanent setting.
In 1874, at the age of 55, she married Richard Board, formerly of Redcliffe, then financial controller for the Baptist Church. The ceremony, performed by pioneering Baptist minister and Sandgate resident, the Rev B G Wilson, took place at her residence, Sandown Cottage, where Emma and Richard lived after the marriage. Sandown was one of two properties, situated on Eagle Terrace adjacent to the Osbourne Hotel (now the Full Moon), that she had purchased in 1870. The second property was advertised for rent – “interested parties to apply to Mrs Board at Sandown Cottage”.
A Lasting Legacy in Church, Community and Civic Life
Emma and Richard both contributed to the political life of Sandgate, Richard having been one of the petitioners for the incorporation of the town of Sandgate and later a member of the first town council, and Emma herself several times nominating candidates for election.
They both remained stalwarts of the Baptist Church, providing periodic financial assistance and being among the foundation members of the new church on Flinders Parade, inaugurated in 1887. Emma was a member of the ladies guild and much involved in fundraising sewing bees and “sales of fancy work”. This longtime support was recognised by the presentation to her, on her 90th birthday, of a bible.
Richard died in 1907, Emma following him two years later, aged 90, active almost to the end. Her two cottages and their contents, including a piano, four-poster bedsteads, “a plush suite” and a Primus stove, were sold. One of the cottages still stands, a memorial to a notable Sandgate resident: a politically active pioneer, teacher and staunch churchgoer and benefactor, one of the silent forbears to whom we owe much.
With thanks to the Sandgate Historical Museum (opening hours: Sunday and Wednesday, 9am to 1.30pm. Adults $5, Children $3, Membership $20/$30).
Read more stories from the Sandgate Guide print magazine here:
- Bramble Buzz: Updates from the Community
- How a Two-Minute Call Can Save You Thousands
- Creekside Confessions (aka The Deagon Diary)
- Podcast Review: Pop Culture Parenting
- The French Film Festival Brisbane
- Queenfish Scomberoides commersonnianus
- Organic Gardening in March
- Free, Cheap and Local!
- Happitat Brings High-Altitude Thrills to Gold Coast Hinterland
- Artrageous Community Arts Centre Unveils 2026 Showcase
- Bayside Gears Up For Beloved Bluewater Festival Return
- Brisbane Citizens’ Concert Band Dives Into New Performance
- Local Boxers Step Up for Urban Warfare Showdown
- On Court Fun in Bracken Ridge
- Gateball’s Strategic Fun Hits the 4017
- Amazing Grace
- Cane Toad Tadpole Trapping
- A Lifetime Of Memories Made By The Water
- Shining a Light on Rare Cancers
- Community Support Brings Joy On The Water
- Sandgate Historical Museum Celebrates A Century of Weddings
- Young Heroes Headline School’s Out Event
- Mid-term Madness
- Sandgate Theatre Dishes Up Dark Comedy
- Young Family Bids Ta-Ra to Town Hall Bakery
- Wildlife Safari Returns to Sands Bowlo this Easter
- New Clubhouse Secures Netball’s Future on the Northside
