MINERAL SAND MINING
“For about seven weeks (during the Depression) I was shovelling black mineral sands at Tug Creek on the east side (of Moreton); not for money, for tucker. It must have been the first sand mining in Queensland and I don’t think anybody really knew about it. The only trouble was the stuff had to go to America to be electronically separated.”
Harry Wadsworth, “King” of Moreton.
“In 1969, I was working for Bruce Hope doing offshore drilling for mineral sands in Moreton Bay. We were camped at Cowan on a concrete block beside the house of Harry and Jessie Wadsworth. We had a big diesel generator (ex army) which we used to run for our refrigerators etc. Harry had been having trouble starting his clanky old generator, so we offered them our electricity. We got very friendly with them and Jess was always bringing us fish cakes and other culinary delights. Harry had a lawn out the front of their house on which he used to play bowls. He used to challenge us to a game, and always won because he knew every bump!”
Jason Hassard, Offshore Driller.
“Australia is such a vast continent, and the mineral wealth in Queensland is so great, why can’t they leave a little island like Moreton for the people to enjoy? If they have granted 90 percent of it as National Park, why not the lot? We don’t want it mined, but if it’s going to go ahead we will just have to put up with it, I suppose.”
Jessie Wadsworth, “Queen” of Moreton, conversation 1981.
Extract from ‘Moreton Bay People – The Complete Collection’.
Moreton Bay History 
It looks as though island life agreed with the Wadsworth’s as, per the picture, they made it to a nice old age. Have enjoyed the Moreton Island series
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