IPSWICH is the city of many firsts, declared Mayor Teresa Harding as she cut the cake marking the 165th anniversary of the declaration of its status as a municipality on Monday (March 3).

Cr Harding took the opportunity to reflect on those firsts before and after Queensland was declared a state … the first coal mine (Redbank in 1843), the first defence force (Ipswich Troop of the Queensland Mounted Rifles in 1860), the first secondary school (Ipswich Grammar School in 1863) and the first railway line (Ipswich to Grandchester in 1865).

“Traditionally known as Tulmur, our city’s lands and waters have been home to the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul Peoples of the Yugara/Yagara language group for millennia, with the traditional customs, traditions, and cultural practices proudly continuing through to younger generations today,” she said.

And Cr Harding recounted the decisions which lead to Brisbane rather than Ipswich being declared the state’s capital city.

“Ipswich was clearly leading the way for nation-building in Queensland, so it was a prime choice to be the colony’s capital.

“It came down to Ipswich and Brisbane, and leaders of the two settlements battled hard for the honour.”

Cr Harding said Ipswich had mounted a very strong case – it was a fledgling settlement with productive coal and limestone industries, also providing a gateway to the interior pastoral areas such as the Darling Downs, including through the nexus of the Bremer and Brisbane rivers.

But Ipswich lost the battle.

“While ultimately it wasn’t to be, Ipswich has flourished over the past 165 years as a cohesive, vibrant and family-orientated city of more than 260,000 people,” Cr Harding said.

And her wish list for a city celebrating its 165th birthday?

“[The] infrastructure projects we have long called for, such as an Ipswich-to-Springfield Public Transport Corridor, a better bus network, a second river crossing in Ipswich Central, upgrades to the Cunningham, Centenary and Warrego highways, catalyst infrastructure to unlock the Ebenezer Regional Industrial Area and investment to progress the North Ipswich Sport and Entertainment Precinct.”