CE Crowley
Brisbane boat builder Charlie Crowley was born in 1897, initially working for two of the legendary names on the Brisbane River, Wright and Whereat. Eventually he ran his own business and has joined them as another legend of the Brisband River boatbuilders.
Charlei Crowley began his boat building career by serving an apprenticeship with Norman R Wright. He subsequently worked for JH Whereat at Bulimba. In the end he effectively ran this business but worked for wages with no profit share. He then decided he could do better on his own and when he left Whereats that firm closed down. His granddaughter Althea Crowley has provided the following story of his life.
Crowley purchased the property at 57 - 59 McConnell Street Bulimba around 1937. The shed on the site was assembled on the ground and stood up over a weekend. The first boat built was the S'PORT a 50 foot work boat for Kleinschmidts which ran from the Grey Street Bridge to Southport. It was converted to a motor cruiser and now called RYLIE. It was used to salvage the RUFUS KING on South Passage bar in WWII and apparently “she took a real belting in doing so”. Not long after this the TANGALOOMA was launched, a glorious motor yacht for Mr Fred Eager the car dealer. It was originally 50 or 52 feet and powered by a Gardner dielsel engine. Internal fit out was smoked Queensland maple. Sam Elms who ran the Rosenstengel furniture workshop did the fit out. It featured two beautiful clinker 12 foot dinghies carried in board. One had a Chapman Pup engine the other was equipped with sails. The vessel cost £15,000 pounds. For context a large Queenslander on 800 square metres at Albion cost £1,000. This vessel was taken over by the Navy for the war in New Guinea. After the war it was offered back to Fred but it was too knocked around and he declined. Subsequently Wrights added an extension to length and under Hayles' ownership it operated as the ferry to Magnetic Island.
Prior to WWII a number of Beatrice class boats were built for the Harbours and Marine. Many work boats, lifeboats, lighters, small Fairmiles and Air Force Recovery boats were built for the war effort. With the war's end Crowley was able to get a lot of surplus US equipment from the Americans at Bulimba. Free engines, gear boxes and gear. After the war TAMARA was launched along with a string of large fishing boats including STELLA MARIS and ST. HILLIER, and they were all around 45 - 47 feet long. Many large motor yachts went to Sydney, the Arnott family being among the customers. More boats were built for Harbours and Marine, BETH and MARY being amongst these. Crowley also gave advice to Ivan Holm when he built LAURABADA. He built a beautiful ketch for Joe Managhan about 45 feet long called SARI MARAIS which raced in the first Brisbane to Gladstone. This boat was subsequently sold to the U.S. and raced with great success.
Crowley built a number of coastal trading vessels for the missions and private interests in New Guinea. Ranging from 45 feet to 57 feet. The GAZELLE was one of these. It was built for the Chans in Rabaul and was 57 feet long. An earlier vessel about 52 feet long was also sold to them.
The business boomed after WW2. Crowley built a beautiful house in Ascot and another in Surfers Paradise. The business now also owned 55 McConnell Street and a large vacant site across the road. There were two slips in the main shed. The largest could do up to 100 feet. The smaller up to 45. There was also sufficient room for another vessel to be built alongside. Smaller craft were built in the loft. In its heyday there would be at least three vessels under construction with maintenance work on three more underway. “It was a gold mine”. Just prior to Crowley's death he launched the VEDETTE II. It was built for the Police but initially used to transport the Queen on her first Royal Tour. There are photos on the web pages of it with varnished cabin for use by the Queen. Internal fit out was completed in smoked Queensland maple, but it was later painted in very drab police colours and a mast added. The GAZELLE was well advanced at the time of CROWLEY's death. His son (Althea’s father) Hilary Crowley subsequently took GAZELLE up to Rabaul with Hugh Morris in the delivery crew.
Charlie Crowley died in June 1954 when he sadly suffered a massive cerebral aneurism at the boat yards and passed away a few days later at Turrawen Private Hospital in Clayfield. From the time of his death his wife Margaret H Crowley continued to run the business (trading as CE Crowley ) through until 1960. During this period several pearling luggers were built for the Duffields in Thursday Island. It was in this period that the WINIFRED was built. Watts and Wrights had just closed and the frames used to build the original South Pacific were carried up the street to build WINIFRED for Alf Taskie.
After 1960 the firm stopped building boats and rented the yards out to other builders. Tiny Thomas rented the yards for a number or years. In 1965 the yards were burnt down in a suspicious fire. Subsequently they were rebuilt but not as large. In late 60s through to mid 70s Brian Thompson rented the yards and built VEDETTE III, NW BAUER and numerous trawlers. The last hull built there was TEMPTATION which Brian floated down to Millkraft when he bought it.
Apart from large vessels Crowley had great success with 12 foot, 16 foot and 18 foot skiffs. One of the best was MALVINA which raced out of Sydney. In 1938 MALVINA beat the ABERDARE in Brisbane the first time Queensland had lost the 18 foot skiff series in 40 years. Other 18’s included ST GEORGE and ARDATH. In the 1938 World titles three of the four skiffs representing Australia were built by Charlie Crowley.
