BERNIE DANIELS, Chevalum builder and farmer, carved his 45-acre property out of virgin scrub 12 years ago. Now, with 23 acres producing strawberries, he has turned his attention to his hobby of collecting and protecting historic items.
With his wife Rev, Bernie has opened an historical museum to the public, just a few minutesoff the Bruce Highway at 58 Rainforest Road. It is open seven days a week with a donation box for the RSPCA.
The museum buildings include an authentic-style hardwood slab hut, a fully equippedblacksmith’s shop, a large machinery shed and shelters for vintage tractors. There is asubstantial collection of Australian memorabilia ranging from house wares to huge stationaryengines. There is ample parking room for cars or buses next to the museum.
The slab hut is in perfect harmony with the items inside which include a substantial collection of hand tools, old milk churns, a range of telephones, photos of timber-getters from yesteryear, even a beautiful child’s wrought iron bed frame.
There are box cameras, old typewriters, valve radios in largecabinets, every sort of bottle and old kerosene lamps, allilluminated by cleverly placed modern lighting.
A nearby steel shed houses neat rows of stationary enginesand similar equipment including, for example, several old-time town electricity-generators and a unique collection ofmachinery used for making wooden barrels that was on itsway to the scrap yard until Bernie stepped in.
Bernie is a man who cannot stand still. He built the familyhome plus fruit picker accommodation as well as the variousmuseum buildings and machinery sheds by working at nightunder floodlights to save time.
At 66, Bernie remains as tough as old boots (if he everchooses to wear boots!) and he clearly delights in the passionof collecting and showing off his many artifacts fromyesteryear.
Bernie’s story began with his family pineapple farm atYeppoon and ended with the showpiece Chevallum propertycomplete with wife Rev (Buderim-born Revleigh Iscak),daughter Niomi, and son-in-law Wayne Thompson.
The museum project is far from over – Bernie plans a dairyand other displays, and if readers have anything of historicalvalue to contribute they are welcome to call 5445 9100.
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