113

Grosvenor Street,
[Toowong], S.W.1.
March 29th 1939.

Dear Mr.[May],

Dear Sir,

I duly received your letter of 27th inst.
and I am pleased to think that I have been of service in the
matter of place names. With regard to the origin and meaning
of [Bulimba], in [Constance Petrie]'s book "[Tom Petrie]'s Reminiscences
of Early Queensland" it is stated that the place now known as
[Bulimba] was first known as Tugulawa. It was the home of a
wellknown pioneer family named [McConnell] who later gave the name to a
station property whereis now a railway station the name of which
has been spelled by the railway authorities, Toogoolawah.

[Petrie] gave the meaning as "Shape of heart", relating to the
shape of a river bend near by, but some other authority, whose
name I ,unfortunately, have not recorded, has stated that the
words related to a pecularly bent tree at the place. The fact
that the words "dhu gulawa" meaning "tree moon", presumably
referring to a tree the shape of the crescent moon, would
seem to bear this out. According to [Petrie], [Bulimba] was the
natives' name for [White's Hill], but he gave no meaning of the word.

[Bulimba], however, means "Place of magpie larks" (commonly
called peewees, derived from "bulim" the said bird , and "ba"
place of. The accent should be on the first syllable.

I heard your broadcast last night and found it interesting.
If I may comment thereon I would point out that the name
Millaquin, has no direct reference to a spear. The name is
derived from "mil guin" meaning blind or'literaly, "eye wanting".
In the three languages Yagarabul, Kabi and Wakka the words
meaning blind are respectfully, "mil bong", mi gulum" and "mil
(or ma) gui (or Kwin). The intervening vowel "a" in Millaquin
has no meaning, being used between two consonants for euphony.

The [Terraces?]