My Time in Cue ~ Part 13

Meeting History

Cue has a fascinating history. I was speaking with a guest about some of the buildings within a stone's throw of this hotel, and was informed that a gent who later became President of the USA built some of the structures that date to last century. He wasn't sure which President it was.
As is often the case once we hear of an event it takes only a very short space of time before we hear more. I often think that our senses link to an event, and the tiniest whisper sets bells of interest ringing and we ask a question that leads to more information. Sure enough it didn't take many hours before the next piece of information filtered into my hearing.

A couple staying at the hotel came in for breakfast … I hadn't realised they were staying, even though they had dinner the previous evening. I wrongly as I found out, assumed they had come in off the street, from the caravan park, or were just passing through, and was washing the dishes and the pots and pans when they appeared in the dining room. Smiling … one can't let on they were unexpected … I enquired what they would like for breakfast. It was a cooked one … I had to wash those pans twice!

Once their meal was over they came into the kitchen … this is a friendly place and anyone is welcome in the kitchen. I have noticed no one offers to help with the dishes! I guess that goes beyond the realm of being a paying guest, though we did have one who said she would make an omelet … an offer that never transpired. The lady asked me if I knew where the big sideboard with two carved eagles on either side, had gone to. I didn't know. I could tell the gossip I had heard … that some previous owner had taken most of the chattels when they sold. Obviously that was before Real Estate agents push a ream of paper to be signed, before a deal to sell is finalised … and we sign on the dotted line hardly bothering to read the small print. [The vendor will leave fitted floor coverings, light fittings, drapes and washing machine etc.]
She then said that a chap who later became President of America had it shipped here. The trail was warm! I asked which President was that. "Hooper, or Hoover or whatever his name was", she replied.

From the dim recesses of my mind I recalled the name was Hoover … we have vacuum cleaners of the same name, and one must have a simple way of remembering important facts. A science teacher impressed the unimpressionable students of physics that ions in electricity could be remembered by a line from a song of a long time ago … "Any old ion, any old ion" … the cry of the rag and bone man … now was that from Steptoe and Son? It worked, and from that day forward I look for simple methods to remember facts that would otherwise be pushed to the back of my mind.

She had seen this magnificent specimen of furniture in the hotel about 15 years ago. She thought it would be worth at least $A100,000 today. I know my eyes popped. I was, naively now I recognise, thinking she was wishing to view this carved sideboard for altruistic reasons, and discovered she was walking along the road of materialism. I lost interest in the conversation, though I did comment that with the value today of antiques I thought her estimate might fall considerably short of the actual value … of course that depends upon who would want it.

I still held the fascination of such a specimen having been in existence, and the fascination of the ever-increasing history of this town. Now we had a direct link to the White House. I must say I don't think many of the recent presidents of the USA would bother to come to Cue. Perhaps as there is such a richness of hidden treasure in natural elements … gold, and iron ore being but two … in the ground in this isolated area, the $ signs of profit, might be impressive. A little like Uncle Scrooge who dived, in comic after comic, into his hoard of gold coins with such desire and consummate delight.

At the next opportunity I asked the boss. It was as I suspected … the sideboard had gone by the board, kept at a time of sale, and despite legal efforts by the Shire, this piece of history is lost to the town.

To add to my knowledge I did a little research … Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer and was in this area in 1902, and another reference says he was a Shire President … perhaps his taste for politics began in the little Outback town? Or of course that could be just a figment of the imagination.

It is a shame the sideboard … huge that it was … isn't still in this town but as is so often the case, treasures that should belong in one particular area are hijacked by those who consider they have rights of ownership, and forget that yesterday and today need to be kept alive for tomorrow.