Looking at the newly constructed Purga School Road Bridge plays a seven-decade timelapse in Graeme Sharpe’s mind, ending in the present as Ipswich City Council renames the bridge in his family’s honour.
The newly constructed Purga School Road Bridge was officially opened to traffic in June this year.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the new bridge would be known as Sharpe Bridge in honour of the Sharpe family who have called Purga home for more than 70 years.
“The Sharpe family has a long and proud association with Purga,” Mayor Harding said.
“Members of the family have contributed not only to Purga but Ipswich as a whole over the years, with several being honorary life members of the Ipswich Show Society and previously active in the now defunct Purga Friends Association when it was operational.
“The Sharpes have been pillars of this community and it is fitting the family’s name will now be etched forever into the history of Purga.”
Graeme Sharpe, a retired sales representative, said his family was honoured by the move from council.
“As a family we think it is a tremendous honour and a testament to our family, it’s great to see our name etched into Ipswich and Purga’s history not only for ourselves, but for our grand and great-grandchildren because our name will now always be here on the bridge,” Mr Sharpe said.
“My parents, Norman and Phyllis Sharpe, who have both passed, would have been ecstatic and over the moon with this honour. My family, many of whom now live across Australia are also very excited.
“Our family moved to Purga in 1955 so I’ve spent just over 70 years living here and it will always be my home.
“When we first moved here, there were maybe around 30 houses in Purga and the Purga School Road was a gravel road with a narrow wooden bridge with several broken boards, so much so that you wouldn’t allow your cattle to go on it in case they fell through.
“The roads in Purga didn’t have formal names as they do today other than Boonah Road and Middle Road.
“Most other roads were known by the locals giving it a name representing a resident who lived on that road, and council naming the bridge after our family is in a way a callback to that era.”
Mr Sharpe said it had been fascinating to see the growth Purga has gone through in the 70 years he has called the suburb home.
“People used to ask me, ‘when are you moving to town’ and my answer used to be ‘you wait, it will move to me’ and that has certainly happened over the decades,” Mr Sharpe said.
“People used to ask me where Purga even was, but now with all this growth, everyone seems to know where it is.
“There are now well over 150 houses in our area, the Purga School Road is now a proper road and the new bridge is magnificent with its two lanes, higher weight limit and free flowing traffic.
“In the short time the bridge has been open, it’s made a huge difference. It’ll keep making a big difference in our lives and it’s certainly one for the future.”
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