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| The inscription was found during restoration works to the Old Parliament House roof, which was damaged in a 2020 hailstorm. (Supplied: Museum of Australian Democracy.) |
By Lotte Twyford
Three years into a major project to repair hail damage to the roof of Old Parliament House, there wasn't much that could have ground work to a halt.
But the discovery of an inscription hidden in the roof of the building in November last year did just that.
Etched with the year 1960 and the date 14 July, the writing immediately caught the attention of heritage consultants, as anything which pre-dates 1988 is considered part of the "heritage fabric" of Old Parliament House.
About the size of a hand — 150 millimetres wide and 100mm tall — the writing appeared to have been left by a certain Brian Charles Bourke, who was an apprentice plumber working on the construction of the building at the time.
Written on paint, on brick, on the building's roof, it also had the word "Forrest", which was assumed to refer to the suburb he lived in at the time.
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| Mr Bourke's widow and daughters visited Old Parliament House to see the inscription left by their late husband and father. (Supplied: Museum of Australian Democracy.) |
With their attention immediately piqued, Old Parliament House staff set out to see if they could find out who left the inscription.
Sadly, when staff started hunting around, they found the most likely suspect to have left the inscription had passed away only a few months prior to the discovery.
Head of capital projects at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House Bernard Finucane said as soon as Mr Bourke's name came up in obituaries, they knew approaching his family needed to be done in a "sensitive" manner.
Mr Bourke's widow Cecily said it came as a bit of a "shock" to be contacted about the finding.
The couple, who went on to share six decades of marriage, had been courting at the time he was working at Old Parliament House.
She had been 16 at the time, and he was 19 and working as an apprentice plumber for the Department of Works.
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| Mr and Mrs Bourke had been "boyfriend and girlfriend" at the time he left the inscription on the roof at Old Parliment House, but she says he never told her about it. (Supplied: Cecily Bourke. ) |
Mr Bourke went on to have a 40-year career in plumbing, and was also an integral part of the Queanbeyan/Canberra rugby league scene.
But she said while they spoke about his work at Old Parliament House, he never told her about leaving his "Maker's Mark" on its fabric.
"Although we were, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend, he never ever mentioned doing that," Mrs Bourke said.
"It was a real shock to know that he'd actually done that.
"I don't know what possessed him, or, what sort of went through his mind to write that."
Sadly, that's a question to which Mrs Bourke will never know the answer, much as she'd "give anything" to be able to put it to him.
Mr Bourke died in May last year after a battle with dementia.
'Brian's come back to bite us'
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| Brian and Cecily Bourke shared six decades of marriage. (Supplied: Cecily Bourke.) |
Finding out about the inscription only months after her husband's passing, Mrs Bourke said her daughters had characterised it as a bit of a message from beyond the grave.
"They keep saying .. oh well, Dad's not ready to lie down and die ... he keeps coming back in some form or another," she laughed.
As for Mrs Bourke's view on it all: "Brian's come back to bite us ... put it that way."
At first, she said the family had been a little unsure about the importance of the mark.
But as time had gone on, and Old Parliament House staff had explained the significance of it, that side of things had sunk in too.
And all were now "very proud".
"We realise that these people have gone to a lot of trouble ... to preserve the signature and so on," she said.
"And ... we really, now do understand the significance of it."
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| The roof at Old Parliament House was damaged in a hailstorm which battered Canberra in early 2020. (ABC News: Joel Wilson) |
Living connection to democracy
While there aren't necessarily detailed records available which show all of the names of those who have worked on and in Old Parliament House throughout the years, Mr Finucane said this story was an example of a "living connection" to democracy.
"It's a wonderful story of [the] number of people over the decades who have contributed to Old Parliament House," he said.
"Democracy is about people and people's contributions.
"The fact this was ... a tradesman or worker is no less important than the other people who may have worked here at the time."
While the physical inscription will be protected, it will have to be covered up as part of the roof restoration works.
However, it has also been photographed so it can be recorded and preserved as part of the building's digital archives.
Old Parliament House will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027, with restoration works expected to be complete by mid-2026.
First published at ABC News, January 28, 2025
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