Billy Barlow – a forgotten star
Several stars of stage and screen have their roots in Gympie. These include actors, musicians, dancers and radio personalities. One such star is now almost forgotten as he is somewhat lost in the mists of time. His stage name was Billy Barlow.
Robert Barlow was born in England around 1819. He was a very versatile musician well known in the theatre districts of the British Isles and America. He was on stage from childhood and performed his first solo in Dublin at the age of 18. His first appearance in Australia was in 1852 performing in Rowe’s American Circus where he was billed as:
“the justly celebrated Mr. Barlow, whose surpassing delineation of negro character has obtained for him from the London Audiences and the Press the appellation of Prince of Ethiopian Comedians.”
Billy travelled between Australia, New Zealand and the British Isles gaining rave reviews for his comedy routines, vocals and instrumental scores. On a tour through the ports of the China Seas, he was shipwrecked and attacked by pirates. In Billy style he turned this situation into ‘a narrative in song and verse of his perilous adventures.’ His life was full of adventure, of music and song, of fortunes won and lost on at least three goldfields, one of which was Gympie.
In the early 1840’s, he married Jane Matthews who shared Billy’s stage life and was beside him through all his wanderings and adventures. In 1852, Billy and Jane immigrated to Australia, settling in Victoria. During this time, he was associated with Rowe’s Circus, J.C. Rainer, George Coppin, Campbell’s Minstrels, and Frank Clark as well as his own troupe. Jane and Billy adopted little 5 year old Jane Margaret Drummond in 1855. Jane was born in Perthshire, Scotland in 1850. She was orphaned when only three as her mother died in Melbourne’s tent town soon after the family arrived in 1853, and her father died six months later. She became Jane Margaret Drummond Barlow. Billy and Jane had no other children.
Numerous stories of Billy filled the newspapers as people wrote of their favourite skits, but, of course, the all time favourite was Blue Tail’d Fly where everyone would sing along while Billy sang and chased the imaginary fly around the stage.
In 1870, he had the privilege of singing to the then Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh. Billy thought the Royals carriage deserved to be pulled by matching black horses and put his own horses at their disposal. The Duke honoured him with his patronage for his forthcoming trips through the colonies.
Jane Drummond Barlow married Adam Black in 1869. She most likely met him while Billy was performing in New Zealand. Adam was English born and he left Britain in the mid 1860’s and sailed to New Zealand, before arriving in Gympie in 1868, where he gained farming and mining experience. Adam was a very active member of his community and was associated with the first horse racing at Widgee Crossing. In 1870, Adam acquired a property in Logan and settled there. The family of nine children, including seven boys, returned to Gympie to pursue mining operations again but did not meet with the same success as his previous efforts.
In 1868, when Gympie was still in the tent stage (10 months after gold was discovered), Billy Barlow built a Music Hall and Hotel, calling it Barlow’s Apollonian Philharmonic Music Hall Hotel. The word Apollonian comes from the ancient Greek Sun-God Apollo, God of theatre and music. Built of timber with a wood shingle roof, it was located right in the centre of the gold field area and built quickly from whatever materials could be obtained. In September 1868, he was granted a hotel license for his Apollonian Hall. Many stories were written about the hotel. Some say Billy catered to the public taste, others say he was fond of singing bawdy topical songs about the local people. Some say the hotel was a rowdy, rough and disagreeable establishment. His many advertisements in the Gympie Times show he employed a step dancer, violinists, singers, actors of note, and a band. He staged elaborate performances of vaudeville and music, as well as dances.
There seemed to be a conflict of sorts as many stories were told regarding his ‘proper’ behaviour. It is possible Billy thought, the occupation of hotelier to be undignified or perhaps gossip could potentially affect his daughter, as four days after his daughter’s marriage Billy sold the Hall. By the 1870’s, he had purchased a sugar cane farm on the Albert River. This would be at the same time Adam and Jane purchased their property in Logan. He had one of the finest plantations and perhaps one of the neatest and most comfortable homesteads in the district.
At this time, his troupe was still performing all over Australia and New Zealand. Whilst performing in New Zealand, there was ill feeling among the troupe. Poor audiences caused financial problems and Billy disbanded the troupe. He went it alone, but a year later had formed a new troupe and continued performances in Australia. In November 1888, Billy bought a property five miles out of Gympie on the Noosa Road. He was always hopeful of finding gold and this venture looked like a good idea. Some gold was found however, he must have lost a good deal of money as it is recorded in 1890, that he was stranded in a Brisbane Hospital without friends or means. This is strange, as Billy’s daughter and son in law were living near Gympie and there was no mention of his wife. Many newspapers in Australia and New Zealand reported his misfortune and a collection was made for him.
Billy went back to the only profession he excelled at—performing. He left for New Zealand. It is said he had been retired for four years. At the same time his wife was not with him, but it is said he was as sprightly and energetic as ever. A newspaper reporter said: “It would hardly be believed that a man of 72 years could lift two men, one weighing 17 stone and the other 16 stone, at the one time, but he did it several times.” Billy did do weightlifting as part of his act at Rowe’s Circus in the 1850’s.
By January 1895 he is back in Gympie performing at the Olympic Theatre for the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. On November 25th, 1897, there was an article in the Cairns Post reporting that Barlow was in Gympie Hospital suffering from ‘rheumatic gout.’ Barlow said his problem stemmed from sleeping in a damp bed while in Victoria. It was here Billy held his last performance. He sang for two hours. He was 86 years old.
Newspaper articles in 1906 mention Billy and Jane celebrating their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. He sang his old songs for the visitors and was in high spirits. Jane Margaret Drummond Black passed away in 1901, followed a year later by her husband Adam Black. In 1905, many newspapers in Australia and New Zealand reported: “Billy Barlow of Blue Tail Fly memory is living in straightened circumstances in Crown Road, Gympie.” It also noted that Billy and Jane were very infirmed. On February 12th, 1907, Billy passed away from rheumatic arthritis, enteritis and exhaustion. He was 87 years and 11 months old. Jane passed away in May 1910. She was 84. All are buried in Gympie Cemetery sadly they have no headstones.
The Apollonian Hotel was relocated to the shores of beautiful Lake Cootharaba in 1987 but the hotel owners boast that it has been “ a social hub since the 1860s”. Built of hoop pine and cedar, surrounded by classic wide verandahs and fourteen foot ceilings, the old colonial hotel is a unique example of nineteenth century Queensland architecture. The bar of the hotel as well as the room where the entertainment was held has been left in tact. It is the last connection to the vaudeville and circus star, Billy Barlow.
Apollonian Hotel as it is today at Boreen Point
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