PORT OF BRISBANE: Port people recall the moments that shaped an icon

Port of Brisbane presents the third in a newsreel series bringing the port’s history and stories to life through the voices of the people who helped shape its growth.

THE PORT of Brisbane has long drawn people whose working lives became bound up with its expansion, from the early years of reclamation at Fisherman Islands to the mature operation that now supports Queensland’s supply chains.

For those who spent decades at the port, its history is not only one of infrastructure and trade. It is also a record of careers, routines, friendships and moments that would have been difficult to experience anywhere else.

Executive general manager people, Ms Steffany Sinclair, describes the organisation as having the feel of a family business, despite the scale of its task.

“It’s like a small company that does a really big thing,” Ms Sinclair said.

Across the experiences of former and current staff, a consistent picture emerges: of a port shaped not only by engineering and logistics, but by the people who watched it take form.

Rosey’s story

Rosey Field worked across executive support, PR and corporate communications
during her 30-year career at the Port.

Rosey Field joined the port in 1981 as a library clerk and remained for 30 years, working across executive support, public relations and corporate communications. The breadth of that work gave her access to parts of port life that few outside the organisation would have seen.

“We did a lot of videos, which meant that you were out on the ground a lot,” Ms Field said.

“We got to go onto ships and did a lot of things with film people. We did videos on quarantine with Ranger Stacey. We did videos on how pilotage works, how the tugs work, how a ship comes in and how the cargo is handled.

“All that sort of stuff was really important to record, but really fun to do.”

Some of those assignments brought unusual access. Ms Field recalls boarding nuclear submarines and watching the arrival of the tall ships during Australia’s bicentenary in 1988.

“With the nuclear subs that came in, I remember going down into some of the subs, which were really claustrophobic,” she said. “That was special access. Only a few people actually got to go on.”

She also recalls traditions that remain part of port life. On a vessel’s inaugural visit, port representatives would present the captain with a plaque and often receive one in return.

Among her strongest memories is the move to Fisherman Islands, before the area had developed into the industrial precinct seen today.

“When we first moved out, there was really only the wharves and our office, sitting in the middle of all this sand,” Ms Field said. “It was very different after working in the city for so long. There wasn’t much out there and no facilities, except for the canteen, which was pretty rough at the time.”

Peter’s story

As a historian, Peter Ludlow experienced the Port from a different perspective.

Historian Mr Peter Ludlow came to the port from a different vantage point. After years documenting the history of Moreton Bay, he was approached by Ms Field to write a history of the Port of Brisbane, drawing heavily on oral accounts from people whose working lives had intersected with the river and bay.

The result was the 2008 book *The Port of Brisbane, its people, and its personalities*.

“The aim was just to preserve the history of the Port of Brisbane through its people and personalities,” Mr Ludlow said. “I’m actually more of an oral historian, really.”

The people he interviewed were not always senior figures. What interested him, he said, was the experience of ordinary people and the way Moreton Bay shaped their lives.

“A lot of the people I spoke to weren’t high-flyers or anything,” Mr Ludlow said. “They were just average people. I was interested in what effect Moreton Bay and later the Port had on their lifestyle.”

Looking back, Mr Ludlow said the shared task of building a major port from scratch appeared to encourage cooperation and a practical sense of common purpose.

“When everything was being done from scratch, I think people tended to cooperate a bit more,” he said. “It was more exciting because you were building it. It was just, ‘I’ve got a job to do, and we’ve all got to get in and do it.’”

Bill’s story

Bill Tranberg joined the Port in 1981, working across senior engineering and planning roles.

Engineer Mr Bill Tranberg arrived in 1981, when the first container terminals at Fisherman Islands had been completed but were not yet operating.

“When I arrived, the terminals were finished, but they weren’t actually in use,” Mr Tranberg said. “There was a big stand-off about the move from Hamilton, because the guys who worked there were going to Fisherman Islands, which was a long way away, especially if you lived anywhere on the northside. There wasn’t even a Gateway Bridge at that time. It was only the ferry.”

Over more than three decades at the port, Mr Tranberg worked across senior engineering and planning roles and was involved in projects that extended the port further into the bay. One of his clearest memories is the point at which the rock wall around the future expansion area was finally joined.

“We started from each end, and the final joining up was quite an impressive thing to watch,” he said. “The rock wall encircled that whole area, and since then they’ve been progressively filling it.”

Yet some of his strongest impressions are not only of industrial scale. Mr Tranberg also recalls a narrow waterway through nearby mangroves where the port could seem momentarily distant.

“You would swear you weren’t anywhere near a port,” he said. “You’re on this narrow little waterway in a little boat, with mangroves hanging over both sides. It’s an interesting position when you think that only a couple of kilometres away is a whole port with lots of shipping coming and going.”

Steffany’s story

Steffany Sinclair joined the Port at age 20, building a career in people and culture.

Ms Steffany Sinclair joined the port at 20 while still at university, beginning in food and beverage before moving into human resources and later building a long career in people and culture.

“I joined the Port as a 20-year-old university student and never imagined I would build my career here,” Ms Sinclair said.

“One of my earliest memories is attending the family Christmas events and seeing hundreds of employees and their families come together. Despite the scale and significance of what the Port does, there was a genuine sense of community, pride and connection.

“We still hold those events today and, when I look around, I’m reminded that while the Port has evolved enormously over the years, many of those qualities remain unchanged.”

Ms Sinclair describes the culture as proud, but rarely loud, about its role. The scale of the work is visible in the ships, trains and trucks moving through the precinct, but the contribution of the people behind it is often less visible.

“People connect deeply to the purpose of what we do and take great pride in contributing to something that supports millions of Queenslanders,” she said.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have grown alongside the organisation and now play a role in helping shape its culture for future generations.

“It’s about building on those enduring strengths while continuing to evolve, so future employees feel the same sense of pride, purpose and belonging that has kept so many people connected to this place over the years.”

She said the organisation continues to balance long tenure with new perspectives.

“When she looks across tenure in the business, there are a lot of people who have been there for a really long time, but also new people coming in,” Ms Sinclair said.

“This is great from an innovation viewpoint. So many amazing things are happening. There’s a richness every day.

“That is what draws us in and keeps us really engaged, whatever you’re facing in the day.”