CLAIRE CATHERINE BROSNAN was born at Yeppoon, Queensland on 2^nd February, 1931, to William Frederick Noel McDowall (1908 – 1986) and Margaret Ellen McDowall – nee Horan (1907 – 1983).  Nine years later her brother, Michael Grant, was born.

Claire’s family led a transient life in her early childhood moving between Yeppoon, Rockhampton and Mackay.  When they first moved from Yeppoon to Rockhampton, her father worked for the Main Roads as a paymaster.  It was at this time, when the new road from Rocky to Mount Morgan was being built, that Claire and her mother lived for a while at the Main Roads camp in a tent with a wooden floor.  Claire was always in trouble for touching the tent and letting water in!  No canvas was sealed in those days.

In 1937, the family moved back to Yeppoon where Claire began her education at St Ursula’s Convent.  Then the family moved to Rockhampton.  Almost every Sunday, they would take the train to Yeppoon and have the day on the beach.  Not long after, when Claire was seven, the family moved to Mackay, where her father still worked for the Main Roads.

Claire attended school in Mackay and on weekends the family would visit one of the many beaches for a picnic with all the other Catholic community members.  When Claire’s mother and father parted ways, she and her mother moved back to Rockhampton where her Aunty Madge and Uncle Roy were the licensees of the Forester’s Arm Hotel.  After some time, Claire’s parents reunited in Rockhampton.  Her father then moved to Sydney looking for work, the family living in a flat at Bondi Beach.  The family moved once again across the bay and were present when the Japanese submarines shelled the area after the midget submarines attack on Sydney Harbour.  Claire’s father then moved the family west to Campsie to a three-bedroom home.  Her father thought they would be safer there!

Claire developed her love for gardening at the new home, as her father would let her choose the roses for the garden.  At Campsie, Claire started school at St Mel’s.  She joined the school choir and was picked to sing a solo at a Sunday Mass.  After St Mel’s, she travelled by train from Campsie to Domremy College, at Five Dock for Year Four.  Claire boarded at Domremy for Years Five and Six as her parents had moved to Killarney, where relatives were managing the Commonwealth Hotel.  Her father was employed as an accountant with Jack Tierney’s Stock and Station Agency.

During school holidays, Claire would travel by train from Sydney to Tenterfield.  She would then travel with the Mail Contractor on his run to Killarney.  Claire matriculated from Domremy College at the age of 15 and moved to Killarney to live with her parents and brother.  Her senior years of school continued in Warwick.  Claire would catch the Rail Motor from Killarney to the Warwick Railway Station and then take the long walk to Warwick High School.  She took science subjects as she wanted to be a doctor.  Unfortunately in Year 12, she became quite sick with bronchitis and pneumonia and had to leave school.  Her parents thought it best Claire not return to school, but work in the office with her father.

Claire had a happy time on weekends with all the young people of Killarney going to picnics all over the place, in the back of a cream truck – The Plateau, Wylie Creek and below the big bridge at Rivertree.

Claire’s love for horses developed when the family lived in Pine Street.  Her father bought her a bay Galloway mare and a chestnut pony for her brother, Michael.  She would ride her horse form Killarney to Tannymorel every Wednesday to the Pig and calf Sale.  Her job was to write out the sales cheques.  On weekends, she would go riding with Roy Ross, the Station Master’s son and Jack Brosnan up to The Head and Sunday Plain.  Claire first met her future husband when he was returning to Wynola in a spring cart, after delivering cream to the Butter Factory.

Claire married Cornelius Joseph Gerard Brosnan on 21^st November, 1949, at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Corinda, Brisbane.

Claire’s life was extremely busy raising eight children, as well as helping Con out on the farm.  She sewed dresses for herself, as well as clothes for her children.  In the late 1950’s with the purchase of a Landrover, Claire took on the responsibility of delivering cream to the Butter Factory before dropping off the school age children to school.  During stone fruit season, she would drive to Stanthorpe to buy cases of stone fruit only to return home to spend many days preserving fruit, in Vacola bottles.

While raising her family, Claire still found time to work with horses.  She supported Con in his pastime of polocrosse, lunging his horse and always driving home from carnivals - as far away as Lismore and Chinchilla.  At Killarney Polocrosse carnivals, she scored matches and worked in the canteen.  Claire also attended local shows on the Darling Downs with her Palomino mare, Santa.  In the 1960’s, she influenced a lot of local children’s riding capabilities as she devoted her time, as an instructor, with the Killarney Hack and Pony Club.  She transported her children to many shows and Pony Club Gymkhanas around the Darling Downs.  Claire was invited to instruct at other Pony Club camps as well as judge horse classes at a couple of local shows.  Meanwhile, she still spent many hours on the farm, in the saddle checking the Hereford Stud cows and calves, the beef cattle and young horses.

While some of the younger children still attended school, Claire began working at an orchard to supplement the family income.  When all the children had completed their education, Claire found more time to look after her garden, do oil and water colour painting and pursue Endurance Horse Riding.  Her greatest achievement was entering and completing the Tom Quilty Endurance Ride at Kenilworth, Queensland, in 1988.  She proudly wore her buckle whenever she could!

Claire managed to travel with Con to Tasmania in the late 1990’s and visited Bothwell, where her great grandfather was an early settler.  After Con’s death, she travelled to Canada and Alaska with Con’s sister, Margaret.

Claire had a passion for reading and was a frequent borrower of books from the Warwick Library.  She was well known and amazed the staff for the variety of genres she read.  Her other interests were current affairs, geography, history and in particular, ancient civilizations.  She also enjoyed listening to classical and Celtic music.

Claire was Treasurer of the Killarney Show and Rodeo Committee from 1972 to 1998. In 2012, she was given the great honour to jointly open Killarney’s Centenary Show.

With ailing health in2018, Claire moved to Killarney Memorial Aged Care.  She passed away at the age of 89, on 25 April 2020 and lays to rest next to her soul mate.  

In 2025, Claire is survived by her brother, Michael.

Her relatives resting places:

Maternal Grandparents - Patrick Horan, Mackay Cemetery

                                              Elizabeth Horan, Mt Gravatt Cemetery, Brisbane

Paternal Grandparents – Robert Grant and Catherine McDowall, North Rockhampton

                                             Cemetery

Mother – Margaret Ellen McDowall – Ashes spread in Pacific Ocean

Father – William Frederick Noel McDowall – Ashes spread in Pacific Ocean