Shortly after opening the Wynnum office of DBL Solicitors in 2014, local lawyer Mark Lillicrap discovered a connection with Wynnum, dating back generations.
“Wynnum has always felt very special to me. I have worked my entire career in the eastern suburbs of Brisbane.
I often had found myself spending time in Wynnum, even before opening an office here,” said Mark.
“It was when I opened the Wynnum office of our law firm that a family member brought to my attention an old newspaper article published after the death of my great-grandmother. That article was from late 1978. It wrote of the passing of my great-grandmother, Kate Steen (nee Crimmin), reporting that she was the first white child to be born in Wynnum.
“Wynnum has a charm about it that is hard to define. It has all the natural beauty of the bay and the islands yet some aspects of it remind me of a country town. Having grown up in regional Queensland, I was struck by the comradery between local businesses and how local business owners looked after each other and their clients,” Mark observes.
Mark’s great-grandmother, Kate Steen, was born in Wynnum in 1890. In 1917 she moved away from Wynnum as an adult, moving to North Queensland from where Mark hails.
Mark admits to being an avid but unsuccessful fisherman and admits to learning some boating lessons the hard way on Moreton Bay.
One of Mark’s favourite observations about Wynnum is: if this suburb was in Sydney, what would land be worth?
“I see huge potential for Wynnum. Having said that I hope it always keeps its charm. I feel privileged to live and work in this part of the world and feel a real sense of belonging, knowing that I have returned to the birthplace of one of my ancestors.”
