Murweh

Distinguished and Famous people from Murweh

🏨 Harry Corones

Harry Corones moved from Greece to Australia in 1907 and reached Charleville around 1909. A café led to a cinema and vaudeville performances, then to the hotel business. His grand Hotel Corones was completed in 1929, offering a level of comfort that made an impression on graziers, travellers and visiting aviators. He also bought early Qantas shares and catered for passengers at Charleville airport, helping connect hospitality with the new aviation industry. His service on the hospital board lasted more than half a century. The town’s association with him includes enterprise, entertainment and practical community work, not simply an impressive hotel façade.

🌧️ Clement Wragge

Meteorologist Clement Wragge brought an extraordinary proposed answer to Charleville’s drought in 1902: fire large vortex guns towards the clouds. He arranged for six devices to be installed, adapting an idea used in attempts to prevent hail damage overseas. The trial did not establish a successful way to make rain, and Wragge later argued that his operating instructions had not been followed. The surviving guns preserve a memorable episode in the search for relief from drought. Queensland weather had proved difficult to predict; persuading it with artillery turned out to be no more dependable.

🏉 Kurt Capewell

Kurt Capewell was born in Charleville and grew up there before boarding school at Ipswich Grammar. He played rugby union at school and rugby league for Ipswich Norths, later developing through the Ipswich Jets. A Queensland Cup premiership with the Jets formed an important stage before his NRL career and selection for Queensland in State of Origin. He has credited coaches Ben and Shane Walker with helping that development. The Charleville chapter belongs to childhood and early sporting life, before the different teams and competitions that took him into the professional game.