Argo Family

Argo Sports Depot and Cycle Works (W.Argo and Sons) operated in a small shop next to the Dawn Theatre in 1932 for sales and repairs of bicycles and sporting goods. Purchased Sammells old store at the corner of Gympie Road and Hall Street about 1935 and vacant land next door. Built new shop for sales and using the corner building as workshop. A shed was erected behind new shop when manufacturing of bicycles begun. The process was: frames were constructed from steel tubes and lugs. These were braised together, then sand blasted, polished, primed, then painted. Hand lining was done to decorate. Bicycles assembled and transported to the wholesalers in the city. By 1939 eight men were employed. Business increased during the war and had to be completed with a skeleton staff. All employees returned after the war and stayed until the wholesale work fell away due to imports. The retail shop was used as the air raid warden's post during the war. The business closed in 1957 (Thanks to Margaret Argo for these notes).

James Glennie Argo with his wife Jessie and their five teenage children left Aberdeen, Scotland to migrate to Australia. They sailed on the "S.S. Osterley" leaving London on the 1st May 1911. They settled in boundary Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane, running a general store. They moved to Chermside in May 1918, purchasing Mr W Sammells property on the corner of Gympie Road and Hall Street. They set up a general store with Post Office trading here until 1926 when the store was sold to Mr R Hall. James and Jessie with their second daughter Christina moved to Sydney.

William (Bill) Argo migrated to Australia with his family in 1911. He was fifteen years old. They settled in Spring Hill, Brisbane. He enlisted in the Army in 1915 and was sent to Egypt. While training there it was discovered that he was suffering with a serious medical condition and was sent home in 1916. After spending a lengthy time in hospital he was discharged medically unfit. Bill returned to his family in Spring Hill. In 1918 his father purchased a property in Chermside and the family moved from Spring Hill. Bill married in 1925 and he and his wife Helen built their home in Hall Street, Chermside. In 1928 with work hard to come by he moved his family to Yedna near Kilcoy to work in a sawmill. They returned to Chermside in 1932 setting up a bicycle manufacturing business. This business operated until 1956 when it was closed. Bill and Helen then moved to Aspley.

This text was written by Patrick O'Shea in 2010, and was edited by Bradley Scott in 2025.