Skipper and Uncle Bill have an adventure, November 1897

I have been slowly dredging through the old newspapers on-line in an attempt to find out when the "Drew Boys" began competitive sailing at Sandgate. It is unfortunate that search keywords like "A Drew" bring up far too many irrelevant items.

It would seem that the mid-1890s might be a good approximation, not long after organised sailing activities began in Bramble Bay. The following is the earliest reference found so far. By 14 November 1899, there are reports of "Skipper" (Albert) competitively sailing "Elva".

Brisbane Courier, 22 November 1897.