From ghosts haunting the Rosewood Hotel, to a Yowie that appeared in Grandchester, many myths and stories have been told over the years, and now there’s the story of the mysterious Dog Man.
Resurfacing after more than 70 years, the tale of the Dog Man followed reports of strange noises akin to a wailing dog, which were heard echoing through the streets in the late hours of the night in Rosewood in the 1950s.
Rosewood residents, Bruce Hodgson and Shirley and Jenny Stubbs, shared their recollection of the story with David Pahlke after the group were talking about the history of the town.
Bruce said that he recalls his family talking about a Dog Man when he was a young boy, which reportedly made families too scared to leave their house during the night.
“Back in the 1950s, street lighting was poor and stories that were told sometimes could be blown out of proportion, but at the time, the Dog Man was feared.
“Eerie noises were heard from the bottom end of Rosewood near the train station, to the top end near the town drain … noises that were thought to have come from a Dog Man like figure.
“The local police were on high alert and were said to be patiently waiting with shot guns at the Rosewood showgrounds to shoot down whatever was responsible for the noise.
“Locals said that they felt the Dog Man’s breath on the back of their neck as they ran home in fear when they heard him.”
Jenny and Shirley Stubbs, recall their family sharing the story the night when their older brother came in contact with the noise and ‘a presence’.
“Our older brother was involved in the Rosewood Community Band, and he would often walk from our home in John Street to band practise that was held in the Anglican Church Hall,” Jenny said.
“One night when he was walking home from practise the loud sound of his shoes clapping and the words, the Dog Man is after me, the Dog Man is after me, were heard by our family who was at home.
“He was about 11 years of age at the time, and still to this day when we recall this encounter, our family all recall the story as clear as if it happened yesterday.”
The Dog Man story appeared in Brisbane newspapers about Rosewood having a mystery character who prowled the streets late at night.
On December 9, 1953 the mystery was solved by the local police, and they issued a formal statement about a pair of large dogs who they said were responsible for the noise.
