Vida and Jayne Lahey's House

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Vida and Jayne Lahey's House (Wonga Wallen)

Vida and Jayne Lahey's House is a heritage-listed two-storey timber home in Brisbane, Queensland. Located at 99 Sir Fred Schonell Drive, St Lucia, it was designed by Romeo Lahey and built from 1920 to 1946. The house is also known as Wonga Wallen and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Origins and moves
The house was originally built in Canungra, on a spur of the Darlington Range, and completed in 1920 using timber from the Lahey mill. It stood in Canungra for many years with features such as a paved loggia along the front and a separate rear wing for laundry and bathroom. In 1946, Vida and Jayne Lahey moved the house to its present site in Brisbane. During the Brisbane relocation, the house was turned on its side; the porch on the eastern side was removed and the ground floor was later converted into a garage.

Family background
The Lahey family were early timber industry pioneers in the Canungra area. Francis and Alicia Lahey emigrated from Ireland in 1862 with eleven children and settled in Queensland, where the family built timber mills and helped develop local roads and railways. David Lahey, Vida’s father, ran the Canungra mill, which grew to be a major operation. The mill played a significant role in the region’s growth until it was sold in 1920.

Notable residents and significance
Romeo W. Lahey, who designed the house, was an early advocate for forest conservation and the Queensland National Parks movement. He helped found the National Parks Association of Queensland and contributed to the creation of Lamington National Park. Vida Lahey, born in 1882, was a prominent artist who helped establish the Queensland Art Fund in 1929 and supported the development of Queensland’s art scene. She lived in the house for more than two decades and painted works inspired by it.

Architectural features
The house is a timber, rectangular two-storey building with a shallow gable roof and weatherboard walls. The interior is renowned for its high-quality, clear-finished timber joinery and fittings, including hoop-pine ceiling joists running the full width of the house and unpainted timber walls and ceilings. The central entrance hall leads to the living room and bedrooms, with the kitchen integrated into the living space through built-in cupboards and shelving of the same fine timber. The house remains notable for its well-preserved timber craftsmanship.