Glenn Cooke's eclectic collection of souvenirs offers a unique insight into Qld's history | ABC News

He's an eclectic curator with an eye for quintessentially Queensland collectables, an encyclopedic knowledge of dates and events which shaped the Sunshine State, and a penchant for Hawaiian shirts.

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Glenn Cooke's collection of tea towels and Story Bridge souvenirs, meticulously selected over decades, are held by the State Library of Queensland.

They contain everything from pristine 65-year-old Irish linen towels with beach and reef motifs, to a glittering 1970s kitsch painting of Brisbane's famous bridge on black velvet.

Glenn's backyard in Brisbane's West End is bursting with creations of his own design — garden edges of glass bottles and plant pots mosaiced with broken crockery from yesteryear — some of it he discovered while digging in the garden.

"In the olden days … there was not much rubbish collected in Brisbane and everything ended up in the backyard, so the bits and pieces I found tell you about the history of ceramics used in Brisbane," he said.

What's clear about Glenn's collectables and creations, is that each has a story and all of them help to paint a picture of the man who brought them together.

"Well I guess I was a born collector … I actually started out with that usual system — collecting stamps," Glenn said.

An early love of gardening led to a collection of succulents. An interest in visiting galleries inspired collections of art and ceramics.

The son of a shearer and a waitress, Glenn grew up in Blackall in western Queensland. As a child, he had no idea he'd develop a passion for decorative arts that would take him around the world.

"That's even a mystery to me. I'd describe my career trajectory as drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds," Glenn said.

Glenn's working life started in the 1960s as a clerk in the court of petty sessions in rural Queensland.

After moving to Ipswich, he developed an interest in interior design and embarked on a course while working at Tritton's Furniture at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.
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