ELSIE'S BROTHEL, ALBERT STREET
BETWEEN MARY STREET AND MARGARET STREET
BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND
DURING WW2

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During WW2, a brothel known as "Elsie's" was located in Albert Street, Brisbane, Queensland somewhere between Mary St and Margaret St.

The entrance to the brothel had a large green door, which the patrons would step over to go in. It was not a full door. It was like a hole in the wall. It is believed that it was designed this way to stop patrons from running out without paying.

Musician, Horrie Dargie (7 Jul 1917 - 30 Aug 1999), was in Brisbane in the early 1950's where he entertained the locals in the new Festival Hall, which was built after the Brisbane Stadium has been demolished. Then 17 years old George Parker was one of those locals. George Parker remembers one night at Festival Hall that Horrie shared the story that one day on his way to Festival Hall, while coming down Albert Street, he saw this large Green Door, and he wondered each time he passed it, what was going on behind that Green Door. It was Elsie's brothel apparently. The cover version of "Green Door" became a single hit for Horrie Dargie, which he wrote in Brisbane. Wikipedia suggests that "(The) Green Door" is a 1956 popular song with music by Bob Davie and lyrics by Marvin Moore.

Horace Andrew Dargie (NX98782) joined the Australian Army during WW2. He went on to become the Musical Director/ Performer in the third Armoured Division Concert Party. During a concert at an American base in New Guinea, which included performers such as Jack Benny and Larry Adler, Horrie was surprised when Larry Adler called him up on stage and asked him to play one of his harmonicas.

I believe Elsie was known as Elsie Mackay with her real name being Zeta Daphne Lawson.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank George Parker for his assistance with this web page.

 

REFERENCES

"£10,000 income for Woman", The Canberra Times, Thursday 24 January 1957

 

Can anyone help me with more information?

 

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This page first produced 15 June 2008

This page last updated 25 January 2020