Trust Talks at Wolston Farmhouse

 

Step into history with Trust Talks at Wolston Farmhouse, exploring the extraordinary lives of Karl and Gertrude Langer.

Dr Karl Langer was a pioneering modernist architect and urban planner whose European training and climate-conscious designs helped shape post-war Queensland. From public buildings to private homes, Karl’s work left a lasting legacy on the city’s built environment, and his visionary ideas continue to inform Queensland’s architectural identity today.

Escaping Nazi-occupied Europe at the outbreak of WWII, Karl and his wife, art historian Dr Gertrude Langer, settled in Brisbane - a city Gertrude famously said was “not yet ready for me.” With a PhD in Art History, Parisian flair, and a deep passion for Modern Art, Gertrude became a leading voice in Brisbane’s cultural awakening. Through lectures and salon-style classes at her home, she introduced new ways of seeing and understanding contemporary European art from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Together, the Langers were instrumental in shaping Queensland’s cultural landscape, including contributing significantly to the early development of the National Trust (Queensland).

Experience a live, time-travelling performance by Natalie Cowling as Gertrude Langer—witty, confident, and ahead of her time.

Don’t miss this unforgettable experience - an inspiring fusion of lecture and performance that brings Brisbane’s cultural history vividly to life.

 

Date: Sunday 19^th October 2025

Location: Wolston Farmhouse | 223 Grindle Road, Wacol QLD, 4076

Time:

·       12:00 pm to 12:30 pm Trust Talk with Meg McKavanagh, Property Manager at Wolston Farmhouse

·       12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Immerse yourself in a time-travelling theatrical storytelling ‘At Home’ with Dr Gertrude Langer.

·       1:00 pm – 2:00 pm cake and coffee on the Tea Terrace

 

 

Bookings Essential - book below    

 

 

📸 Images: Dr Karl Langer, Brisbane, 1950. Unknown author - State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; negative no. 196738 

📸 Images: Dr Gertrude Langer at Louis Kahan opening, Johnstone Gallery, July 1952 | featuring 𝑃𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑥 𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑚 1951 oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) | Gertrude Langer Papers, UQFL157-Series K-File 1-Album 1, Fryer Library, The University of Queensland Library.

📸 Image: Natalie Cowling as Dr Gertrude Langer, 2019. Taken by Natalie Cowling.