Joseph Wood Proud was born on December 29, 1870 to Jonathan and Barbara (Wood) Proud in Ulverstone, Lancashire, England. His parents, together with nine children, departed aboard the Duke of Buccleuch from Plymouth, England arriving in Brisbane on 6 November 1883. The family lived in Brisbane, Gatton and Indooroopilly prior to arriving in Southport in 1887 to take up selections of swampy land for raising dairy cattle.

Joseph was interviewed in 1937 in connection with the “Back to Southport Carnival” to be held in the near future. He said “I arrived in Southport fifty years ago last February, the morning after the Scottish Prince came ashore. At that time the bar was right opposite the Pacific Hotel or approximately on the outside of Porpoise Point”. The Scottish Prince ran aground on the south end of Stradbroke Island off Southport on February 3, 1887, indicating that the family arrived in Southport on 4 February 1887. The horse and cart journey from Laidley took many days.

Joseph’s father built a colonial homestead overlooking the Broadwater for his family in 1893 and called it “Hollywell” after his old home in England. In 1875-acre allotments were being sold at between five pounds and fifteen pounds at a time when residents numbered about 30.