There are a few differing accounts of why 11-year-old William Glasson ended up drowned in the Cobar Gold Mines reservoir in the last days of 1905.
One report says that he was with some other children bathing in the 15ft deep reservoir when they saw a man coming round the side of the reservoir, and thinking they would get into trouble, picked up their clothes and ran up the roadway out of the reservoir. Glasson fell over the side into the water and was drowned.
However, a local report from the day before said the boys were out rabbit hunting and Glasson, having become warm, decided to take a swim.
“The young fellow was first noticed by the man who attends to the pumping plant, and he was then some 12ft. from the edge and appeared to be in distress. The man shouted to the other boys that their companion seemed to be in trouble, and he himself rushed round to where he was, but the deceased had disappeared.”
William’s parents William and Sara had lost a previous child also called William.
Source: The Cobar Herald (NSW : 1899 – 1914) Saturday 30 December 1905 p 4, The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) Monday 1 January 1906 p 6 Article
Way to go Australia 