1934 – The superstitious around Forsayth were only too well aware that there had been two deaths in the community in the past months, and were crossing their fingers against a third.
But luck was firmly against Alex Lavercombe, (age unknown but probably younger than 45 based on his parents’ year of marriage) who was soon to follow old district identities William Neal and Margaret Fitzsimmons on “the long journey’’ as death was described.
Lavercombe was working on the closure of a gold mine called the Big Reef, three miles south-south-east of Forsayth in the Etheridge mining fields. The formerly productive mine had closed years ago but had recently been given a limited licence to be opened to explore for new payable ore.
Most of the machinery and workers had already moved to another venture.
Several men were busy cleaning out the pumps, when, at about 11am, a ladder that was being raised to the surface broke and swept Lavercombe 24 metres to the bottom of the shaft.
Here is how one newspaper described the results.
“The body was frightfully lacerated, one arm being broken in three places, the other arm splintered at the elbow; one leg was also broken, the skull fractured, and the neck broken; the jugular was severed, a frightful gash running from the left base of the neck to the right ear.
the northoern herald
“The left eye had completely disappeared and the side of the face was broken and torn.
“When recovered, the body was lying in 15 feet of water at the bottom of the shaft but deceased was dead before he hit the water.
The returned solder is buried in the sparsely populated Forsayth cemetery.
Source: The Northern Herald, Saturday 3 November 1934, p36
Way to go Australia 