1917 – At just 11 years old, Clide Avery was already the size of some grown men, almost six foot tall. But he didn’t get to experience manhood.
He was helping his father drive a horse-drawn wagon hauling a seven-ton load of logs into Narrabri.
The family lived at Eulah Creek, a 15-minute drive east of Narrabri in today’s terms, and at the foot of the Nandewar Range in northern New South Wales, Australia.
It was a Saturday, and local newspapers reported that the boy jumped on to the shaft of the wagon to help the brake steady the team as it went down an incline.
“Whether the waggon jolted or not is not known, but the poor little fellow lost his hold, and fell to the ground. Before he could roll clear, the front and hind wheels of the waggon passed over his body.’’
The North Western Courier
While one newspaper spoke of “little Clyde”, another referred to him as a “young giant”. Both papers felt it was appropriate to give the child’s weight as well, but the numbers were vastly different, so the truth is probably lost to history.
Sources: The North Western Courier, Monday 26 February 1917, p2
Young Witness, Friday 2 March 1917, p1
Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW, Monday 26 March 1917, p4
Way to go Australia 