1893 – It was a miserable stormy night in January when labourers Henry and William Bell went to bed in their tent at Bexhill, near Lismore, NSW. They stayed in their day clothes, to help ward off the cold brought on by the heavy rain. About 3am Henry was woken by the tent coming downContinue reading “Tent no protection against falling tree”
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Not-so-sweet demise for cordial maker
1882 – Thirty-three year old Irishman Thomas Belford, sodawater and cordial manu-facturer was thrown from his cart after a morning of delivering his product to four hotels in Gundagai. Unfortunately, and possibly contributing to his death, he had imbibed at a number of them and his sobriety was questioned at the subsequent inquiry. Belford wasContinue reading “Not-so-sweet demise for cordial maker”
Murdered man not found for two months
1873 – It took up to two months for the body of 25-year-old William Baxter to be found in the New South Wales bush. Drover Thomas Sheppard told the coroner’s inquest into Baxter’s death that he was four miles from Combanning, at about 5.30 in the morning, when he saw the remains of a manContinue reading “Murdered man not found for two months”
Tidal creek crossing drowns unlucky siblings
1922 – A family outing on horseback went terribly wrong when a tidal creek crossing ended in a double drowning. Herbert’s Creek was part of the boundary between Banksia and Glenprairie stations, 120km north of Rockhampton and 27 kilometres north of Marlborough, Central Queensland. Vincent Kelly, 29, his sisters Ethel Catherine, 27, Winifred, 19 and MaryContinue reading “Tidal creek crossing drowns unlucky siblings”
Log hauling spelt the end for “young giant”
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 eastContinue reading “Log hauling spelt the end for “young giant””
Fight over will marred old man’s demise
The age of 108 claimed on Daniel Hawke’s headstone in the Emu Park cemetery is impressive. Indeed, newspapers across the country described the man as Queensland’s and possibly Australia’s oldest man when he died in 1925. But his coffin, buried deep beneath, was inscribed with the number 105. This still may have kept him hisContinue reading “Fight over will marred old man’s demise”
Gold rush hero did not die rich
Gulgong 1928 – The man who triggered “the last of the poor man’s gold rushes’’ in New South Wales, died an invalid pensioner at the ripe old age of 80. John Thomas Saunders Junior passed away in 1928 after a short stay in the hospital of the town which sprang up overnight around his famousContinue reading “Gold rush hero did not die rich”
Lone schoolboy fell from train in the middle of the night
1919 – Unaccompanied schoolboy Howard Tidbury was taking the overnight train home to Blackall for Christmas in mid-December. He was 11 or 12 years of age. He was boarding at Rockhampton’s Sisters of Mercy Convent’s school for boys. The school’s sister-in-charge had asked Mary Hole, the mother of four other students, who was also travelling onContinue reading “Lone schoolboy fell from train in the middle of the night”
Young duck hunter accidentally shot himself
1908 – William Turner, 16, accidentally shot himself through the brain with an “ever-dreaded’’ pea-rifle while hunting ducks. The incident took place west of Cairns at Evelyn Station, where Turner had been working for the past eight months. Evelyn Station was an important part of the Herberton region’s early history, with grazing land on oneContinue reading “Young duck hunter accidentally shot himself”
Conductor takes a fatal fall
TOWNSVILLE – The Town Band, which usually played in the street every Monday night, took a break the week John Henry George Stokes died in 1918. He was one of the band’s leading cornet players, the Townsville Daily Bulletin reported. Known as Jack, the 22-year old, was a train conductor, and had left Charters Towers on the passengerContinue reading “Conductor takes a fatal fall”
Way to go Australia 