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”
Tag Archives: australian cemeteries
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”
Nichola died of a broken heart
…whose big heart throbbed for his friends, died suddenly of a broken one, alone nichola andrew tadich’s headstone 1932: It is a heart-rending headstone for a man who most likely died of heart failure. Forty-five-year-old Nichola Andrew Tadish was a salesman who was travelling for Wizard lighting plants in 1932. He had been conducting his businessContinue reading “Nichola died of a broken heart”
Lizzie gave her life to fight flu
In Australia, the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic had many similarities to the COVID-19 outbreak, including closed state borders quarantines, and restrictive public health measures. And just as in COVID times, health care workers took the brunt of the risk. But what was different was the depletion of male workers due to the recently finished GreatContinue reading “Lizzie gave her life to fight flu”
Toy and clothes given to orphanage
1916 – Mamie (Mary) Hallinan wanted her pocket money, her toys and her clothes, to be sent to an orphanage on her death. She had been an invalid since “almost from infancy”, and must have known she would not make old bones. Her affliction has been lost to time. She died peacefully at the ageContinue reading “Toy and clothes given to orphanage”
Asleep on the job
1891 – Railway worker Thomas Hanna was asleep on a railway tricycle when an engine and trucks came around the corner. The railway was under construction, and was part of a short strip of line between Bowen and the wonderfully named Bobawabba (south of Home Hill). Hanna was killed about 46 miles from Bowen atContinue reading “Asleep on the job”
Shark alarm led to drowning
1910 – A dark night, a precarious fishing spot, a meat truck and a cry of “shark’’ came together in the death of 18-year-old Alexander Stemp. Stemp, a New Zealander, was a seaman on the cargo and passenger ship Rippingham Grange, which was loading meat at the Parsons Point jetty at Gladstone, Central Queensland onContinue reading “Shark alarm led to drowning”
Way to go Australia 