Port Arthur’s eerily-named Isle of the Dead is the repository of more than 1000 convicts, officials and their families who died at Tasmania’s infamous penal settlement. Many graves were not marked, and their stories are lost to time. But one convict has been remembered, due to his special place in history. Henry Savery’s writing skillsContinue reading “First novelist was a convict”
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Molten metal a nightmare death
1909 – Mining accidents were common in the early days of the 20th century, yet when Ambrose Fox was burnt to death by an explosion of molten metal in the Great Cobar mine, his funeral was said to be the largest the town had ever seen. The 44-year-old was killed after a repaired appliance knownContinue reading “Molten metal a nightmare death”
Misheard blast kills miner
1873 – Joseph Paxton’s mining company was said to be one of the best-managed in the Hills End district of New South Wales. However, when it came to mining in the early years of Australia, anything could happen. And unfortunately it did, to one William Oliver. Basically, Oliver heard a bang, thought the explosive chargeContinue reading “Misheard blast kills miner”
Boxing day tragedy
1880 – Young Parkes flour mill worker Joseph Sim was riding his horse over a hurdle at a Boxing Day event, when it caught on the post and fell on him. “He was immediately removed in an impossible condition to the hospital for medical attendance’’, where he died without recovering consciousness. While newspaper reports say the event happened onContinue reading “Boxing day tragedy”
Such was (Grace’s short) life
‘Such is life’ has long been a quintessentially Australian saying, grounded firmly in its supposed last-minute utterance by famous bushranger Ned Kelly. And it so neatly rounded up people’s forebearance of the tragedies of life that it appeared on the headstone of a one-month-old girl in Charters Towers in Queensland, Australia about 1888. The stoneContinue reading “Such was (Grace’s short) life”
Cameleer lived to 107
The Afghan cameleers of early Australia are an iconic part of our pioneering history. Bye Khan, who died in Bourke, NSW, aged 107, deserves a starring role in that history, not only for his longevity. Like most “Afghan’’ cameleers, he would have come to Australia from the north-west regions of India, to train and handleContinue reading “Cameleer lived to 107”
Eileen didn’t get to father for Christmas
1921 – Seventeen-year-old Eileen Flynn’s “splendid physique’ (as described by the newspapers) wasn’t enough to save her life when she went horse riding. She and her mother had been living apart from their father/husband for two years, while he was at their home in Broken Hill. This arrangement was a result of industrial unrest atContinue reading “Eileen didn’t get to father for Christmas”
Three children die on their way to town’s day of fun
August 15, 1888 – Almost all of the children of Bourke, country New South Wales, were in the back of horse-drawn vehicles heading to the country town’s picnic ground by the Darling River. The Annual Children’s Picnic procession would have been full of laughter and expectation, as the annual event brought the town together. ThereContinue reading “Three children die on their way to town’s day of fun”
Rumours flew over missing man
1896 – There was great suspicion about Kalgoorlie when James Moore went missing for a day. He had acted as accountant/confidential clerk for local auctioneer J Miller and Co for two months and had gained the confidence of his employers. However, he was missing, and so were the keys to the business safe. Moreover, heContinue reading “Rumours flew over missing man”
Siblings drown while fetching water
While a river-side plaque tells the story of a sad drowning in Menindee’s Darling River, the nearby cemetery reinforces just how dangerous it was to early settlers. Robert and Elizabeth Scobie, aged 9 and 7, had only been in Australia for six months when they drowned in 1883. They had emigrated from Scotland, and theirContinue reading “Siblings drown while fetching water”
Way to go Australia 