Margaret Morgan – grave tales

Margaret Morgan nee McGree was born in Bowden, South Australia on 18th September 1867. She was the daughter of Patrick McGree and Elizabeth Dunne. She was the fifth child of Patrick and Elizabeth who had in total of 14 children. In 1892 Margaret  she married James Morgan (possibly in Tasmania or SA) and they had […]

Jarlach DUFFY – ‘A Dynasty’s Harsh Beginning’

If you were to visit the Perth offices of Eyers Reed Ltd, 45 floors up from the city of Perth with views of the Swan River and Darling Ranges, it takes considerable effort that this modern share broking firm with a turnover of tens of millions had its beginning on the Goldfields of Western Australia. […]

A Gentleman of the Road –

Four years after the establishment of the Department of Mines, it bore little resemblance to the tiny Mining Branch which had started operation within the Department of Lands and Surveys in Perth Western Australia. Mr. Patrick Pelly, a clerk with the Department, was remembered as ‘a reserved, courteous and obliging old fellow’, however, he was […]

The Fight for the Ida H:

With thanks to Gary Cowans: Truth 16 February 1930, page 6 THE FIGHT FOR IDA H Who discovered the Ida H gold mine, twenty miles from Mount Margaret, in the State of West Australia? Who got the half-million sterling extracted from it? Whence was its name derived? Ask those questions of old Dick (Richard) Heaphy […]

Underworld Character – conviction in Kalgoorlie

Infamous Sydney crime figure, Tilley Devine, portrayed in the TV series Underbelly, had a link to Kalgoorlie Boulder after being arrested and jailed on the Goldfields. Matilda ‘Tilley” Devine, was born in England in 1900 and became a prominent crime syndicate figure involved in sly grog dealing and razor gangs, but most notably as a […]