From the late 1890s until the early 1950s because all heavy machinery was steam-driven, vast quantities of wood were required to fuel the boilers, coal was too expensive. Consequently, Wood Lines were born. The last surviving company was “The Western Australian Goldfields Firewood Supply Limited” which ceased operations in 1964. From early 1946 until the […]
Christmas Tragedy at Day Dawn –
25/12/2021 By 1 Comment
I have read of many tales of hardship and terrible accidents over the years, but the following story is, without doubt, one of the saddest and most tragic of all I have ever come across. I first read about it some time ago when I was contacted by Ian Leithhead, who asked me to assist […]
The Mining Expert –
18/12/2021 By Leave a Comment
In the first days of the Coolgardie field, any man game enough to sign himself M.E. (Mining Expert) could put his story over. So-called ‘Mining Experts’ were characteristic of the Coolgardie field especially from 1893 to 1896. Most were self-styled ‘Captains of Industry’ and had most of the letters of the alphabet after their names. […]
The McArthur Family Tragedy –
04/12/2021 By Leave a Comment
The story surrounding the death of Mary ‘Kate’ Catherine McArthur and her two children came to light some time ago when one of my researchers, John Pritchard, who is working on an upgrade of the Cue Cemetery records, came across an entry for her and her children. Both she and her children are listed as […]
Harry ‘Tambo’ Taylor – Stockman of the Never Never
27/11/2021 By Leave a Comment
On the 19th May 1924, Harry ‘Tambo ’Taylor applied to receive the old-age pension having reached the age of 65yrs. His application was refused as he couldn’t show proof of his age. Harry was born to an Aboriginal mother and an Irish father on Glenalvon Station NSW in 1859. He had his mother’s skin and […]
