Way back in 1988 I was contacted by a lady called Elsie Heitmann (yes I still have my correspondence from then). She was trying to find out what happened to one of her relatives who went missing in Western Australia from South Australia. All she had to go on was the following photo which was […]
The people of the Goldfields
The Goldfields of Western Australia was and still is made up of many people, from poets to politicians, from saints and sinners and everything in between. I hope to tell you the stories of some of these people either famous or infamous or just the ordinary folks. Sometime the most ordinary people do the most extraordinry things
Cecil Thomas Collins – grave tales
04/12/2021 By Leave a Comment
Cecil Thomas Collins was born in York WA on the 16th November 1903. He was the oldest son of William Thomas James Collins and Elda Ellen nee Reynolds. He was the oldest child of seven boys and one girl.
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 […]
Wooden Overcoat Makers-
27/11/2021 By Leave a Comment
In Coolgardie, as late as April 1894, self-styled undertakers were making a fortune by making coffins from old jam cases and boxes and blackening them over to give a semblance of respectability. Only the destitute and friendless were packed away in plain deal coffins, and Jews whose religion demanded austerity in their last rites. By […]
