The Ballad There was a Wild Colonial Boy, Jack Doolan was his name, Of poor but honest parents he was born in Castlemaine, He was his father’s only hope, his mother’s pride and joy, And dearly did his parents love the Wild Colonial Boy. At the early age of 16 years, he left his father’s […]
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
Prize Winning Gardens:
06/03/2021 By Leave a Comment
I always love to come across photos of the private homes of ordinary people in the early Goldfields days. There are so few around and what is there are, are often unidentified. I have lots of photographs of houses that are in either Kalgoorlie or Boulder, but with no address. The following photographs were taken […]
Old Age v Youth – a Darlot Divorce
27/02/2021 By Leave a Comment
We often think that family law matters didn’t go to court in the early days, but this unusual story shows that matters could still be most complicated and acrimonious: Leonora Miner 6 August 1927, page 3 Wife of 39yrs Sues Husband of 82yrs A woman of 39 years, sad-eyed and patient, and a man said […]
The Golden Rule Hotel
27/02/2021 By Leave a Comment
Sent in by Wendy Cochrane: She says “We have this photo from my partner Rob Ivey’s family. Rob’s great Grandparents Jacob (Jack) and Isabella (Nee McGregor) Alford ran the “Golden Rule” hotel in the late 1890’s.” The photograph and story are reproduced with kind permission from Rob. Photographs of Lennonville are few and far between […]
Joseph McKerrin – grave tales
27/02/2021 By Leave a Comment
Joseph MCKERRIN was born in Scarsdale Victoria and was the son of Joseph MCKERRIN and Mary nee MAHER. He had three brothers and four sisters. Both of Josephs parents were born in Ireland. He married Ellen ‘Nell’ FLEMMING in Boulder WA in 1918. At the time of his marriage he was the licensee of the […]
