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

Old Bill – by Oscar Walters

“There are some places closer in that yield a little still, But they are not of any use at all to me” said Bill, “There’s a living there for those, who like to stop and dig, But further out there’s always a chance of something big. When fired with hope we see him go, along […]

Jesse Young – a life well lived

The following amazing story has been sent to me by John Hollands, who is the Great Grandson of Jesse Young. What an adventurous life he did lead. Kalgoorlie Western Argus 12 October 1909, page 31 DEATH OF MR JESSE YOUNG The death occurred suddenly on Friday of Mr Jesse Young, a gentleman who had been […]

Adam Glover Brown – a family story

I was recently contact by Geoff Edwards, who was planning a trip to Kalgoorlie to look into his family history. His relative, Adam Glover Brown, was a member of a Masonic Lodge. Geoff was fortunate to be able to attend a talk by Doug Daws on the history of Freemasonry at the Eastern Goldfields Historical […]

George Gillespie – grave tales

Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 – 1950), Saturday 28 January 1911, page 4 Funeral.— The remains of the late Mr. George Gillespie, late mill shift boss on the Chaffers gold mine, were interred in the Presbyterian portion of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, the burial service being conducted by the Rev. J. A. Agnew. […]

Russian Jack – the other J F K

Dollypot, Greenhide and Spindrift:  a journal of bush history Russian Jack and Synchronicity  –    by Diane Oldman I rather thought I had made up the word ‘synchronicity’ and when I attempted to look it up in several dictionaries I couldn’t find it.  So I decided it was a new noun – my noun.  Then […]