The comment ‘not another Lionel’ is a long-standing joke, between a good friend of mine and fellow historian, Graeme Sisson, who was the Archivist of the Police Historical Soc of WA at the time. It came to refer to any research inquiry that we were working on that was more than a little complicated and […]
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
Ernest Giles – grave tales
03/11/2018 By 4 Comments
The Australian explorer Ernest Giles (1835-1897) was the first man to cross the desert wilderness between central and western Australia both ways. The Australian explorer Ernest Giles (1835-1897) was the first man to cross the desert wilderness between central and western Australia both ways. Ernest Giles was born in Bristol, England, on July 20, 1835, […]
Goldfields Courier and Golden Age -newspapers
30/10/2018 By Leave a Comment
The Goldfields Courier (Weekly) and the Golden Age (Daily) were two Coolgardie newspapers that ran from 1894 -1898. The following photograph shows their offices in Bayley Street, Coolgardie in 1895. Although this is well-known photograph it holds a wealth of other details if looked at closely. Offices of the Goldfields Courier and the Golden Age […]
Patrick Logan – grave tales
29/10/2018 By 2 Comments
There is a mystery surrounding the above grave at Bulong, from some 25 years ago. Around this time, I was contacted by my friend, Mike Logan, who was the Gt Grandson of Patrick Logan. He had made the trip to the Goldfields to visit the grave of his relative in the Bulong cemetery. He also […]
Pitchford’s Hairdressing Saloon: Coolgardie
28/10/2018 By Leave a Comment
These are interesting photographs, as it is unusual to see the inside of buildings. The original store was destroyed in the 1897 fire and this building replaced it. Interior of R Pitchford’s Exchange Hairdressing Saloon, in the Exchange Building, Coolgardie 1895. This is the interior of the original saloon which was destroyed by fire in 1897.
