What did become of Charley Nalty,
winner of the Coolgardie Westral Wheel Race 1902?
Time has not made my memories of him faulty,
but my how the quickening years do accrue.
Charley, grey haired, old to young eyes,
every few years would speak at our school,
grant a half holiday – nice surprise! –
while the odd teacher muttered “Old fool!”
I recall him at Boulder Oval one year
riding his bike around, scattering sweets,
bands of children running to get near and adults smiling
standing or in their seats.
Where’d he live, how’d he get to Kal?
I reckon he’s in heaven riding for the bell.
By Tony Bozich
Further reading about Charlie Nalty provided by John Pritchard:
General info and arrival in WA
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38557659?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/39110396?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96236009?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
Got himself into a spot of bother with the law in 1909 in Kalgoorlie.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/33019040?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
Maybe well accustomed to the insides of a court house by 1920’s
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129257411?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5345162?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37279031?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
30 Mile bike race Boulder 1906 and the three place getters (suggest Nalty is the one on the left from earlier photo)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/33290255?
Didn’t always win in Kalgoorlie as he was beaten into second place in 1906 in the Westral Fifth Heat race by a Mr Thomas
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/33096006?
It looks like he retired from professional riding in 1909 but was still participating in riding events in 1938 and 1947.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/218033609?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
Address at Kalgoorlie schools in 1945
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50005442?
Giving out lollies to the kids in 1946 in Fremantle
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/218027356?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
Worried about being taken by a shark in Fremantle swim in 1946
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48464650?
Back to Leonora race 1948
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46922833?searchTerm=Charles%20nalty&searchLimits=
Death of his Wife Pearl on 13/02/1951 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45698003?
The following probably tells some of the story but I am not aware of where he passed away. Of note, this story is written in 1940 and at that time he was still alive living in Adelaide but it is written by a newspaper in Broken Hill, NSW. (which to most around those parts is sort of included as part of South Australia unofficially.
The following additional information has been kindly supplied by Brenda Ney:
If you go to Public Family Trees on Ancestry.com.au (I use the local library for same which is the Library Edition of Ancestry) and enter On Ancestry.com “Pearl WHITFORD died 1951 South Australia” in the relevant sections, the Saxon DK Family Tree will come up. There you will see information relating to her and Charles NALTY, as well as their three children, and the mention that Charles and Pearl were not actually married.
Charles died 16 July 1970 in the Norwood District and is buried in Centennial Park Cemetery.
South Australia Birth Registration Index on Genealogy South Australia indicates that son Charles Edward born 1919 had no father listed, although he is registered under the NALTY name. His Mother is listed as Pearl WHITFORD. The other children – Winifred & Allen – have Pearl listed as DUNCAN (her Mother’s maiden name) on their Birth Registrations.
From John Terrell:
Legend has it that Charlie won the Westral, ranked second only in Australia to the Austral Wheel Race in Melbourne, at “write-your-own-ticket odds”, and in the wash-up of the event he was tipped 33-Pounds by a punter from Boulder. Charlie later became head of a wealthy family that ran a successful taxi business in Adelaide. In the post-World War II era, around August every year, Charlie would arrive on the Goldfields via the Trans-train along with his bike. Over many years he would visit schools in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie-Boulder in a bid to re-live his glory days as a cycling champion.
Moya Sharp
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I remember the name Charlie Nalty – just. Some further history?
Moya, my understanding is that Charlie was from Adelaide, certainly there were still living relatives there whom I rang a couple years ago, but who surprisingly didn’t seem to know much about him, one saying that he was eccentric. My impression has always been that during the 1940’s and 1950’s when he gave the occasional talk at our goldfields schools and invariably gave us a half holiday, undoubtedly with the prior approval of the principal, he had travelled over from Adelaide. Some indeed thought that he cycled over on the bicycle which always accompanied him, but I have some doubt about that, although of course many pioneers of his generation performed amazing feats in those days. I have an idea that Charlie died in the 1950’s, probably was born around 1880. There may be other persons of my vintage who have more information, certainly there would have been thousands of school children of those days who grew up with memories of him.
Hi Moya, I remember Charlie Nalty as I am sure the kids that attended North Kal primary in the early 50s can. I remember when I attended North Kal from about 1953-56, standards 1-3. We all knew when Charlie was around as all the kids would run up to the fence. I can still sort of see him now sitting on his bike leaning against the fence and handing out the lollies. And in those days we could buy lolliesat the shop across the road get about 10 a penny. He always seemed to have plenty of them to hand out.