Munarra Gully is located 52 kilometres from Meekatharra, close to Tuckanarra. On the old Munarra Station (now Byro Station), three graves rest within a fenced, ungazetted burial ground. Among them lies Michael Koningas, Suig AH, a labourer who passed away from natural causes on May 9, 1904, along with one unidentified individual.
Michael KONINGAS
Cause of Death – Suicide by Dynamite.
Michael Koningas/Konigas, 42 years old, died on or about 15 April 1901 in Munarra Gully in the Meekatharra district. He was buried by Police Constable Louis V Simpson (Regimental Police Number 15) at Munarra Gully. Witnesses present at the burial were James H Ginnivan and Thomas Forrest. He had no known relatives. His death was certified in writing by E M Dixon, Acting Coroner, Nannine.
The hotel keeper died by his own hand by exploding dynamite in his mouth.
Sometime earlier, the deceased who had been previously working as a miner, had invested his entire capital into building a hotel at Munarra Gully— ‘The Miners Arms’. For a while, business thrived, fueled by the bustling activity of the Munarra Gully Gold Mine. However, when the mine shut down, prosperity quickly faded. Despite having spent nearly £500 to erect the hotel, he found himself unable to pay his creditors. Desperate, he traveled to Cue in March 1901, hoping to secure a £100 loan against the building to settle his debts. His efforts proved fruitless, and he returned to Munarra empty-handed.
Grave of Michael KONINGAS – Munarra Gully Cemetery – Photo Find a Grave Coordinates: -26.96165, 118.16604
Shortly after, the bailiffs arrived. Yet, in a strange twist, he was appointed as his own bailiff for a fortnight when the property was set to go under the hammer. On the final night, after playing a few hands of cards, he bid his friends goodnight. But instead of retiring, he sat down to write several letters, which he sealed in mourning envelopes and slipped under the door of the Munarra Hotel—just across from his own house.
One letter was addressed to Mr. E. Zurcher, a friend, informing him of his shocking plan—to burn the hotel down. He also requested that Zurcher forward the remaining letters to their intended recipients. The other letters were directed to his creditors. To them, he made it clear that they would not be paid. One particular note, dripping with sarcasm, informed the recipient that
he had left him a memento—a small building at the back of his property!
True to his word, he set fire to The Miners Arms, watching as it was reduced to ashes. He then fled Munarra, heading toward Nannine. But his tracks revealed an unsettling truth: he had doubled back to his home before ultimately making his way toward the abandoned Munarra Mine site.
Map by Bonzle – Location of Munarra Gully.
He was later found under a bush with his brains blown out, having put a stick of dynamite in his mouth, attached to a fuse. Alongside him were also found two knives. An inquest was held and a verdict was returned that the deceased committed suicide by exploding dynamite in his mouth. A telegram received by the Commissioner of Police from Sergeant O’Halloran, of Cue, stated that at the inquest into the cause of the fire at Koningas Miners Arms Hotel, Munarra Gully, a verdict of incendiarism against the owner, Michael Koningas, had been returned.
Koningas, who was from Finland, was generally looked upon as an honest man, he had been in Australia since 1896.
References – Outback Graves Lonely Grave of Western Australia by Yvonne and Kevin Coate
Moya Sharp
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