An Old Timer Remembers

OLD-TIMER’S LETTER  –   Employee in First Post Office in Kalgoorlie

Kalgoorlie Miner 17 May 1950, page 2
Mr. Lionel  J. Dudley, an old-timer, sent an interesting account of some of his experiences in the early days of the goldfields to Mr. J. D. Teahan, Mayor of Boulder. Once an employee in the first post office in Kalgoorlie, he writes his story from his present home at 16 Godfrey Avenue, East St. Kilda, and says that its publication in the ‘Kalgoorlie Miner’ may interest a number of people, especially in view of the forthcoming ‘Back to the Goldfields’ celebrations from July to December 1950, this year. The letter is published in full without any comment.

‘I have from time to time read with interest the stories of goldfields pioneers, which appear in the ‘Kalgoorlie Miner,’ and so would like to add my quota. My father, Lionel Joseph Dudley, mother Mary , uncle, Timothy Steedman, brother, two sisters and I left Melbourne on August 25 1893, for Fremantle on the ship the Bothwell Castle, which had just come off the China coast, and was considered quite a ship at that time.

Afterwards named the Coolgardie, she brought cattle to Fremantle for years. ‘We travelled from Southern Cross by team and landed at Coolgardie eight days later — some journey  for a mother with four children, plus heat, flies and very little water. A few weeks later we went on to Kalgoorlie and camped on the Boulder road, just about where the Foundry Hotel is to-day. Dad opened a roadside grocery business and also sold water at 8d. per gallon.

It was condensed and carted from Hannan’s Lake and was the only place where water was obtainable. The result was that everyone carried a high water mark of good red Hannan’s dust, and, with the hundreds of dryblowers operating there was plenty of it. About this time new rushes were breaking out almost every day and a party of prospectors returned from Bardoc. They had found gold there, but their cash had run out. so dad financed them. They took up a lease two miles from Bardoc, named it the Waratah and later sold it for a good sum; ‘My people left Kalgoorlie and went to Bardoc, where they opened the Bardoc Hotel on New Year’s Day, 1895. My mother’s arrival was regarded as a very important event as she was the first white woman to arrive there. The prospectors built a huge bonfire on top of Bardoc. Hill, shot away all their revolver and carbine ammunition, consumed the two cases of spirits that dad produced, and had one ‘heck of a time.’

The above photograph was taken in the late 1890’s when Mr. L. J, Dudley was a telegraph messenger on the staff of the first post and telegraph office in Kalgoorlie. He is the lad on the left wearing a white jacket and dark trousers

‘The first Kalgoorlie post office opened early in 1894. C. Annear was in charge with T. Hart. Dad had ideas of my going a long way in the Government service and obtained a position for me as a telegraph messenger. My age then was 10 years. I received the sum of 25/- per week and thought it rather good until the family went to Bardoc. I then found that it cost 25/- for my board. However. I

Telegram boy

did quite well with milage telegrams and demanded 1/- for well under the mile. After a few months at the post office I woke up one morning feeling pretty seedy. C. Annear ran me over to a doctor, who ordered me into the Government hospital, saying I had fever. Pleased to say it was only a cold. The following item appeared in the ‘Miner,’ which, I think, was published, then by Mott Bros:— L. J. Dudley, Post-master-General and superintendent of telegraphs, is at present ill in the Government Hospital, but we hope for his speedy recovery. My mother saw it in the paper and made for Kalgoorlie as fast as possible. Much to her relief I was back delivering telegrams when she arrived. I was taken back to Bardoc next day and so, my career as an important Government official terminated abruptly. The postal service still carried on!

‘It is hard to realise the conditions that people lived and worked under in the early days of the West Australian goldfields. Water was dear and scarce, fresh meat and vegetables unobtainable and sanitary conditions bad. so the result was a lot of illness such as typhoid fever, dysentery, etc. However, the pioneers soon got busy. They formed progress committees and later on the goldfields became as healthy a place to live in as any other part of Australia. Rough Justice, police were unknown in most of the small mining towns. For the first two or three years crime was practically unknown and it was on very rare occasions that an undesirable found his way in. When he did and he was caught at something unlawful, well, to say the least, the miners’ methods were effective.

Bardoc Hotel

Which reminds me of a person who arrived in Bardoc in 1895. He never looked for work and always had money for beer. Camp pilfering started and he was caught red-handed. The local progress committee members were the judge and jury, the judge being Ben Leslie, later mayor and business man of Kalgoorlie. The evidence was very convicting, so Ben in his most solemn manner, sentenced him to death. You can imagine the feelings of the poor fellow when they put a noose around his neck and threw the rope over the limb of a salmon gum in front of the old pub. Just as the lads were about to heave him up. Ben altered his decision and gave him half-an-hour to leave the district. He did not require that many minutes, and as he took his departure, most of the flies in the vicinity followed him.

‘Most of the pioneers of that district have crossed the Great Divide many years since. They were great men. and I think it fitting that I should recall some of their names:— Ted McConnell, G. Snowden, Victor Vetta, Alf McDonald, A. Laidlaw. Jim Wightman, T. Steedman, the Smith and Niva brothers, Ben Leslie, Tom Craig. F. Matheson and a host of others, including Bill Cross.

Wedding of Lionel Joseph Thomas DUDLEY and Nellie May DUDLEY nee LUKE. married on 4 October, 1911 in St. Matthew’s Church of England, Boulder 4th Oct 1911.

‘Before I conclude I would like to mention that my sisters are alive and well. They are Mrs. J. Wightman. of Victoria street, Kalgoorlie; Mrs. H. Crossland. of West Leederville, and Mrs. T. Byrth, of Wembley. My brother, Fred, was killed in the First Great War. ‘I hope and trust your 1950 celebrations are a huge success and I reckon some of the re-unions will be terrific. If you see fit to publish this letter I send my regards and best wishes to all old-timers.’

NOTE: Mr Dudley’s father. Lionel Joseph Dudley, died of pneumonia on 13th Dec 1896 and is buried in the first cemetery in Bardoc.