Paddy Lawler – pioneer profile

Patrick J Lawler ‘Paddy Lawler’ was awarded the reward claim of £200 in 1899 (as the discoverer of a new goldfield), however, as was often the case, he was again broke by 1910.

Paddy Lawler

He died on 8 Dec 1914 at the age of 60yrs at Youanmi in WA from Cancer. He is buried in the Youanmi Cemetery in the Catholic section with no headstone. He was born in Donegal, Ireland and was a prospector till the very end, eking out a meager existence. It was said-

‘Fortune hadn’t even taken a last glance in Paddy’s direction for a considerable time’.

He was one of a group of well know prospectors in WA called ‘The Ragged Thirteen’.

Paddy Lawler, a well-respected prospector on the Murchison Goldfields ,was the leader of a prospecting party that obtained gold from an area known as Lame Horse Soak, near where the town of Lawlers was to be situated and where the Lawlers Gold Mine would be in 1995.

Routledge Morris and Willis Butchers Lawlers

In early 1894, Paddy had spent some months prospecting in the area, but had only found a small amount of gold. However,  very impressed with the area, he returned to Cue to collect his mates. Two members of Paddy  party were, Billy Gibson from the firm of Murphy and Gibson of Cue, and Mr Moses are reported to have found gold while hobbling horses near the camp at Lame Horse Soak. They said they saw the rays of the sun glinting on an outcrop!

The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette, on the 19^th September 1894, reported that 120 ounces of gold, one piece weighting 56 ounces, had been collected by W Skinner of Peak Hill, Lawlers. Few men had succeeded in getting more than 15-20 ounces of gold.

A rich alluvial flat was discovered at a place known as McCaffrey’s about eight miles further north of Lawler’s find, by Nov 1894, 40 men were working on this patch.

As the alluvial gold petered out, shafts were being sunk on the field. Without the aid of a windlass or winding gear Paddy Lawler had sunk a shaft 58 feet deep on his ‘Donegal Reward Claim GM’ named after his home town in Ireland.

Donegal GM Lawlers Kalgoorlie Western Argus Tuesday 8 September 1903, page 23

In January of 1896, Lawler’s Patch was favoured as the future centre of the Lake Carey District (as it was then called) due to the availability of good water and the richness and number of the reefs.

Lawlers Street scene 1903

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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