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I was recently contacted by my friend and grave photographer extraordinaire, Danielle Warnock, about a query she had received from Duncan Fraser, about the grave of Simon Rose Fraser, his Great Uncle, buried in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. He asked if she could take some photos of the grave for him and his family.
Duncan said: My brother Peter, Simon, and I are great-nephews of Simon Rose and we live in Victoria and NSW. We are planning a visit to Kalgoorlie later in May and hope to be able to restore the headstone and grave. I have contacted Kalgoorlie Monumental Works about this and am awaiting a reply.
The grave is in the Anglican Section and is not far behind the cemetery office where most of the very early graves are located. This is what it looks like at the moment.
Simon Rose Fraser – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo by Danelle Warnock
Grave after restoration – Danelle Warnock
After making inquiries, the Cemetery told me that this burial occurred before the Kalgoorlie Boulder Cemetery Board commenced in 1896. The details they have on him is that he was buried on the 15th of February 1895 and he was aged 25years old and died of Typhoid fever.
The family had until recently, thought that Simon was buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery and then reinterred in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery at a later date. They have the following photograph which they are supposed to be taken in the Coolgardie Cemetery. The vegetation around the grave certainly looks like the Goldfields area. I could find no record at all of Simon being buried in Coolgardie, but then Duncan’s brother Peter uncovered some family history research papers that their late mother Helen undertook years ago.
Simon Rose Fraser – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Fraser Family
These papers are extensive but key points are:
- Regarding the confusion about our belief that Simon Rose Fraser (SRF) was originally buried in Coolgardie Cemetery, it appears that it was his older brother Alex that was buried in Coolgardie Cemetery on 12th Oct 1902! He was 35 years old (3 years older than SRF). His plot number is P46. By some accounts, he was the ‘black sheep” of the family and possibly went over to the west with SRF. The family may have cut off all communications with him because, in the WA Register of Deaths, his parents were listed as “Not Known”. If his grave is still in existence then we may look at renovating it also. Note: There is no headstone on this grave.
- In the list of original shareholders of the Great Boulder Perseverance Mining Company, SRF amongst other family members is listed. Our mother’s maiden name is McPhail and she was a distant cousin to our father Donald. McPhail’s are listed as shareholders also.
- There is a letter (or copy of ) between a Hannan (Paddy?) and SRF’s Uncle written in 1894.
So this explains in more detail the connection between SRF and Great Boulder Mining ( and why the name has passed down to us) and also that SRF wasn’t necessarily alone in the Eastern Gold Fields when he died in 1895. This may be how there is a quite impressive memorial on his grave, undoubtedly made of wood. It must have disintegrated and been replaced with the stone and metal one that is there today.
In the mid to late 1880s, Simon was apprenticed to his father DK Fraser (our great Grandfather) who had a Blacksmith/Engineering shop in Ballan, Victoria. So when he was 16-17 years of age, in the evenings after work he made these models by lamplight. The reaper binder reputedly worked making small stooks of hay and pulled by a dog! Each chain link – made from horseshoe nails, took one evening to make. He even made the tools in the toolbox, about 1 cm long. The models are in the possession of his great-nephew Simon and still sit in the glass cabinet from when on display at the Victorian Museum many years ago.
Photos- Fraser Family
Should anyone like to get in touch with the Fraser family you can call Duncan Fraser on the following number: 0428 690 706
Moya Sharp
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