Bill ‘Bunny’ Choules – grave tales

William Osmand ‘Bunny’ CHOULES was born on the 8 December 1848 in East Grafton, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire England. He came to Australia alone aged only 17 years on the ship the ‘Salamanca’ in October 1865, arriving in Port Adelaide South Australia in Jan 1866. He stated his occupation as a Labourer. Also travelling on the […]

Bread Upon the Waters –

Western Mail Perth 1 August 1940, page 9 Bread Upon the Waters. In the early days of the Golden Mile, Davy Jones was working on a mine and according to custom he bought a block of land in preparation for the time when he and Mifanwy could marry. A little house was built, and as […]

The Prospector – by Prospect Good

We pined in the crowded city, And tired of sordid marts Where misery glutted pity, Where yesterday limn’d to tomorrow, While loud avarice stalked All day, and at night wan sorrow And vice in vainness walked. We longed for the wide horizon The low, long skyline meets. For the reeded, open roadways, In place of […]

The Busiest Place in Town –

The following excerpt is from the book by Mrs Arthur H Garnsey called ‘Scarlet Pillows: An Australian Nurse’s Tales of Long Ago’ and is about her memories of being a nurse in Coolgardie in the early days. The tale of the house that Jack built has his counterpart in Coolgardie in the tale of all […]

Augustus Thorn – pioneer profile

AUGUSTUS LOFTUS ‘GUS’ THORN by Lyn Beard The death of Augustus Loftus ‘Gus’ THORN does not appear to have been registered and the burial did not show up on any of the usual resources for graves. The only record of his death in 1932 seems to be this small article in The Goldfields Observer of […]