Remembering Sr Anthony –

With thanks to Susie de Monchaux for sharing her wonderful family story with us – Sister Mary Anthony Fitzpatrick (1888–1986) by Susie de Monchaux and family Eric Sierins, image editor Sister Mary Anthony Fitzpatrick was the first cousin of my paternal grandmother, Mrs Minnie Lillian de Monchaux (nee Fitzpatrick). In 1970, when I was eight […]

THE LEGEND OF C.Y. O’CONNOR … and his golden pipeline

THE LEGEND OF C.Y. O’CONNOR … and his golden pipeline by John Terrell The following was a well-deserved Blue Ribbon winner by John Terrell at the Kununurra Agricultural Society’s annual show in July 2024 in the category of – Poetry and Prose – Yarn (max 900 words) theme ‘Water’. Water was the central issue in […]

James Shaw – First Mayor of Coolgardie

James Shaw was born in 1846 in Belfast Ireland, his father was Hugh Shaw, an engineer and his mother was Margaret, they married in Victoria. In 1864, at age 18yrs, James Shaw sailed to Auckland New Zealand where he started a contracting business which was most successful. He also won a service medal for fighting […]

With Murderous Intent –

In the early Goldfields days, life was harsh and death came often to families. Not just to the old and very young, but often those in the prime of life would be taken suddenly. The main causes of death were diseases such as typhoid and accidents both at work and in the home. The child […]

Black Dennis – a respected man

The following story is published with the kind permission of Dennis Aartsen and is an excerpt from his four-volume set of books, Hotels of the Barrier Ranges. Black Dennis On the 28th of August 1911, a passerby stopped by a modest shack just north of Coolgardie on the Bonnie Vale Road. He found the occupant […]