Copy of extract taken from Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser – 4 Nov 1907
OLD MARYBOROUGH BOY
Mr William Henry STANLEY
William Henry Stanley
On Wednesday last there arrived in Maryborough from Kalgoorlie, Mr W.H. Stanley, Manager of the Kalgoorlie Electric Tramways Ltd. Mr Stanley’s mother and father, who are still living, are two of the oldest identities of the district, Mr. Albert Stanley, the well-known dairyman of Maryborough is a brother. Mr Stanley is an old Maryborough boy, having been born here in the year 1862. Like most other people of his time, Mr. Stanley in his boyhood, did not enjoy the magnificent privileges of obtaining free education which are now afforded the rising generation.
In the prime of his boyhood, his parents had to pay for whatever little schooling he had. At the age of 12, he was obliged to go to work. The first billet he took was at the establishment of Mr E. Stevenson, High St and on Thursday Mr Stanley took the opportunity to pay a visit to Mrs Stevenson when many pleasing reminiscences were called to mind. Mr Stanley afterwards served his apprenticeship as a fitter and turner to Mr John Matthews, Iron and Brass founder. The premises were situated near where the Albion Hotel (High St.) now stands. At the age of 19, Mr. Stanley left Maryborough to fight the battle of life. He went to N.S.W., and after working in various towns in the state, he turned his attention to W.A. in 1894, the year of the gold boom.
Arriving in Fremantle in 1894, he joined the Government railway service as a locomotive driver. After twelve months of service there, he was appointed to the position of Loco-foreman at Southern Cross which position he held for 4 years. By his strict attention to duty, Mr Stanley could not but fail to ascend in the service and was promoted to the position of District Locomotive Inspector at Kalgoorlie. This position he held for 3 years with such great credit, that in March 1902, he reached the zenith of his ambition when he was appointed to the high and responsible office of Manager and Engineer to the Kalgoorlie Electric Tramways Ltd, under Mr Graham Price, the present Attorney and General Manager.
Single truck car 4 and its load of male passengers is surrounded by onlookers as it is photographed during the official opening of the Kalgoorlie tramways on 20 May 1902. Mr Stanley hold the lever.
Mr Stanley still holds this position which he attained by sheer merit. It is not because he was more fortunate than others in the service or that he was better educated than Mr Stanley rapidly ascended the ladder, but rather that because he was a man full of the ambition of youth, possessing business acumen, determined to do well in the world.
Mr Stanley now superintends and manages a splendid system of Electric Tramways – one of the best in the world, covering 22 miles of tramway line, on which 30 beautifully fitted electric cars are running daily, and which are responsible for the employment of 90 men.
This is the work that Mr. Stanley presided over and it requires no small amount of ability, fact and energy to administer all the various officers that he governs them to the satisfaction of all concerned is demonstrated by the fact that he still retains the confidence of all interested.
Needless to say, his position is a most lucrative one. Mr. Stanley who left Maryborough on Saturday is on his way to attend a conference of Tramway Managers of Australia and New Zealand which will be opened in Sydney on the 7th of November. It is the intention of the conference to form an association of the heads of the different electric tramways in different parts of Australasia for the benefit of electrical tramway working in general. Mr. Stanley has no hesitation in saying that the Electric Tramway System is in vogue in Kalgoorlie, (after having 25 years experience of in railway and tramway traffic) and is the most up-to-date and best in operation. He admitted however, that the Melbourne Cable Tramway was a very complete system and certainly reflected very great credit on those connected with it and that owing to the completeness of their system a vast amount of rolling stock and other material that would go to waste through the electrification of the system, it may be many years before a change was desirable.
The First Tram 20 May 1902 – Mr Stanley holding the lever.
At the same time for any new city, he was convinced that there was no comparison between the two systems and that the electric system was infinitely preferable to the other. He had been in W.A. for 12 years and was personally convinced that the Western State had a great future in front of it, despite the pessimistic views that had been and are being expressed to the contrary.
Kalgoorlie, he continued, as they all knew, was one of the greatest gold-producing centres in the world and not only Kalgoorlie but the possibilities of the surrounding district were unlimited. The high rents and rates of living experienced by Kalgoorlie in the boom days were gradually coming down and the stability of the fields was becoming absolutely established beyond all doubt.
The Great Boulder, The Ivanhoe, The Golden Horseshoe and many other mines in the neighbourhood have been established sufficiently to keep them working for many years to come. At the present time at the Great Boulder Mine, the lode was being worked at something like 2,300 feet in addition to the gold mines in the immediate vicinity of Kalgoorlie and Boulder City they had written a few miles of the goldfield capital numerous properties which sooner or later would be opened up and worked with considerable profit to the investors.
He considered W.A. to be one of the best States in the Commonwealth and its possibilities were undeniably very great, but they certainly wanted the transcontinental railway and until that railway was built they could never look upon WA as a properly federated state. W.A. was looked upon by many generally as a barren waste but he would refute that undeserved name. It possessed splendid resources for the agriculturalist. Some of the finest agricultural and grazing land in the whole of Australia could be found in W.A. and all they wanted was the overland railway and desirable immigrants to settle and their vast undeveloped stretches of territory to make it rank equal to the best state Australia could boast of. The fact that at the present time, many tons of chaff were being brought from W.A. to Victoria was ample proof that the agricultural resources of the West were by no means limited.
Kalgoorlie Car Barn
At the present time, Kalgoorlie was the home of sport in W. A. being a mining community the people were essentially of a sporting disposition and everything possible was done to foster its intentions. Mr Stanley himself was a lover of all sporting pastimes and is looked upon in Kalgoorlie, where he is universally esteemed and respected as the
“Father of Sport”.
It would appear that Mr. Stanley has thoroughly deserved this title and at the present moment is President of the Kalgoorlie Recreation Association, President of Goldfields League of Wheelmen, Vice-President of Kalgoorlie Football Club, whilst he is also President of the Kalgoorlie Band. He considers the hotel accommodation equal to anything in Australia and its buildings and general appointments quite abreast of the cities, whilst the electric light was installed in Kalgoorlie and Boulder City, Coolgardie, although in a dormant state for a number of years, he was pleased to say was again coming to the front.
The Old Bailey’s Mine, a few weeks ago, was floated and even whilst the mine was on the market for flotation the tributers took over 2000 ozs from it. Several other mines are working well at the present time and their anticipations are realised Mr Stanley is of the opinion that Coolgardie will again take its place among the great gold mining producing centres of the day.
During his brief sojourn in Maryborough, Mr. Stanley, who is of a most genial disposition of striking personality renewed many of his old acquaintances with whom he was pleased to have a chat about olden times.
Map of the Kalgoorlie Tramways
Family History – William Henry STANLEY was born in Maryborough Victoria on the 11th of May 1862. He was the son of George STANLEY and Alice HARRIS. On the 7th Jul 1884 in Dubbo NSW he married Annie WATTS.
Their children
Percy Norman STANLEY born Blayney NSW in 1886,
Harold L STANLEY born Prospect NSW in 1887,
Ruby Florence born Cumberland NSW in 1889,
Doris STANLEY born Northam WA in 1896 (died aged 2 days),
Olive Melba STANLEY born Southern Cross in 1898
Kenneth Eric Hilton Roy STANLEY, born Kalgoorlie 1901.
William died in Kalgoorlie on the 7th Aug 1950 aged 88yrs and is buried in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. Annie died in Perth in 1961.
Kalgoorlie Miner 10th Aug 1950
W H Stanley – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock
Moya Sharp
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Thank you for this insightful article of my children’s great great grandfather.
Hi Wendy Glad you found the article interesting. Bye for now Moya