As told by the nephew of the Late J C Peterkin, also called J C Peterkin, in Perth, March 1946.
Nannine miners : Front L-R Unknown, J.C. Peterkin, W. Johnston (crouching with dog), Gillies Macpherson (extreme right), 27 March 1895. I wonder if that is gold held out by MacPherson?
About the years 1889-1890, Gilles MacPherson and J C Peterkin met in Perth. Both were old Kimberley and Queensland prospectors, they had known each other for a long time but had never actually worked together. Both were known as first class bush men. After unsuccessfully prospecting in the Pilbara fields, they met up in Perth while on holiday, and decided to join forces and try their luck in the Murchison, this being an unknown country as far as gold prospecting was concerned.
Annean Station
Both men were fairly financial at the time, and got up an outfit of seven pack and riding horses and shipped them by seal to Geraldton. The railway at that time only went as far north as Guildford. On arrival in Geraldton, they loaded up what they could get, which wasn’t much, and made a start for the inland. From Geraldton, there was a bush track as far as Annean Sheep Station (owned by the Cruickshank Brothers from Aberdeen) 300 miles away. The track was well used and had water sunk in wells every 15 miles or so. Beyond this there was nothing but natural bush unknown to practically any white man, and only a few explorers had been over it. They took advantage of the wells as much as possible as the country had been in a severed drought for the past three years. No feed was available for the horses except half dead mulga trees which the eked out an existence for them supplemented with a mixture of flour, water and sugar mixed in a dryblowers dish.
On the arrival at the station they had not had any luck so far. The outermost station well was 20 miles eastward and they decided to make for that in the meantime and wait for the drought to break. They told the men at the station that they were prospecting for new sheep country and refrained from mentioning gold at all. The station hands, and the jackaroos all thought they were crazy. Incredible as it may seem, this story about the search for new sheep country was believed as gold in this area was unknown at this time.
“Blowing the Gaff”
However, by the time I J C Peterkin Jnr) got to Geraldton the ‘cat was out of the bag’ and W Dugles and J F Connolly had well and truly ‘blown the gaff’. My uncle had told me to come to Geraldton and stay at Delacey’s Hotel where I should stay until I got the chance to get to where they were ‘keeping mum’. So it was, I was on the first team to go up to the newly reported goldfield. I left my companions at Annear station, they traveled on and came across good gold, which was later known as Nannine. They settled down there and worked as quietly as possible so they could get as much gold before being found out. Incredible as it may seem they were able to bluff the station hands they came across for nearly 18 months. They would often travel to the station at night for a game of cribbage and a yarn.
When their tucker stated to run out they took their horses to Geraldton and left them there, and took a trip to Perth, with all their gold, and lodged it at the Bank of New South Wales. They opened an account in joint names and it was indeed a considerable one. After taking a short holiday, they returned to their old camp to wait for rain and to ‘look for sheep country’.
One day, Arthur Bayley, Taylor and Harris arrived at Annean Station and they asked how long Peterkin and MacPherson had been there. When they were told they just look at each other without saying anything. They all were known to each other, and they knew that Peterkin and MacPherson would not have been there all that time for nothing. So they just took a stroll out to their camp. Peterkin and MacPhearson knew it was useless to try and bluff them, so they came clean and told them what they were doing and made them welcome. They all settled down to make camp together. Later, Dugles and Connolly, were to come along, and let the cat out of the bag.
Gilles MacPherson, W Johnson and J Peterkin (Jnr)
Dugles and Connolly, unbeknownst to each other, both decided to apply for a ‘Reward Claim’ of £500 cash and five acres of land, for finding a new goldfields. Even though they had only been there for two days. Dugles made for Geraldton and Connelly for Mt Gould police station in the Gascoyne. By strange coincidence they arrived within about of an hour of each other at the separate locations and filed their applications. When Peterkin and MacPherson learned of this dirty trick they made an application for a 10 acre ‘Protection Area’, which was later granted to them and became the Nannine Gold Mine. They also tried to claim the Reward of £500 but were unsuccessful. The £500 was eventually divided between Dugles and Connelly. There were special condition applied to the ‘Protection Area’, it had to be manned by a minimum of four men at all times. Gold at this time was at £3 17s 6d an ounce. They returned to the field but by this time much of the easy gold was gone and their lives were not happy ones. Everyone looked down on them and would not associate with them at all, so they soon departed. However, was the fault of Peterkin and MacPherson, who should have lodged a claim some 18 months to 2 years prior.
Some years later Connolly, in the Murchison Times, made a halfhearted claim to have found the Murchison. (J C Peterkin Jnr) took him to task on this, and left him without a leg to stand on. I contacted the Bank of New South Wales to ask when Peterkin and MacPherson first deposited their gold. They informed me that the account had been opened 18 months before Connelly even arrived on the scene. Later G T Simpson floated a company of Perth men including Alec, Forrest, Darlot, Hassel, Benn and other well-known citizens and they bought Peterkin and Cruickshank’s out. They gave shares to the Cruickshank Brothers before they sold.
This controversy arose about the discovery of the Murchison Goldfield. It was investigated by the Commissioner of Lands,(The Hon Mr Marmion) and it was decided to divide the money as follows:-
John F Connolly – £500
William Dugles – £100
Michael James Bourke – £150 : Three years later in 1896 the government also decided to give recognition to M J Bourke with a further grant of £150. Documentary reports show that he was prospecting in the area in 1888, and he soon found gold in a place called Berin about 25 Miles north of Lake Austin. After obtaining several specimens he traveled to Geraldton. He reported it to a local Magistrate but nothing resulted from this. The archives prove that Bourke brought the first gold to Perth from the Murchison in 1888. The Hon Mr Marmion advised that in his opinion, Gilles MacPherson and his mate Peterkin made the first great discover of alluvial and deep gold but failed to disclose their discovery until they had acquired over £3000 worth.
Gilles MacPherson
It was after the show had been sold, and old Jack Peterkin having died, Gillies MacPherson and (Young Jack) J C Peterkin and Johnson answered Bayley’s call and came south to Coolgardie. Having missed the big prize, distant fields called MacPherson. Gillies MacPherson decided to marry and settle down in Fremantle, but he became restless after the death of his wife and infant son and once more the lure of gold brought him back. This time he went to the Klondyke Rush. With three companions he was caught in a blizzard after they had passed Dawson City, he and one other mate perished, but two survived to send back the news to his relatives in Western Australia.
An earlier story tells the trip of MacPhersons trip from Parkers Range, past the State Well. They struck out wet to Mt Burgess, found no water, but picked up alluvial and reef gold at what was afterwards to be called Coolgardie. Lack of water prevented him and his native friend, Toobey, from doing any more than collecting a few specimens. He nearly perished before they found water at Gnarlbine Rocks, some 25 miles west of the point where they found gold. Still in a very weak state Toobey brought them along Hunt’s track towards Southern Cross. The first camp he came upon was Arthur Bayley’s, he looked after them for a few days till they were fit to travel along to York. Before he left he showed Bailey the gold and told him where he found it. He said ‘there’s plenty of gold out there but no water”.
And the rest is history !!!!
Four years later, Bayley and Ford, following his instructions, made the big find that started the era of gold in Western Australia. Gillies MacPherson (called Cluney by his friends), was one of the greatest overlanders, but one of the most unlucky prospectors. Doubtless, in the snows of the Klondyke, he died as he lived, playing the ‘golden game’ to the end.
Moya Sharp
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