The following story was sent by Susan Stevenson nee (Wilkie).
Wilkie Brothers History
1895 to 1910
Early in 1895 John, Adam and David Wilkie left for Western Australia after John had sold one Waitotara property in New Zealand and a boot shop to help finance the Coolgardie contract. John at the time owned 380 acres near the river mouth and 354 acres further inland (near the present highway) at Waitotara. At Westmere he owned 500 acres called “Lilybank” north of the Blueskin Rd and spreading beyond Westmere Railway Station. Adam owned “Headlands” at Fordell where he lived until going to Australia, 900 acres at Waitotara leased for 21 years before he left for WA but with a purchase clause and inflation he lost this property, “Riverley” at Kauangaroa and other block on the Waimate Plains near Hawera.
In June 1894 they secured a contract for the Southern Cross – Coolgardie railway line (about 115 miles). John Wilkie was General Manager and Adam was on the construction of the line. Adam camped on the workings and went backward and forward over the whole workings each day. The WA Government’s estimate was £130,000 and the Wilkie’s tender was £64,000, the lowest tender submitted by £13,000 which staggered the other contractors.
1st train into Coolgardie
The terms called for completion within 12 months with the government supplying the track and the Wilkie’s plan was to complete the construction in rapid time then carry goods and passengers for their own benefit. The first section to Yellowdine was completed in 10 weeks (even though it took a month getting men and plant on the job) and they commenced running trains with considerable success immediately.
John Wilkie
They laid a mile a day which was record time. The railway passed over salt lakes and treeless areas in extreme heat of up to 110 f (45c). There were no settlements and no water for the entire route.
Five months later, in November 1895, the railway line arrived at the Woolgangie camp approx 40 miles from Coolgardie. There were 1,000 men camped here – teamsters, navvies, and others. Water had given out so Cobb & Co carted water to the camp. Later, in December, Typhoid Fever broke out and there was no doctor or nurse. A plea for assistance went out and the Sisters of the People responded. They were medical missionaries all trained and certified nurses who received no payment and there were 13 sisters in the whole Colony at this time. Mr Hugh Climie, a forwarding agent of Woolgangie and Coolgardie paid the entire cost of the creation of a tent hospital there.
Sister Gertrude arrived in the hottest summer weather of January 1896. She handled it alone for seven weeks until Sister Mildred joined her. Some patients were conveyed by train to the nearest hospital by the Wilkie’s, accompanied with rugs, milk products and mattresses. Along the way sisters would be at each railway station they passed through. There were many deaths.
A mile of materials would go through from Fremantle each day which was laid in a day, being the equivalent rate of any track laid in the USA at the time. They had three locomotives of their own (the first was called “Maori Chief”) and hired rail trucks from the government.
The Maori Chief Locomotive – 23 March 1896
The government set the rates they were allowed to do it because it was in public interest the line should be opened as soon as possible. The gold rush caused people from all over the world to take part and population in WA went from 50,000 to 184,000 in 6 years. The brothers were not afraid to employ labour and supplied good amenities for the men so they were soon known as the boss contractors of WA. In spite of this and the terrain being very easy compared to NZ conditions were harsh with the extreme heat, typhoid and lack of water so many lives were lost. The government was very satisfied with the brothers and so gave them the contract from Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie on the same terms. On arrival in Coolgardie the Wilkie’s set up a condensing plant for water which produced 100,000 gallons of pure water out of 120,000 brackish water fueled by wood. John was General Manager and Adam camped on the workings and inspected the gangs.
After some months David relinquished his share and returned to farming in NZ. In the Wanganui Herald Vol XXXIII, Issue 9889 of 1 November 1899 there was reported the Case of Wilkie v Wilkie from the Supreme Court. The case was David Wilkie (Plaintiff) v John & Adam Wilkie (defendants). It was stated that all parties were brothers and had been engaged in contracting work, chiefly in connection with railway construction for several years. As many as 11 contracts were taken up by one or other of the parties and all participated in the very considerable profits. After an interval the three brothers settled down as farmers in the Wanganui area.
In 1894 a contract was put out by the WA Government in the prosperous goldfields area. The brothers were acquainted with C Y O’Connor who had been the Engineer in Chief in New Zealand for several years and had subsequently left for WA where he was employed by the government. The brothers decided to resume their former partnership and tender for the Southern Cross to Coolgardie line. Terms were discussed in a general way, John went to WA in 1894 to ascertain the prospects, returning in 1895. They all decided to migrate to WA with their families. David left 6 weeks after John and Adam (and families) in March. John and Adam had some small road contracts of which David was not part. Tenders closed on 11 June. The distance was 115 miles and Adam, a Mr Riseley and David took 2 weeks to go over the ground. They returned and worked out a contract sending in a tender of £64,000 when they knew it would cost at least £100,000. They were relying on the advantages they would have with freight as they went. It was highly speculative and sent in under the names of Adam and John although there was no doubt that David was a partner also.
All three attended the Public Works Office in Perth when it was found that the tender was the lowest by 13,000 pounds so they won it. David until recently believed he was a surety but in fact Messrs Watson and Atkinson were sureties. In October, while all three were working on the railway line a document was received from the City of Perth from their solicitor Mr J Speed which John and Adam were asked to sign. It was received in October 1895 and it was a deed of 24 clauses. It states that the three brothers have entered a contract between them but have also agreed with
W. Cowern of Patea, NZ in consideration of service and money lent to the said parties. The 4th Clause read: In respect of the said David Wilkie, it is hereby expressly declared and agreed that he shall only be considered a partner in the said contract and such discoveries and leases, claims or interests therein aforesaid under this indenture. In the event of the said David Wilkie abstaining from the use of alcoholic liquors to excess during the continuance of this indenture. In the event of the said David Wilkie at any time presents using or drinking to excess to such an extent as to affect his ability to take a leading part in the management of the business of the partnership he shall absolutely forfeit his all share or interest in the partnership. He shall receive 6 pounds per week until he can properly conduct himself. The other parties will be the sole, absolute and final judges. Mr Hutchinson, acting for David Wilkie said that all three brothers had had outbursts of intemperance so David had refused to sign because it put him entirely in the power of his two brothers.
He subsequently did sign after Adam said that it would not be used to his disadvantage. The plaintiff, David Wilkie, unfortunately gave way to intemperance on New Year’s Eve at Southern Cross and this lapse continued for quite a lengthy time and was phenomenal in its character. He had frequently given way to intemperance but on no occasion had he indulged in a bout of drinking for more than a week or two. This, however, lasted six months. Previously on occasions of this kind the brothers would assist him, but on this occasion the brothers remained aloof and the plaintiff was allowed to sink deeper and deeper into dissipation. He was sent to Perth and from there to Cannington, a suburb some 8 miles away, and lived in a house rented by John Wilkie. A Mr & Mrs Thompson were there (a sister of Mrs John Wilkie). There was also a Mr John Brown there, a brother of Mrs John Wilkie. In August his brother in law Mr Wilson of Waitotara went to WA and helped to get him quite right and taking him to Coolgardie for a meeting with his brothers. They agreed that David should leave WA and he would be fairly dealt within relation to the contract. He had a relapse at Christmas Time then maintained the strictest sobriety. He engaged a solicitor on 23 December 1896 and asked Mr Speed to furnish him with a copy of the deed of partnership. Application was then made to Adam and John to recognise the rights of the plaintiff in the division of the profits of the contract. The reply was that no such rights could be admitted.
The estimated profit was £300,000 ($600,000) which was shared by the two brothers (David having relinquished his share). Frederick Henry Piesse, Minister of Public Works in 1896 stated that while there were certain arrangements made with regards to the freight there was never any direct authority to do so. However, the government didn’t stop them because they didn’t wish to invalidate the terms of the contract. They went on to enjoy the entire monopoly of the traffic until the line reached Coolgardie.
John Davis, General Manager of the Government Railways, felt that the railway was being carried out in a good manner and that the management was satisfactory. To make any business pay it would require a shrewd businessman and the profits of the contract were made solely on the carriage of freight and passengers and both John and Adam were attentive to their duties.
John Thompson, Executive Engineer for the Southern Cross-Coolgardie Railway contract stated “the brothers had no right to use the line for traffic”. There were no fixed terms, according to the specification, they were practically precluded from running traffic. The minister never gave them consent to use the line, the government gave a sort of tacit consent which could have stopped at any time.
The passengers on the trains were conveyed like “goods” to the railway terminus. Although this was undignified it was a delight compared to the tedious horse drawn coach travel which was the alternative. The trains travelled at 20 miles per hour, express in comparison to the coaches. There was a lot of opposition to the line being used this way by the Wilkie Brothers competitors and whether they were entitled to do this. The Wilkie Bros. kept quiet and the passengers felt they were being carried in relative comfort.
At one stage C Y O’Connor, Engineer in Chief, was concerned that the Wilkie Bros. would walk out on their contract because of the large profits being made so it was agreed that they would lodge £4,000 ($8,000) a month as a bond of good faith to ensure completion. On 4th January 1895 in “News and Notes” of the Hawera & Normanby Newspaper Vol XXX it was reported that a resident of Westport recently received a letter from Mr C Y O’Connor, engineer in Chief for Western Australia, in which that gentleman contrasted New Zealand and Western Australia from his point of view. Mr O’Connor expressed his regret at leaving New Zealand but said there was one comfort in Western Australia: there were not so many amateur engineers about, or if there were they did not get listened to.
The Kalgoorlie extension came in a little over budget at £19,000 ($38,000). John and Adam signed the contract for the WA railway work but David also held a third interest in the partnership. However, after a few months in Australia he relinquished his share and returned to farming in NZ. The profit shared by John and Adam was £300,000 ($600,000) when at the start they had £6,000 ($12,000) between them.
The first official train pulled by the “Maori Chief” locomotive arrived in Coolgardie on 23 March 1896. Even before the line had reached Coolgardie arrangements were being made to build the Miner’s Institute in readiness for the banquet to be held at the opening of the railway line. The Wilkie Bros helped financially to build it and donated £1,000 ($2,000) towards champagne for the event.
It only held 250 people so a dispute erupted early as to who was able to attend. There were 10,000 people to welcome it. It replaced Afghan camel trains. There was big discussion as to who should declare the line open – the Governor, His Excellency Sir Gerald Smith or The Mayoress Mrs McDonald, the governor won! A procession through the streets was organised but the Afghans refused to march behind the “Christian Dogs” and the whites refuse to walk behind the colourful Orientals. The train carrying the dignitaries left Perth on 22 March 1896 for the opening ceremony on the 24th. Passengers included Sir & Lady Gerald Smith and Sir & Lady John Forrest. Other people in Administrative rolls at that time were:
Hon F.H. Piesse – Minister of Railways
Hon H.W. Venn –. Commissioner of Railways
Mr Moran – MLA
C.Y. O’Connor – Engineer in Chief and General Manager of Railways
John Davies – General Traffic Manager
Inspector McKenna – Inspector of the West Australian Police Force.
At the banquet after the opening the Governor’s toast was proposed by John Wilkie and he introduced the Governor with “warm and hearty praise to the evening dress resplendent audience”. He referred Sir John Forrest, the governor, in “eulogistic terms and thanked him for accepting the joint invitation for himself and the mayor” as reported by the Kalgoorlie Miner the next day. There was profuse applaud for the governor who said in part “it was impossible for the colonies to produce a gathering on a more important occasion than the opening of the goldfields line. I have sent a cable to Mr Chamberlain to inform him of the line opening up a new departure in the progress of the colony, an outcome of British enterprise and capital following on the pluck of pioneers. British enterprise is the mainstay of British power and there is no other nation so able to colonise. Other nations had tried and failed.”
This was not the finish for the Wilkie Bros and their large gangs of workers. Work pushed on towards the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie 24 miles further north of Coolgardie.
On 15 May 1896, a new “G” Class engine arrived in Innamincka for the brothers and they named it “Te Whiti” and one on route on board the “Kirkland” named “Taw Haio” both after Maori kings of New Zealand. These engines were made by Martin & Co of Gawler, South Australia. In total Adam & John now own 5 locomotive engines.
Te Whiti Locomotive
Finally, on 8th September 1896 the first official steam train came into Kalgoorlie to break a ribbon across the track. People standing on the track had to move aside as the train blew its whistle. Hon. Gerald Smith declared the line open in front of a crowd of 3,000 people, many standing on top of railway carriages to witness the event. Once again there was a huge banquet that night with guests of Honour were Bishop Riley, Sir George Shenton, Sir James Lee Steere as well as the previous guests of honour. The next day there was a mines inspection by the dignitaries and a ball then on the 10th there was another mine inspection and the Athletics Club Concert, the 11th they held a sports carnival at Boulder and a social in connection with the Caledonian Society. On the 12th the Governor and dignitaries returned to Perth.
John Wilkie had requested 40 passes to the banquet promising £200 ($400) towards expenses. Donations totaled £4,200 and The Miners Institute gave £200 for additions to the Institute Building. His request was initially refused but he pointed out that the Government engineers from Perth alone would need 20 tickets, 1,250 cash expenditure had been made by the Wilkies, railage outlay was £750, carrying 500 guests from Boorabin and back costing 500 pounds and so the committee granted them 40 tickets. The citizens of Kalgoorlie and Boulder had prepared for the celebrations subscribing £5,000 ($10,000) for the festivities which continued for a full week. On the official opening day the police were kept very busy arresting many who had celebrated too well. Six men were gaoled and three placed on bail as there was no more room in the “chaff shed”, the improvised gaol. There was a two day race meeting on the newly laid out track prepared by volunteers along with a temporary grandstand. A grand ball was held in the Miners Institute at the end of the week.
Souvenir Brochure 60th Anniversary of the opening of the railway to Coolgardie – 1956
In 1897, after completing the railways John and Adam built the two storey Wilkie Railway Hotel in Kalgoorlie and John applied for a General Licence for the hotel. In a publication in 1900 they were eloquently described as having 37 rooms comprising suites, drawing rooms, state rooms, commercial rooms and smoking rooms furnished in an elegant and comfortable style. The broad corridors are profusely adorned with many varieties of plants and aviaries. Electric lights are installed and very modern appliances in the lavatories and bathrooms. There is a spacious dining room and a billiard saloon with leather lounges. The hotel is on the list of Commercial Travellers Ass as a resort in Kalgoorlie for members. The hotel held pride of place in Kalgoorlie until the next year when “The Palace Hotel” was completed.
Wilke’s Railway Hotel, Kalgoorlie
On 21 July 1897 John wanted to secure a block of land known as the hospital reserve in Boulder town site – No’s 62, 63 & 64 Burt St. They had been reserved from sale because they were on a lease which has since been disapproved of. He put a deposit of £9 on the land with the Dept of Lands and Surveys, fenced them in and built dummy cottages on them to try to make a special case and claim for improvements. They wanted to stop other people from bidding as the block over the road (64) went for £620 and they are valuable because the train will pass through there. Thirteen pieces of correspondence and telegrams passed from Perth to Coolgardie/ Kalgoorlie about the audacity of the Wilkie Brothers and the fact/query that no-one gave them permission to fence the blocks making them “squatters” between the Acting Premier, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, The Under Secretary for Lands (Cecil Clifton, who accepted the deposit), the Warden at Kalgoorlie (Fred Hare), Under Secretary for Works (Henry Prinsep), and Engineer for Railway Construction (Will Robertson). The correspondence went on from July 1897 to February 1898 by which time the blocks were sold at auction to another party and the Wilkie Bros were returned their deposit. However, on 4 October 1897 the were successful in buying Lots 60 & 61.
They built a block 10 offices and shops called Wilkie Buildings on the corner of Forrest and Wilson Sts opposite the railway station in Kalgoorlie. They were built of iron and wood and burnt down on 19 December 1897 when they were 8 months old and rebuilt later. The fire started in the second of a row of 10 shops which was a vacated tobacconists and rapidly spread to the next door tearooms, the third shop. The buildings were lined with galvanised Fluted iron and only the skirting boards and floor were on Oregon wood. The ceiling was of Jarrah bearers. The one storey building had a wooden verandah all around and The Phoenix Restaurant on the corner with a boarding house at the back. Three rooms were occupied.
The Wilkie Building opposite the Railway Hotel, Kalgoorlie – 2020
The fire burned rapidly due to the strong winds as well as the materials the structure was built of. Captain Carey arrived on horseback then rode to the fire station only a few minutes away. The fire station was deserted and there was no watchman on duty so Capt Carey engaged a cabman to bring the fire engine to the fire, at which time the fire was already at the end of the building. The firemen were late getting to the building and many people used buckets from the tanks at the Railway Hotel until the fire engine hooked up. The fire was over in 15 minutes. There was much discussion after the fire about the fire brigade not owning a horse for the heavy engine and the fact that the watchman finishes at 5pm when there should be someone on duty from 5pm to 3am also.
It was also discovered that the fire brigade was not hooked up to the telephone and everything had to be done by word of mouth. There were two underground rainwater tanks in the main street but they were too far away for the fire and water supply was grossly inadequate. Luckily, the fire was contained to the building and not to neighboring shops. John was in Perth and Adam in Melbourne and were immediately wired. The cost of the building was £4,000, but insurance was only about £1,300, 2,400 gallons of drinking water from the Wilkie’s Railway Hotel was used.
Wilkie’s Railway Hotel taken from the Kalgoorlie Railway Station
On 13 January 1898 the Wilkie’s Railway Hotel opposite the railway station and the Wilkie Buildings also burnt down together with Donaldson’s Store nest door, Then Robertson’s Butchers, Beck Bros Drapery and a billiards room, saloon & hairdressers owned by J. Ellis. It was rebuilt in brick only to be struck by lightning in a severe storm (cyclone) on 17 December 1903. Two cyclonic epicenters were seen approaching from the north and lightning struck the upper brick work causing damage of £1,500. Houses were blown down or un-roofed, the Tower Hotel verandah un-roofed, the grandstand roof was ripped off and the chimney along with the verandah and ceiling at the railway station.
John returned to New Zealand around the turn of the century and built a new homestead called “Lilybank” near Westmere Railway Station and loaned substantial sums to local farmers around Wanganui and Hawera but eventually decided to sell up all his interests in NZ and return to WA. They did no more contracts and had extensive overseas tours, visiting South Africa at one stage and investing there.
In 1900 John returned from NZ and built the two-story Exchange Hotel, Metropole, Palace Hotel, York Hotel, bought the Union Brewery (leased to Paton & Scott) and had a controlling interest in Hannan’s Brewery). The beautiful and ornamental Oriental hotel on the corner of Hannan and Cassidy sts, was also built by the Wilkie Bros but was demolished in 1970. There was a public protest and march down Hannan St in 1970 to no avail.
The Oriental Hotel, Hannan St, Kalgoorlie
He took over several other hotels and completed them after the owners were in financial difficulty, Metropole in Boulder and the Tivoli Theatre and Tivoli Hotel in Kalgoorlie. At one stage they had a controlling interest in about 40 hotels in Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and Fimiston. He and Adam sold the Shamrock Brewery on 15 February 1900 to Mr Frank Scott, accountant son of a wealthy flour mill owner in Burowa NSW. They were also keen supporters of many local sporting clubs such as cricket, football and athletics.
Much later, in July 7 1990 in the Kalgoorlie Miner, journalist Norma King quoted that the brothers were described as “hard-headed, canny men” who had also “disbursed twenty thousand pounds in different business properties” in the goldfields.
John had substantial mining interests in “Idaho” and “Superior” gold mines and Adam presented a large nugget to the Wanganui Museum, which was subsequently stolen. John gradually became more involved with farming. John and Adam had investments in Laverton, Kalgoorlie and Kanowna WA. By 1930 all the English Gothic style hotels in Kalgoorlie had been sold except the Railway Hotel.
In 1910 Adam bought a share in Phoenix Mine owned by Waterfall Prospecting (C. Mitchell & Party) which paid for itself immediately, (averaging 8 ounces per ton). In November of the same year Wilkie, McKenna, Grenville & Nathan sold Bullfinch Main Lode for £20,000 plus £215,00 for the shares. They had previously bought the mine for £8,000 from prospectors Lang, Blennerhasset & Reid.
Adam died in Melbourne on 23 January 1928 on his way back to NZ. He was on his way from Scotland to NZ and took ill on the boat. He died soon after reaching Melbourne and was buried in Faulkner Cemetery. Adam’s daughter lived on the old Wilkie property “Arcady” at Killgrove, Victoria and Adam’s granddaughter is still living there.
Mary and John invested farm properties in the Williams area including 70,000 acres of undeveloped land which had to be fenced and poison eradicated within 12 months and he would be granted the freehold. John and eldest son (stepson) Daniel Turnbull Wilkie did this by employing large gangs of workers, ever the business man. The properties were called “Rapanui” and “Kai-iwi”. Other properties bought were “Lilybank” (where John built the homestead which still stands today (2020) and is owned by Daniel Turnbull Wilkie’s son Roy Wilkie) and “Rifledowns” on the Albany Highway near Williams (81 mile peg). He also owned “Hotham”, ”Westmere” and “Bushy Park”.
Daniel was educated at Christian Brothers College in Fremantle and then was sent to Scotland to continue his studies. On returning he married Philomena Mary Viotti (Mena)McKenna, daughter of Inspector McKenna, his father’s old friend, who was born at 36 Mile Peg Albany Road, WA on 6 Dec 1907 in Kattanning WA. They eloped after the wedding invitations had been sent out for a big wedding at “Invercloy”. They had 6 children.
In 1904 Mary and John built a grand two storey house in Perth for the family on 40 acres on the river at Redcliffe (Ascot) known as Location 28. The land included all the river side of Fauntleroy Avenue down to Millards Brickworks, including a farmhouse and stables built by Fauntleroy. They named it “Invercloy”. It still exists today (2020). Ground Floor: entry, dining room, drawing room, breakfast room, kitchen, scullery, pantry, laundry & study. First Floor: 5 bedrooms & bathrooms, linen room and storage room. Attic: 2 bedrooms and a door leading to the dome shaped tower (a popular hiding place for the children). There were numerous water tanks and the garden and stock were served by 3 wells with windmills attached. The lighting was made from an acetylene gas plant in the back yard. Many entertaining times were had and when their horse won the WA Derby the local social set came out in force for a huge party.
The Wilke’s Ascot House
In 1910 Mary died and John built a smaller but still grand house at 56 Walcott St, Mount Lawley. His old friend John Mc Kenna lived at 60 Walcott St, next door. He sold “Invercloy” to Charles Ball who renamed it “Wedderburn” after the small Victorian mining town where he was born. The Ball family had sheep, ducks, turkeys, chickens, horses, cattle and pigs. Their children spent many hours rowing up to Guildford & down to Belmont Railway Bridge. There was a croquet lawn at the front, later converted to tennis. During WW1 the Red Cross Society held fetes, Concerts and balls. The WA Hunt Club also met there and musical & pre-election evenings were very popular Charles Ball sold the property in 1928 to Jack Barry who sold it a few years later to ANA (Australian National Airways) for a staff hostel. The land was subdivided and the dome removed so the RAAF could use it as an R&R base in WW2. In 1965 the mansion on 888 square metres was sold to the Mentally Incurable Children’s Ass. Who named it Nulsen Haven Home. It was later bought by a family and restored beautifully then resold in 2016 for $835,00.
John and his sons Leon and Eric farmed “Edjudina Station” (75,000 acres) and “Kookynie Station” north of Kalgoorlie. Leon and Eric won the Cowcher Hamersley Silver Cup 2 years in a row for highest number of points in a stock competition. This cup is still in the possession of Leon’s son John Campion Wilkie of “Hotham”, Kaitoke, Wanganui, NZ. Leon also farmed “Wogarno” Station (300,000 acres) near Mt Magnet WA and ran merino sheep. There is no surface water on the property so water is pumped from the artesian basin underground by many windmills scattered across the property. The windmills drag water up from depths of 150ft to the tanks next to the windmills and so to troughs for the sheep and cattle. Checking the windmills is a constant job to make sure they are constantly working in the dry outback.
It was reported in the Kalgoorlie Miner 1 December 1909 that Hannan’s Brewery had reopened after extensive renovations. Chairman of Directors, Leon Wilkie, welcomed guests after they travelled in a procession by 4 horse drawn drays and cars to the new refrigeration plant, bottling department & brewery with an ice plant the first of its kind in a goldfields brewery. 300 people enjoyed refreshments and a tour of the plant to the strains of an orchestra. The new brewer and General Manager was Mr McKenna who had 15 years experience in the eastern states including 9 years at Kyneton Brewery. Leon Wilkie spoke of the not so rosy times had by the brewery in recent times but the company had spent £6,000 on the new plant. Presumably the not so rosy times continued because it was reported subsequently that on 19 March 1912 an auction was held and John Wilkie, Adam, Leon, J. L. O’Connell & Walter Ruse bought it for £18,000. On 30 August liquidator Edward Jack was appointed and advertised for tenders and none were received then on 1 October 1915 the brewery burnt down under suspicious circumstances, found to be deliberately lit by persons unknown.
John Wilkie died of Cancer on 31 March 1914 at his Walcott St home in Mt Lawley and was buried on 1 April 1914 in the Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, WA
Moya Sharp
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This is a very enlightening story about my ancestors, the only glitch I am sure of is the fact that John Wilkie is actually buried at Karrakatta cemetery in Perth- not New Zealand as mentioned in the final paragraph.
Hi Greta, Glad you found the story interesting, I have corrected Johns place of burial,thank you for letting me know.
Thanks so much Moya😀 John was my great-great Grandfather and I’m really enjoying researching my family history and your website stories. Looking forward to coming to Kalgoorlie one day soon!
Hi Greta John Wilkie is also my great great grandfather. I’d love to be in touch with you. My email address is kerry62@me.com
Hi Greta and Kerry, I too am a direct descendant of the Wilkie’s. I give permission to Moya to share my email address with both of you ladies if you would like to contact me. I would be more than happy to share what info I have on the Wilkie/McQuilkan tree
Regards, Kath.
Hi Moya, what great information you have on the Wilkie Bros, thank you for putting it up. The Wilkie Bros don’t get enough credit for all the great work they did in NZ and Australia.
Just a side note I believe is important, John and Adam’s brother wasn’t David, he was Daniel and he is my great-great grandfather and John is my great-great step grandfather.