Along The Road To Linden – for Patrick McCormack

Along the Road to Linden was written for William Patrick McCormack, who perished there in 1897.

Along the road to Linden where the stunted gum trees wave
Is the land of memories, a lonely miner’s grave
A hallowed spot, ‘Where all who pass
should stop’ And tribute pay.

Lonely he rests a rest he must until
The final call to awaken to God’s will
Now the Eucalypts on the field that bears their name,
Hide scars, ‘the wounds of the golden game’.

Churned-up ground akin to the war-torn fields of France
Silent evidence of a maddened golden dance.
Sleep in peace old fellow, you have played your part,
Now WA is growing with a great pulsating heart.

The awakening of a people to the richness of their land.
I know it’s dry and dusty, and how the sun glares down,
But my memories there are cherished of a lot of mates who perished
Far, far from the sight of the town.

William Patrick McCormack died on 30 May 1897, at the age of 43, at Eucalyptus on the Linden Road in the Leonora district. The grave surround was a wooden fence made of trimmed gum timber. There was a cross still on the grave in 1940, with the inscription all cut by hand. It must have taken a considerable amount of time to complete. William was a butcher by trade who was believed to be a victim of Typhoid fever. He had two daughters and was the Grandfather of William Ainslie of Bunbury. McCormack was amongst the old pioneers of the district and spent most of his time prospecting, but with little success.

While working at the Triumph Mine, he became ill and was removed to his camp on the Shannon Lease at Eucalyptus, where he attended to his ailments. However, an old complaint of the lungs banished all hope. William had two brothers and a sister in the fields who were unaware of his illness. His brother, P.J. McCormack, on hearing the news the day before his death, rode from Coolgardie, a distance of 185 miles, but was only in time to see his friends erect a fence and epitaph to their companion’s grave.

Ref:- Yundamindra by Alex Palmer -Lonely Graves by Yvonne and Kevin Coate

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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