Dolly Pot – The Roaring Gimblet

The ‘Dolly Pot’ column which was started in the Western Mail newspaper between 1936-1942 was initiated by Cyril Longmore and later taken over by Malcolm Uren. The column started out to collect the reminiscences of the pioneer prospectors and was remarkedly successful. Dolly Pot remains the most significant source of information on the Westralian goldfields […]

Camooweal Billabong  by Ray Jackson

Camooweal Billabong by Ray Jackson A hot dry wind came from the south so constant and so strong I had to stop so looked and found a shaded billabong I knew at once this special place had a story it would tell so there I camped to sit a while and give myself a spell […]

The Murder of a Bad Tempered Man

Evening Mail – Fremantle 23 March 1908, page 1 No one will deny that Harry Goninon Smith, who at 8 o’clock this morning paid, on the scaffold at the Fremantle Prison, the last penalty for the supreme crime in the criminal calendar, was the murderer of the man, William John Clinton at Day Dawn. No […]

Amy Josephine Solly – by Yvonne Solly

Amy Josephine Solly 1912 -1999 “Pulvis et umbra sumus.” Horace. with thanks to Yvonne Solly for this wonderful story: Our Nanna – Amy Josephine Solly – was a dust collector. Not that she knew it or intended to become such, yet nevertheless she was. Her dust collection began about 1890 before she was born. Amy’s […]

Bessie Jordan – a pioneering woman

Elizabeth Jane Ann ‘Bessie’ Jones was born on 17 AUG 1877 in Sandhurst, Victoria. She was the daughter of James Jones (1849-1892) and Harriet Jones nee Harry (1851-1925). She had only one sibling, James Henry Jones born 15 Aug 1882. At the age of 20yrs, she married Richard Michael Jordan on the 27th of August […]