Robbery Under Arms on the Coolgardie Road In the early days of the Goldfields, the escort used to leave Coolgardie every week with parcels of gold varying from £5000 to £50,000 in value. It was a common remark to hear passed by the diggers, who usually gathered to watch the gold being taken out of […]
Pannican – grave tales
12/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
Police Honour Legendary Aboriginal Tracker. On the 2nd of Jul 2008, a memorial was unveiled in Kalgoorlie for one of the state’s most renowned Aboriginal police trackers. Johnny Grey, also known as Pannican, was considered one of the best trackers of his time. He worked for the police in the Laverton-Leonora area from 1942 to […]
Underworld Character – conviction in Kalgoorlie
12/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
Infamous Sydney crime figure, Tilley Devine, portrayed in the TV series Underbelly, had a link to Kalgoorlie Boulder after being arrested and jailed on the Goldfields. Matilda ‘Tilley” Devine, was born in England in 1900 and became a prominent crime syndicate figure involved in sly grog dealing and razor gangs, but most notably as a […]
Thomas RYAN – The King of Meekatharra
12/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
Some time ago I was contacted by Sue Hartley who is the Great Granddaughter of Thomas Ryan and his wife, Henrietta Ryan nee Kane. Their third child, Mary Daisy Ryan, known as Dais, was her grandmother. Meekatharra Ryan” or the King of Meekatharra as Tom was known, did much to build the town amenities as […]
The Picnic – tragedy in the great drought
05/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
Last week I mentioned that I had been asked what were my favorite stories, one happy and one sad. This one is the ‘sad’ one. I have read it many times and it still has the power to make me feel the desperation of this woman. The day dawned still and sure, as the first […]
