Private James Valant Turner, Service Number 5931, son of James William and Elizabeth (nee Williams) Turner of 322 Egan St, Kalgoorlie, was born and educated in Kalgoorlie. As an 18-year-old postal assistant, Pte Turner enlisted on the 29th of May 1916 and went to the Belmont camp. He embarked from Frementle on October 30th 1916. […]
The people of the Goldfields
The Goldfields of Western Australia was and still is made up of many people, from poets to politicians, from saints and sinners and everything in between. I hope to tell you the stories of some of these people either famous or infamous or just the ordinary folks. Sometime the most ordinary people do the most extraordinry things
From Kalgoorlie to the Somme: The Sacrifice of Private James Valant Turner
26/04/2025 By Leave a Comment
Builder of Dreams: Sir James Connolly’s Western Australian Legacy
26/04/2025 By Leave a Comment
Sir James Daniel Connolly (1869-1962) By Robin Connolly Sir James Daniel Connolly was born in Queensland, Australia. Drawn as a young man to the newly discovered Coolgardie goldfields, he quickly established himself as a builder and community leader in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He went on to become a well-known state politician in […]
The Kanowna Scandal: A Tale of Seduction and Betrayal
26/04/2025 By 2 Comments
Kalgoorlie Miner 10 October 1906, page 2 Alleged Seduction The Kanowna Case – Serious Charges against a Married Man Frances ‘Frank’ Fordham BROWNE (Plaintiff)-v- John Lewis Henry MARTIN (Defendant) The hearing of the civil case of Frank Fordham Browne against John Lewis Martin, in which the plaintiff claims £1000 for the alleged seduction of his […]
Birrigrin’s Golden Days: A Mining Settlement’s Brief Spark
26/04/2025 By Leave a Comment
Birrigrin Lat 27° 30′ 14” South Long 119° 31′ 13” East Birrigrin is 120 km from Wiluna and is in the Black Range District near Sandstone. It was known in the early days as the ’50 Mile’ as it was about 50 miles from Nungarra. The main source of mining in the district is gold […]
The Mirage of Gold – Paddy Whelan’s Livesey Range Saga
19/04/2025 By Leave a Comment
Sunday Times 11 December 1932 ON THE GOLD TRAIL ‘Paddy’ – Whelan’s Claims Not Borne Out by Lugg Party A Warning That Was Justified Excitement and hopes sprung from the faith of many Australians in the stories of the famous ‘ Lasseter’s Reef,’ but faded away with the failures of several expeditions through the Western […]
