The photographs in this story were kindly supplied by Catherine and George’s Granddaughter, Jan Hale. This photo shows Catherine ‘Kate’ Davis in a nurse uniform outside her private hospital in either 1898 or 1899. The occasion was Jan’s mother Dorothy’s 4th or 5th birthday. She is the little dark-haired girl in the front row, 4th […]
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
Captain Kettle and the Toorak Hotel
Built in 1899. On June 25, 1903, a fire destroyed the whole of the front of the hotel. Situated on the 90 Mile Road, in the early days, this was the road out of Coolgardie on the North side. It closed some time in 1910. Coolgardie Miner – 3 July 1903, page 2 LETTER OF […]
The Forgotten Architect of the Goldfields –
The Man Behind Kalgoorlie’s Grandest Buildings Geoffrey Oswald Hawkins Geoffrey Oswald Hawkins (1870-1936) was born on 10 July 1870 at Sandhurst (the town regained the name Bendigo from 1891), Victoria. He was the third of twelve children born to Edward Jackson and Eliza Rebekah (nee Annear) Hawkins, who had married at Sandhurst in December 1866. […]
The Peak Hill Tragedy: The Heartbreaking Story of Catherine and Ethel Howard
While recently researching the lives of those buried in the Peak Hill Cemetery, I came across this very sad and tragic story. Catherine Francis ‘Kitty’ and George Howard had married in Warriminnie near Minginew, WA, in 1895 at the home of Catherine’s sister. Both George and Catherine were from Victoria. Up to the time of […]
No Music Played for the Emperor of the Cornet –
Sunday Times 12 December 1943, page 3 The Silence at the Funeral of one of Australia’s Greatest Bandsmen. Although a band was present, no music was played at the funeral at Karrakatta Cemetery yesterday of beloved musician Mr Hugh Gregory McMahon. Scores of friends attended the funeral in the Roman Catholic portion of the cemetery. […]