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

Speeds Criterion Hotel – Kalgoorlie

18/05/2016 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

The Criterion happily is still quite recognisable from this photograph taken not long after its completion in 1901. It was built in 1900 on the former premesis of the ‘Universary Wine Saloon’ also owned by Charles Speed. You will see from the article below that the builder was also responsible for the Municipal Markets, The […]

Grave Tales – Tom Flanagan

13/05/2016 By Moya Sharp 2 Comments

Paddy Hannan has long been recognised as the first person to find gold in the region in the June 1893 with Irishmen Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea. The men found 3 kg of gold in one day, the equivalent of an average year’s wages, at a site originally named Hannan’s, close to what was later […]

The Cricketer – Andy Dressa – Grave tales

10/05/2016 By Moya Sharp 4 Comments

This wonderful photograph was sent to me by Trish Ward who has kindly given me permission to show it to you. These hansom fellows were part of a cricket team and the man in the back left is the only one that can definitely be identified. He is Andy Dressa who was a champion cricketer, […]

Jarlach DUFFY – ‘A Dynasty’s Harsh Beginning’

01/05/2016 By Moya Sharp 3 Comments

If you were to visit the Perth offices of Eyers Reed Ltd, 45 floors up from the city of Perth with views of the Swan River and Darling Ranges, it takes considerable effort that this modern share broking firm with a turnover of tens of millions had its beginning on the Goldfields of Western […]

On This Day In Australia – The Warburton Expedition

15/04/2016 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

Tuesday, April 15, 1873. : Colonel Warburton sets out to cross the continent from central Australia to Perth. Peter Egerton Warburton was born on 15 August 1813, at Northwich, Cheshire. He joined the navy at the tender age of 12, initially serving as a midshipman on the HMS Windsor Castle. He then served for many […]