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

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 […]

Old Timer – By Tony Bozich

13/04/2016 By Moya Sharp 6 Comments

OLD TIMER Charlie Nalty, of Coolgardie Westral Wheel Race fame, cant be forgot by the older generation, to Goldfields schools sometimes he came giving half holidays and warm oration. Charlie carried Glory of the Old Days, real turn of the century stuff, he seemed to personify that phase when life was not unhappy, but tough. […]

Grave Tales – Then and Now

05/04/2016 By Moya Sharp 6 Comments

This first photograph was taken not long after the funeral of Mrs Margaret Williams, and as you will see, it is one of the first graves in the Presbyterian Section of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. Sadly the grave has not survived very well. The grave surrounds have sunk and the headstone has snapped off and is […]

They Called Kurnalpi Home – Book Review

03/04/2016 By Moya Sharp 2 Comments

I first read this book many years ago, in 1998, not long after it was published in 1996. It was a fascinating read then and I have really enjoyed reading it again recently when I was able to purchase a copy of my own. I wish I had bought it way back then but as […]

Charlie the Goose and The Goose’s Puzzle

28/03/2016 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

No one knew his real name and it was thought that Charlie himself too was hazy on that point. There are many colourful characters in the Early Goldfields of Western Australia but the tales of ‘Charlie The Goose’ must be amongst the best. As you will see from these stories, taken from the newspapers of […]