Dr. Edward Willis WAY was born in England on 6th October 1846. He travelled to South Australia with his family as a small child, arriving on 14th November 1850. Dr. E Willis Way as he was commonly referred to, studied at both Guys’ Hospital London and the University of Edinburgh. He was involved in a […]
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
Five Little Graves –
06/08/2022 By Leave a Comment
It is one of the most humbling experiences to read through the Boulder Cemetery death register. The stark reality of life on the Goldfields in the later years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th is reflected in the names, death details, and monumental inscriptions of those who lived and died […]
The Torpey Girls in Australia-
06/08/2022 By Leave a Comment
I was recently sent a fascinating story by David Howell about his relatives the ‘Torpey Girls’. He has kindly allowed me to share part of their story with you. It was researched by himself and Bosco Ryan, my cousin and his cousin Ed O’Dea. The story begins with John Torpey from Ballyvouden, Kilteely, Co. Limerick […]
Typhoid : digging for ended in digging a grave
06/08/2022 By Leave a Comment
‘Typhoid Fever’ Many lives on the waterless goldfields of Western Australia were lost, not only from thirst but also from Typhoid Fever. In the 1890s, Typhoid was endemic throughout Australia. It struck at Perth, Western Australia’s capital itself, then in established outlying centres such as Northam and at temporary townships on the road to the […]
Struck by Lightning – a lucky man
30/07/2022 By Leave a Comment
Kalgoorlie Western Argus 28 January 1908, page 20 STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. A Singular Experience. There are probably few men who have been struck by lightning and have survived to tell the tale. One of them, if there are any others, is William Smith, from Kalgoorlie who is depicted here as he appeared after his extraordinary […]
