Daily News, 13 June 1928 — retold for Outback Family History
A Kalgoorlie marriage so brief it never made it past the church steps
Kalgoorlie has seen its fair share of whirlwind romances, but few were quite as brief — or as baffling — as the union of miner Francis Nelson ELLIS and his bride Thelma Kathleen (née SAWYER).
The couple married in 1924, and that was more or less the end of the marriage. They parted ways almost immediately after the ceremony. Thelma returned to her mother’s home, and Francis headed back to work, determined to save enough money to set up a proper household. Before he could build that home, however, a baby arrived — just four months after the wedding. He was named Bernard Kenneth ELLIS.
When the case reached the Divorce Court in 1928, Mr Justice Burnside didn’t mince words. He described the whole affair as “a youthful indiscretion” and suggested the marriage had been more about giving the child a name than building a life together. Since the couple had never lived under the same roof, His Honour wondered aloud how desertion could even apply. “It might be a case of non‑consummation,” he remarked dryly.
Francis told the court he had sent money to his wife and repeatedly asked her to join him, but she refused. He saw her only once more, in 1925, when she told him their baby boy had died. He paid the funeral expenses and again asked if she would live with him. Again, she declined.
Represented by Mr A. G. Haynes, the miner finally received what he’d been seeking for years: a decree nisi, to become absolute in six months. Thelma was to marry again in Kalgoorlie in 1936 to Walter John WORTHINGTON. Frances also married again in Kalgoorlie in 1928 to Annie Beatrice BOWDEN. It’s hoped that these two second marriages worked out happily.
A marriage that began at the church door ended, fittingly, without ever crossing a threshold.
Thanks to Garry Cowans for coming across this article and sending it to me.
Moya Sharp
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