David Missingham was born in 1855 in Kiama New South Wales. He was a mining Engineer and Mayor of Charters Towers in 1893. In 1897 he traveled to Western Australia, arriving before his family. He sent many letters back to his wife Annie and their eight children. One of his children, Hal Missingham, was to become a well known Australian artist and was the director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1945 -1971. I will be posting several of his transcribed letter,s which gives an amazing account of day-to-day life in the early Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie Goldfields. It tells of the struggles and the difficulties of separated families. David has a wry sense of humour and tells his story to Alice in a way to cheer his wife so far away. The letters start from Brisbane, Queensland, on route to Western Australia.
The original letters are held by the J.S. Batty Library of Western Australia. The letters are preserved under the ‘Save Our Century Fund’ – Transcription by Dr Criena Fitzgerald.
David Alexander MISSINGHAM – Photo Ancestry.com
Text in ‘Red’ has been added to assist the reader or to explain an event that is mentioned.
Mosman Street, Charters Towers, Queensland – Image SLQLD
Brisbane, Queensland – 5 November 1896 6 p.m.
My Dearest Annie
I hurriedly scribbled you a letter yesterday from here just after my arrival, and since then I have seen and interviewed ‘Mr Lissner’ and find that I will not start until tomorrow night’s steamer and perhaps not even then. I am to meet the directors of two mines tomorrow to arrange matters with their relatives to the management thereof and the amount of screw (money) that they can afford to pay. This delay has also given me the opportunity of seeing Edith (Annie’s sister), and I got here to send you an urgent wire today saying that I had gone south. I sent it that way because, my dear, I know you must be thinking me very forgetful and also that you will be worrying more than you should. Also, because it will be sure to leak out in the telegraph office (at least I suspect that it will) and further mislead my gentle friends who do not like parting with me.
Edith seems quite right, a little thinner perhaps, but not much; she is lodging with Mrs Wells in May Street, South Brisbane, not with a Mrs May in Jane Street as Lily led me to suppose. The boy looks well & the baby seems a good-tempered youngster. The eldest, however, does not seem to be under much control; in fact, he does as he likes. Vivian, that’s his awful name, they might as well have called him Ezikiel or Bartholomew, he does not think much of me because I threatened to chop his legs off. Edith would like to go to Perth to her husband, but as yet he is not doing much, and things are very dear over there, especially the cost of living, besides the discomforts of a new place, flies, and water or rather the want of it. Tinned beef, no vegetables except tinned stuff and the heat is very bad.
My destination at first is Coolgardie, then on to Kalgoorlie in the first to report and give opinions, and in the second to manage for a Brisbane firm; other arrangements will probably be found as I go south. I am very lonely without you, Davie, Madge, Zilla and Jack, and miss you continuously. I expect you are just getting them together for tea under the usual difficulties. Tell Davie that I expect him to be the boss now and look after everything and help you all that he can. Of course, Madge will do so without telling and mind dear Annie that the more contented you are, the sooner will be our meeting again. I am not sure yet of getting out of the Colony without having that writ served on me somehow. I came part of the way with Brand of Townsville and met O’Driscoll on the Gympie platform. I have also seen lots of others whom I knew years ago who have forgotten me and whose acquaintance I did not seek to renew! My future movements here will be guided by circumstances, and I hope that I will get through.
I can’t see why that fool Beattie wishes to worry me, as the only chance for his Bank to get paid is to allow or even assist me to earn the amount necessary. If my dear, you want any advice on any matters, AH Pritchard will be able to advise you. Keep up your condition, little sweetheart and all’s well. I believe by the way that I am improving in condition already, in fact getting fat now, with very best love to you & Davie, Madge, Zilla and Jack
I am Dearest yours ever. D Missingham.
Moya Sharp
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Very interesting reading, as you say it would be interesting to read his wife’s letters also. It seems to me he is in debt and maybe a bit of a con man. I would like to read the whole story of this family.
Hi Colleen Yes the return letters would be very interesting, we have quite a few of his letters to come. There indeed does seem to be some sort of ‘financial cloud’ when he left Charters Towers but I haven’t been able to find out exactly what. With the next letter I will post a pic of Annie and the children.
hi moya sharp arn weirmaniam related to the missinghams good work keep going my grat gart gart grandfather was one off the fonders off charters towers qld groege jelf he was a butchers my trade but he got in owening big lost off land and gold mines
hi again moya arn weirman again the missingham family married in to the nobles thy are from new south wales some off the family moved up to qld then to western australia there were lost off my family on my dad and mum side in charters towers and western australia thanks again its good reading theam regards arn weirman