William Thompson Dewsnap was born on the 23 Dec 1865 in Ancrum, Roxburghshire, Scotland, the son of John Dewsnap and Isabella Murray. He arrived in Bundaberg, Queensland aboard the Nairnshire on the 9 Jul 1884 aged 18 yrs with his brother. Two years later he was to marry Annie Cecelia Matthews, a recently widowed lady […]
Dinny O’Callaghan’s Brainwaves –
16/03/2024 By Leave a Comment
Kalgoorlie Miner 15 Apr 1966- Dinny’s Brainwaves ‘Oysters and a Petrol Pourer’ When Coolgardie was new and luring men from all parts of the country, many interesting characters rode or trudged into town. Pint-size bantam weight Dennis ‘Dinny’ O’Callaghan arrived there only eleven days before his 18th birthday. He came to Australia with his family […]
Vale Dryblower Murphy –
09/03/2024 By Leave a Comment
Today, the 9th of March, marks the 85th anniversary of the death of Edwin Greenslade ‘Dryblower’ Murphy, who is without a doubt one of the best writers of verse and short stories in Western Australia. He is my own favourite writer, second only to the great Henry Lawson. The following verse was written to commemorate […]
Sailor Bill’s Elopement
24/02/2024 By Leave a Comment
The Sun Kalgoorlie 22 September 1907, page 6 THE ROARING NINETIES A BULLA BULLING ROMANCE SAILOR BILL’S ELOPEMENT (By Spinifex). Many of the boys of the old brigade have disappeared. They were a roving lot, and when the share boom collapsed in ’97, and the demand for “properties” had petered out, they booked for various […]
A Coolgardie Delirium
17/02/2024 By 1 Comment
Truth ‘Sydney’ 21 July 1935, page 22 Fabulous Gold Find Tossing for £100 a Time! Who found Coolgardie? Every schoolboy knows that Bayley and Ford found Coolgardie. That is history, but a historical fact is as often as not, based on inaccuracy. Strictly speaking, Bayley and Ford did not find Coolgardie for the men who […]
