Goldfields History Archives - Page 270 of 354

The Unknown Swagman – a verse

14/04/2018 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

The Sun 1 Aug 1915 SWAGMAN UNKNOWN. Age About 5O. The body of a swagman was recently found and: buried in the bush out from Coolgardie His name was unknown, and he was about 50 years of age. In the loose mould Out from Coolgardie Bury an old . Pioneer hardy. Not old. in […]

Whats in a Name – The Moonta Turks

13/04/2018 By Moya Sharp 4 Comments

I have often wondered about the names of these teams. They are both Cricket and Football teams with the same name, the Moonta Turks. This in its self is quite unusual I think, and I have not been able to find out the origin of the name. I first noticed it because my maiden name […]

The Dismal Traders:-

12/04/2018 By Moya Sharp 1 Comment

Undertakers, or funeral directors, have been on the Goldfields from the very first days. The occupation of making coffins was usually done by someone with a trade in carpentry and they usually produced other items such as furniture. Coach builders were also often the makers of coffins. Not all of the makers of ‘funeral furniture’ […]

Picture Perfect – T F MacKay Studios

11/04/2018 By Moya Sharp 5 Comments

This is the first in a series of profiles on Goldfields Photographers. Some, like the T F MacKay Studios, ran a successful commercial ventures, mainly catering for portraiture photography. Others were travellers who went around to the outlying areas taking pictures of both people and places. In 1917, Joseph J Dwyer sold his studio to […]

The First Coolgardie Marriages

08/04/2018 By Moya Sharp 11 Comments

Many years ago I was fortunate to be given access to the first marriage records for Coolgardie from July 1894 to Aug 1898. These marriages are not only a record of two people joining in matrimony but it also show the broad number of the different nationalities and occupations of these first pioneers. I have […]