Michael Henry McAppion – grave tales

MCAPPION Michael Henry — was aged 29yrs when he died on the 26 Aug 1920, at the Leonora Hospital. His occupation was given as a Labourer. The cause of death was Morbus Cordis, Chronic Nephritis & Heart Failure. He was the second son of Robert Michael ‘Mick’ MCAPPION (Labourer) and Caroline nee PALMER. He was born […]

Harry ‘Tambo’ Taylor – Stockman of the Never Never

On the 19th May 1924, Harry ‘Tambo ’Taylor applied to receive the old-age pension having reached the age of 65yrs. His application was refused as he couldn’t show proof of his age. Harry was born to an Aboriginal mother and an Irish father on Glenalvon Station NSW in 1859. He had his mother’s skin and […]

John B Ryan – an adventurous life

John B Ryan was also known as ‘Old Jack’ died near the end of November 1905, it is thought his age was about 60yrs. He was found on Sturt Meadows Station by a boundary rider some distance from Diorite King in the Leonora District. Jack was an old prospector who was reported as missing. When […]

Death by Despair – Leonora Snapshots

In the last edition of the ‘Leonora Cemetery Snapshots’ we looked at ‘all the little children’. This edition looks at suicide which was a sad but common cause of death in the early days of the Goldfields. Sometimes it was a release from certain and horrific death by thirst or heat. Other times it was […]

Cemetery Snapshot Leonora – all the little children

Back in August 2017, I had just finished transcribing the first section of the Leonora Cemetery records. I had finished the first decade when I published the first ‘Snapshot’ focusing on the number of deaths of children under the age of 5 years. As you may know, the first five years of a child’s life […]