In 1985 Dan Callaghan died and was buried in the Sandstone Cemetery. This poem was dedicated to him and all of the other old times who will forever provide us with inspiration: I found him lying by the road So I shut the old truck down And made him comfortable in the load And […]
The Coolgardie Chambers – a family story
21/01/2023 By Leave a Comment
The Coolgardie Chambers was one of the first ‘Chamber’ buildings in Bayley Street, Coolgardie. I was recently sent these two amazing photographs by Julie Marshall who has allowed me to share them with you. Thank you Julie. Julie tells me, her Great Grandfather is Edward Charles Sharland or ‘Ned’. He is identified in the above […]
The Quantock Girls – grave tales
21/01/2023 By 4 Comments
Ida was one of five girls from the Quantock family that lived in Kookynie at the turn of the last century. She died at the age of 19 yrs, 10 months on the 12th of May 1908 in the Kookynie Hospital from Typhoid fever. The above photograph was taken not long prior to her death. […]
Coolgardie – a womans point of view
21/01/2023 By 2 Comments
West Australian 14 January 1896, page 10 The following article which deals with Coolgardie as it was in June last, is republished from a recent issue of the Sydney Sunday Times: We have the statement made that a goldfield is spoilt as soon as women and newspapers get a footing on it. Whether this is […]
A Woodline Childhood by Ron Matthews
14/01/2023 By Leave a Comment
From the late 1890s until the early 1950s, because all heavy machinery was steam-driven, vast quantities of wood were required to fuel the boilers, and coal was too expensive. Consequently, Wood Lines were born. The last surviving company was ‘The Western Australian Goldfields Firewood Supply Limited’, which ceased operations in 1964. From early 1946 until […]
