In the bustling port city of Hamburg, Bavaria, on August 17, 1843, Charles George Herrich was born to Johann George Herrich and Anna Magdalena Dorotea Eleonora Ernst. The salty air and vibrant trade of the German docks sparked a wanderlust in young Charles, a flame that would guide him across oceans to distant shores.
At the age of 20, Charles embarked on a daring journey to Australia, landing in Queensland in 1863. The sun-scorched landscapes and untamed frontiers of the young colony were exhilarating, but Charles’s restless spirit soon called him elsewhere. By 1867, he had set sail for New Zealand, where fate introduced him to Elizabeth Theresa Mary Josephine Britton, a spirited Irish woman with a gleam of adventure in her eyes. Their love story unfolded swiftly, and they married, forging a partnership as bold as the lands they roamed.
Together, Charles and Elizabeth raised a brood of six sons in New Zealand, each christened with the anglicised surname Herrick: William George John (1867), Charles Joseph (1869), Alfred Henry (1870), Frederick Augustin (1872), Arthur Ernst (1873), and Gustav Stanley (1885). These boys grew up amidst tales of exploration and the promise of new horizons, their lives steeped in the rugged beauty of New Zealand’s untamed wilderness.
Herrich & Sons Steam Saw Mill – White Feather Road – 1896 – Photo Herrick Family
In 1895, when young Gustav was just 10, the siren call of opportunity struck again. The family caught wind of the gold rush sweeping Western Australia, a land shimmering with dreams of fortune. But Charles, ever the pragmatist, saw wealth not in chasing fleeting gold but in building something enduring. With his sons Charles and Arthur by his side, he established Herrich and Sons, trading as the Kalgoorlie Steam Sawmills, on White Feather Road near Kanowna, just outside the booming goldfields town of Kalgoorlie. The sawmill’s rhythmic hum became a heartbeat of the community, its towering machinery and sturdy buildings a testament to the family’s ambition. Their home at lot 308 Hannan Street buzzed with the energy of a family carving their legacy in a land of dust and dreams.
Herrich & Sons Steam Saw Mill – White Feather Road – 1896 – Photo Herrick Family
Yet, the goldfields’ allure was fleeting. Despite the sawmill’s promise, the harsh realities of the frontier and shifting fortunes led to the company’s dissolution by 1897. Undeterred, Charles and his family packed their dreams and headed to Victoria, where they sought a fresh start. The Herricks’ resilience shone through as they rebuilt their lives in a new landscape, their bond unbreakable despite the trials of constant reinvention.
Herrich & Sons Steam Saw Mill – White Feather Road – 1896 – Photo Herrick Family
In 1913, Charles’s remarkable journey came to a quiet close in Cheltenham, Victoria, where he was laid to rest. Elizabeth, his steadfast partner, carried on for a short time, moving to New South Wales before passing away the following year. Their story, woven through continents and driven by an unyielding spirit of adventure, left an indelible mark—a legacy of courage, family, and the pursuit of possibility that echoed through their sons and beyond.
Kalgoorlie Miner – 20 Oct 1896
Moya Sharp
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