The Coolgardie Memories of the
Smetherham’s by Elsie Turner
William SMETHERHAM and his wife Angelina ‘Louisa’ nee MOYLE arrived in Coolgardie from Eaglehawk near Bendigo in the mid 1890’s. With them came their children – 6 year old twins Elsie and Sydney and 2 year old William junior. Their first home in Coolgardie was in a tent on Fly Flats, and there two years later their fourth surviving child was born, Annie Louise born in 1899. Two more boys were born to the couple who both died the year they were born, Francis John born 1902 aged 2 weeks and James Hugh born 1905 aged 2 months.
My Great Grandfather, William Smetherham, had left his native Cornwall to find work to support his mother, sister and brothers at home. he had followed the rush for gold first to America and then to Eaglehawk in Victoria and from there to Coolgardie. In preparation form the trip my Grandmother
was advised to have all her teeth removed
because of the lack of dental facilities in the WA Goldfields. Despite her teeth being in sound condition she had them all removed without anesthetic in two dental visits. My Great Grandmother, Louisa Moyle was orphaned at 13 years after the death of her Cornish parents, Grace and James Moyle. She was very used to discomfort an hardship as she and her sister Ada went looking for work. She had come to Australia and then to Eaglehawk with her parents who had emigrated due to parental disapproval of their marriage. However, her daughter had many happy memories of them and proved that the marriage of the daughter of a Magistrate and a farm labourer could be a very happy one.
The Smetherham family – back row twins Elsie and Syd. Middle row William, Bill and Louisa front Lila.
In the same practical way that Gran (as my Great Grandmother was called by the family) had coped with the loss of her parents she quickly adjusted to life on the Coolgardie Goldfields. One of her methods of coping with the heat was to take the children down the mine shaft of an afternoon as it was several degrees cooler underground.
But these children had mining ideas of their own and loved to play near the edge of the mine, pretending to be miners on afternoon shift. The danger aspect concerned Gran, so she sought her husband help. He dressed in an old sheet complete with rattling chains around his waist, his ghostly presence soon dispersed the children from the mine entrance.
Gran always had a good relationship with the local Aboriginal people and they would often call to see her for help to cure their ailments. Schooling at than time was a choice between the Government School and the Catholic Convent – St Anthony’s. Although the Smetherham’s were not Catholics, the children all attended the convent as it was felt that it offered the best education. Young William Jnr eventually became Dux of the school. My mother, Daphne COMPSTON, who was Elsie’s daughter, also went to school there.
Great Grandfather was a very honest and hardworking man, and over the year held many positions in the Mining industry including being responsible for the staff. On one occasion when money was scarce, he was forced to sell some of the gold stored under his bed (not an unusual storage place because of the honesty of the Goldfields people in those days) to pay their wages. This was gold that he had mined himself.
William Thomas Smetherham – Photo Ancestry.com
Because of the danger involved, it was an unwritten mining law that no man worked underground alone (this didn’t mean it never happened though). So on one ‘Coolgardie Cup Day’ William felt it his duty to accompany his mate Tom Martin, who wished to work that afternoon at the ‘Golden Bar’. A rock fall resulted and both men were partially buried. William had the presence of mind to shield his face with his hat, and both men were fed by tube for two days until they could be rescued. Sadly, on the 10th August 1905 Thomas Martin, a father of 10 children died just before being brought out. Great Grandfather, though injured. survived but was left an invalid. His first words when he came to the surface was
who won the cup ???
Sadly just after this his newly born son James Hugh Smetherton died aged 2 weeks. William and Louisa had a very happy marriage. They had met by chance in the street in Eaglehawk, both turning around to get another glimpse of the other – William to have another look at the pretty girl and Louisa to see the unusual American clothes he was wearing. From that meeting the relationship progressed to courtship, marriage and a happy family life with their children. They were not going to allow a mining accident to defeat them.
They took over the Octagen Chambers Boarding House in Hunt Street, Coolgardie. Their youngest daughter Leila worked there full time, and if by chance she had forgotten to clean the salt and pepper shakers, her father would leave them in the middle of the step to remind her. The twins Elsie and Syd helped at the boarding house part time but they also worked as shop assistants in other businesses in the town. Will Jnr, Uncle Bill, as we called him, began work at 14 years at the Coolgardie Post Office Telephone Exchange on night shift. He eventually became ‘Superintendent of Mails – the highest position available at the Perth GPO. His success particularly pleased his mother, as after his fathers accident and the death of an uncle from ‘Miners Lung’, her one wish was that neither of her sons would work in the mines.
At the time the family lived in the Hunt Street boarding house William used to love to sit on the seat on the front b veranda watching all around him, but would retire to his bed if any particularly talkative resident came into view. He died on the 10th September 1919 aged 52 years and is buried in the Methodist section of the Coolgardie Cemetery near his two baby sons. After Williams death the family moved first to Kalgoorlie and then to Perth.
When I visited the Coolgardie Museum I could easily glimpse the Coolgardie that my Grandmother Elsie CONNOR (nee Smetherham, and widow of WW1 Anzac William Compson), spoke so much about. She told me of the bands playing in the streets, the race days, and the dances where every girl had a card with the names entered beside each dance of their partners for the evening. And I also recall the stories that Uncle Bill told me – one in particular – when as a young lad he and his mates would hide in the bush and then sneak down to the cemetery after an Afghan funeral to sample the feast which was always left for the ‘dear departed.
My mother Daphne Hosford nee Compson has told me too that Aunty Lila Daniels nee Smetherham was chosen to lead the procession through Coolgardie on Armistice Day. She rode on horseback and was dressed as Joan of Arc, she wore a tin costume and her brothers fireman’s helmet. She also told me that as a young girl near their boarding house was a shop owned by a Mt Valjee, who sold mens and womens wear and haberdashery. He was one of the boarders and was a very nice man and well respected. In the year I was born, 1914, he gave my parents a ‘Daphne Tree’ (a symbol of immortality and victory). It grew into a large bush and my Grandfather sold buttonholes of the flowers to raise money for the soldiers overseas.
Lila Smetherham dressed as Joan or Arc in the Armistice parade – Photo Ancestry.com
Coolgardie through their eyes had a magical quality about it. It’s a town that one grows to love, both for its stately buildings, its link with early WA history and in my case my family tree and also for that elusive gold nugget that one always hopes to find.
Just a few more Smetherham details on their time running the Octagen Chambers Boarding House:
Some of the residents were:
COMPSTON William ‘Bill’ a butcher who married Elsie Smetherham -An Anzace who died from war injuriesin 1922 –
AHERNE Rod he was an Anzac
HEARNE Joseph ‘Joe’ he was an anzac & also in the Navy
CRUDACE Joseph ‘Joe’ an Engine Driver.
WALTERS John ‘Jack’ an Engine Driver.
WILLIAMS Daniel ‘Dan’ a railway Carpenter.
MARRIOTT William ‘Bill’ a Postal worker.
BASKERVILLE Edward ‘Teddy’ a Railway worker.
CONNOR Edward ‘Ted’ a Railway plumber and widower with seven children who married Elsie Compston nee Smetherham who had been widowed five years earlier.
Particular friends of the Smetherham family were Mr and Mrs Frank Martyn who was a well known photographer
Moya Sharp
Latest posts by Moya Sharp (see all)
- Elphinstone Davenport Cleland – a mining man - 27/04/2024
- The Ghost of Goya River - 27/04/2024
- Parker Range on the Yilgarn - 27/04/2024
Hi Moya… loved the article!!
I am a Smetherham… maiden name. My granddad was Leonard Clyde.
Thank you for sharing
Ferne
Hi Ferne Im glad you enjoyed the story.