Here are some of the stories of men who have mysteriously disappeared into the wilderness never to be heard from again. MILLS AND FRASER In early April 1923, two elderly prospectors, James Mills and John “Scotty” Fraser, left Zeehan with three or four weeks provisions.  Ten weeks later, Thomas Huston came across their camp near the bridge of the Henty River.  The camp was unoccupied and in a decayed state with nearly the whole of their belongings left in the camp.  Their prospecting dishes and tools were not there causing Huston to believe that they had left the camp on a p ..read more

The following is an abridged version of an article published in the Weekly Courier in 1932.  It chronicles one of the great untold tales of the nineteenth century of a small business empire that would later transform Australia.  From its humble beginnings in Devonport, the Holyman empire entered the new century with the founding of the Australian National Airways that was later absorbed into Ansett in 1957.  Remnants of the shipping empire continued until 1987 with the selling of its last vessel, Mary Holyman.  Holyman ceased to exist upon its takeover by Patrick Corpo ..read more

With the forthcoming 75th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day, it seems appropriate to post a couple of brief biographies I had written a long time ago. The following is an excerpt from one of the biographies: ​ Horace John Grey and his wife, Doris Beasley Walters, had seven children, three of whom saw active military service during the Second World War.  One son did not return. In October 1945, Horace and Doris were notified that their second eldest son, Laurie Grey, had died from illness while prisoner of war in Siam, now known as Thailand.  They had last ..read more

​In 1937 thousands of acorns were distributed throughout the British Empire to commemorate the coronation of King George VI. ​ As two of the oldest members of the community, Thomas Wilkins and Jane Ollington were nominated to plant the coronation oak, one at Forest and the other on the Esplanade at Smithton.  Both Jane and Thomas were diligent in tending to their respective acorn until it began to germinate. ​ ​When the day came to transplant the oak saplings on Arbor Day in 1939, Thomas Wilkins, being old and frail, nominated his brother-in-law, Edward Vale, to take his place.  War ..read more

I profess to know nothing about engines so I go with the safe option to consolidate all images found thus far to provide a visual representation of the steam locomotive.  The images below were published throughout 1908, another significant year in the history of the West Coast. ​ In 1908 the Mount Farrell steam tramway was completed, which shortened the existing route to the Emu Bay railway line.  Previously, a horse drawn wooden tramway connected with the Emu Bay railway approximately 32 kilometres south of Guildford Junction. ​​ Apart from transporting ore, this tramway also became ..read more

The Boer War section of the website is currently being updated and should be completed within a week.  In the meantime, here is the latest Photo of the Week. ​ After the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, applications were called from those who served in the Boer War to represent Tasmania in the Coronation Corps at the coronation of King Edward VII.  One of the conditions was that those who applied had to sink their rank i.e. go as privates rather than miss the coveted trip. ​ Of the six men chosen, two of them were from the Northwest:  Sergeant E S Brown who was a surveyor’s ..read more

Yesterday I posted a photo of a school I had never heard of.  I have since done a little research and found a rather interesting article relating to the school's closure in 1937. This article was published in the Advocate on 21 December 1937 as follows: ​ “Some 30 years ago a young teacher was requested by parents of Devonport to open a girls’ college.  Among the parents were well-known names, Mesdames Payne, Field, Mackay, Dumbleton, Orme, Towsy, Wood, Carson, Buck, Hope, Levy, Dineen, Brown, Buckpitt, Ramsay, Webb, Douglas, Winspear, Bovill, Stackhouse, Dowling, Crawford, Griffith ..read more

In 1917, the idea for a Navy Day was first introduced for the purpose of raising funds to supply comforts to men on active service in the British and Australian Navy.  The date was fixed for 24 May 1917, Empire Day. In Penguin, “ladies were all over the place selling buttons, which bore the photos of Admiral Beatty and Jellicoe.”  Unfavourable weather conditions, with heavy rain in the afternoon, did not dampen their efforts.  They raised 10 pounds. On the mainland, Navy Day was called Jack’s Day. Clockwise from top left: (1) Sailor girls selling buttons on Nav ..read more

Recently the ANZ Bank announced the closure of the Ulverstone branch, with its doors set to permanently close on 22 July 2020. The Ulverstone branch, situated on the corner of Reibey and King Edward Streets, is in an impressive building forming a vital part of the town’s main street.  The building was completed in January 1891 with the Commercial Bank of Tasmania moving from its old premises on Main Street to the new structure on the corner of Reibey and what was then known as Cross Street.  The name was changed to King Edward Street in 1902. ​ ​ Commanding two ..read more

Close up of people during the 1954 Royal Visit. Click on the photos to see if you recognise any friends, neighbours or locals.  ​Full view of the photos can be seen at the following link: Royal Visit  ..read more