Outback Graves Markers

Peter BOURKE (more)

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Informant David Geddes, miner, The Island

Pietro CARNEVALI (more)

Cause of Death: Inhaling gelignite fumes

Carnevali died from the effects of inhaling gelignite fumes while working at the Golconda Mine. At 9 pm he said he thought he was dying and from that hour until 2 am the following morning, remained in a comatose condition, until he died.

A full inquest was held followed by an exhumation of the body and a request for a full post-mortem.

Pietro had only returned a month before from a trip home to Italy and started work in No. 2 shaft of the Golconda on Tuesday morning.  As events turned out, it was to be his first and last shift in this mine. He had been engaged timbering a steep rise and early in the afternoon had occasion to use half a plug of gelignite for a hole for a prop. When he knocked off work at 4 o'clock, he went home, washed himself and also some clothes and shortly afterwards, came to a neighbour's camp and asked permission to lie down, saying, "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!  I want to die!"

A few minutes afterwards, his friends could not get another word out of him and the unfortunate man never rallied, passing away half an hour after midnight. The Rev. Father Fenelon happened to be at Lake Austin and he was sent for, but on the two occasions he visited Carnevali, the latter was speechless. Word was sent to Cue for Dr. Taylor, but by the time he arrived the man was dead. 

Edward CLEARY (more)

Cause of Death:

Buried by Police Constable William John Grace (Regimental No.785) and WB Kelly (Roman Catholic). Witnesses present at the burial were JD Daniels and LS Hevron. Death certified in writing by LS Hevron, miner, Lake Austin. He had lived in New South Wales for 2 years before moving to Western Australia.

Jeremiah John CRONIN (more)

Cause of Death: Asthma and Cardia Syncope

Died circa 25 July 1895 of cardia syncope which is a brief loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain. He complained constantly about poverty but was found with 51 sovereigns, an ounce of gold and £250 in his bank accounts.

J C HARRIS (more)

Cause of Death:

An old prospector working at Gnows Nest, Yalgoo, stated that he was near Lake Austin in the early days and remembered two men, one of them named Harris, disappearing in the vicinity.

Philip Pavy HUTTON (more)

Cause of Death: Asphyxia

Was found dead in his camp at the Island, Lake Austin. Dr Ramsay determined that the cause of death was asphyxia due to falling out of bed during an epileptic fit and compressing his throat against a cross-bar of the table.

Swen JOHNSON (more)

Cause of Death: Supposed Asthma

Death certified in writing by Inspector Overend Drewery of Cue. Cause of death is not certified.

Robert James KAY (more)

Cause of Death:

Buried in an unmarked grave. The Island Cemetery has since been fenced, surrounding only 3 graves with monuments.

Rinaldi LORENZO (more)

Cause of Death: From a kick of a horse

While working at The Island, Lake Austin, the horse he was driving became unmanageable and kicked Rinaldi Loranzo in the stomach.  The following day, two of his Italian mates engaged a horse and cart to bring him to the Cue Hospital. After getting a couple of miles along the road, Lorenzo died. For reasons unknown, the mates deposited the body into the scrub and proceeded to Cue where they gave information to the constable at Day Dawn. 

By the time Constable Buttle arrived at the scene of the occurrence, it was perfectly dark and the men, not being experienced bushmen, were unable to indicate the exact spot where they had deposited the body. With the aid or firesticks, the body was discovered by about midnight and conveyed to the nearest camp.

When the event was reported to Mr Von Arnheim, J.P. he decided that the cause of death was purely accidental, so an inquest was not necessary.

The Informant of the death was Carimo Piazzola, wood carter, The Island.

William Thomas MOATE (more)

Cause of Death: Suffocation from a Fall of Earth

Buried by John Dawson Daniell. Witnessed by Police Constables Louis V Simpson (Regimental No.51) and John Fitzgerald Thomas (Regimental No.268). He was killed by suffocation from a fall of earth. It appears he was working single handed under a bench of ground only a few feet from the surface, taking out a seam of alluvial, when it came away and crushed him. He was working near the Orient Mine, Lake Austin, in the Cue district. He was the only support of his widowed mother and an invalid brother. At the inquest held to look into the circumstances of his death, after hearing all the evidence, the jury reached the verdict that he had come to his death by "suffocation by a Fall of Earth". William's parents were married in Victoria in 1864 (Marriage Registration Number 3534/1864, Victoria). William was the eldest of eight children born to the marriage. His siblings were: Ada Maude born 1867; Frederick born 1869; Louisa Emma born 1870; Henry born 1872 died 1872; Anne born 1874 died 1874; Emma born 1875; Joseph John born 1877.

Patrick PHILBIN (more)

Cause of Death: Cerebral haemorrhage & coma

Informant J. Philbin, his son, a store assistant, The Island. He was an old army pensioner and one of the Murchison pioneers.

Alfred Henry PINKNEY (more)

Cause of Death: Perished in the Heat from want of Water

Informant Arthur Bower, Licensed Victualler, The Island, Lake Austin. A digger who was lost on the Island and perished in the heat by cutting his throat whilst labouring under temporary insanity through lack of water. This could be the person known as PINKERTON.

John WALSH (more)

Cause of Death: Natural Causes

Better known as "Bony Bream". An old identity of the Lake Austin District.