Biography

Alias Galway Jerry Buried some 70 miles from Wyndham by PA Durkin and MP Durack. He died as a result of a bullet wound to the forehead, wilfully inflicted by some person or persons unknown. He had lived in Queensland prior to coming to Western Australia, during which time he worked on Rosewood Station in partnership with Hayes and Kilfoyle and in 1894 took up Dunham Station. He was the second person in the Durack family to meet death at the hands of the Kimberley natives. In 1886, young Johnny Durack, a nephew of the late PJ Durack, and a cousin of Michael Durack of Wyndham, was killed on Argyle Downs while out cattle hunting with his cousin, a youth of the same name as himself. They were both riding along unguardedly, approaching a watercourse, when they were suddenly assailed by a shower of spears, and young Durack fell from his horse speared through the heart. Author's Note: It is interesting that in "Kings in Grass Castles", Galway Jerry as he was known, was killed by a native stock boy on the homestead verandah. His eldest son Patsy aged 18 years, escaped with a bullet wound in the head and galloped to Argyle to inform his relatives. However, his death certificate states he died from a bullet wound inflicted by some person or persons unknown. The headstone from Jeremiah Durack's grave and others, have been removed from this burial ground on Dunham River and placed in the grounds of Argyle Downs Homestead Museum. This site must have been a much larger burial ground, but time and weathering have taken their toll. Now nothing identifies the site or names of those buried there and few local people know of its location. He was the father of J. P. Durack Q.C. (1888-1978), and grandfather of Peter Drew Durack, attorney-general in the Malcolm Fraser Federal government from 1977.