Outback Graves Markers

Harold Thornton TOOMATH (more)

Cause of Death: Died of thirst

Lonely Grave at Bimbijy Station. Toomath's father, Reverend A. Toomath, was, at one time, rector of Christ Church, Kilmore, Victoria. The deceased was one of 12 children born to the Reverend and his wife in Victoria. Others were Arthur James (Birth Registration 3435/1862, Carlton); Henrietta May (Birth Registration 16915/1864 Kilmore); Frederick Thomson (Birth Registration 4961/1863, Staffordshire Reef); Emily Maud (Birth Registration 4855/1867 Snapper Point); Herbert Stewart (Birth Registration 20691/1868 Yea); William Andrew (Birth Registration 26022/1869 Yea); Emily Fanny Margaret (Birth Registration 24/1871, Alexandra.); Irene Kathleen (Birth Registration 14/1873 Alexandra); Francis Stuart (Birth Registration 16688/1874 Kilmore); Ilma Georgiana May (Birth Registration 17162/1876 Kilmore); Harold Thornton (Birth Registration 4855/1880 Kilmore); Ada Winifred (Birth Registration 24392/1881 Kilmore). In March 1909, Toomath ran for local government in Coburg, Victoria. The deceased was a returned soldier. He held the rank of lieutenant and had only come over from Victoria seven weeks prior to join his brother, who had taken up some land in the Mt. Churchman district. On Christmas Day, Mr. Frank Toomath was preparing their dinner, when his brother, Harold, decided to go down to a soak to and shoot some game. As he apparently did not have a shot, it is thought he was going through the bush back to the camp and lost his way. Constable Symes and a Aboriginal tracker returned from their search on 11 January during which they had continued searching until the dead body of the missing man was found about 15 miles from their camp. When the body was found, the search party were out of food, water and horsefeed.