Margaret River Aerated Waters

Editor Trudi Anne Gribble Author Vivienne Sinclair The History of Aerated Water Manufacturing in Margaret River Today, Margaret River is a destination known for its surfing and wine culture, but years ago, it was a heavily forested region where dairy farmers labored to establish their farms. In the 1940s, in addition to the town’s hotel, Thomas Henry Vickers began…

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The Hordern Hotels Unique Marble Bottle

Editor Trudi Anne Gribble Author Vivienne Sinclair The Hordern Hotels Unique Marble Bottle The Hordern Hotel, located in Narrogin, Western Australia, is notable for its marble bottle, one of the few hotel bottles in the state. This unique bottle was produced by Cannington & Shaw of Lancashire, England. The hotel’s licensee, Michael Brown, was born in Ireland in 1850…

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William Hellyar Cooper and Frederick Mortimer Blanton: Pioneers of Marble Bar

Editor: Trudi Anne Gribble Author: Vivienne Sinclair William Hellyar Cooper was born in Perth in 1870, and his business partner, Frederick Mortimer Blanton, was born in Melbourne in 1875. Cooper attended Perth High School (now Hale School) and at age 16, travelled to the Murchison with his brother-in-law, R. D. O’Grady. He worked as a station hand in the…

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George Thomas Davis of Mount Morgan

Edited by Trudi Anne Gribble Author Vivienne Sinclair George Thomas Davis: Entrepreneur and Prospector George Thomas Davis was born around 1859 and married Elizabeth Collison in Dubbo, New South Wales, in 1879. This marriage did not last, and Davis subsequently moved to Silverton, Broken Hill, and the Tarrawingee Flux Quarries in New South Wales. The quarries produced limestone carbonate,…

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Dan Gill of the Murchison

JOSEPH GILL born c1845 Lancashire & wife RACHEL nee Proud, arrived from County Down, Ireland on 3 May 1880, on board the “Clyde” with their 8 young children, including a daughter born on the journey and 13 year old son, Dan. Joseph was a coal miner living in County Durham in England in 1871 and first settled in NSW….

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“Wittspark” of Wittenoom 1971-1978

Collectors know of the damage done to one’s health by asbestos from the mine at Wittenoom but the area is also a picturesque area for tourists, prospectors & others connected to the mining boom in the north west. One such family drawn to the Pilbara was Ferenc (Frank) Soter & his wife Olga & 3 young daughters. Frank was…

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