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Research by Gordon Freegard 2019 Richard Harold Thorley was born about 1888 to Charles Thorley and
Emma Robb in Preston, Victoria. The family later moved to and lived in Charles
Street, Northam. He attended the Government School at Northam and received a
Certificate when they opened the new school in October 1900. On the 21st June, 1910, Richard in partnership with
Alfred Martin and Jas. Watson applied for a mineral lease of ground known as
Yannery Creek Copper Mine situated about 35 miles south-west of Roebourne. Whilst in the Roebourne, Richard Thorley was in charge of the
local pearling fleet when a terrific storm hit the area of Whim Creek on the
night of 20th March, 1912. The fleet managed to shelter at Balla
Balla Creek, however five other luggers were lost including the “Clara”, the
“Karrakatta” and the “Karrara”. It
covered an area from Cossack inland to Marble Bar, a distance of 170 miles. With
hurricane force winds and 9 inches of rainfall in just 24 hours, the damage was
massive. The ship “Crown of England” was broken to pieces with eight men
missing. The ship “Concordia” was on the beach intact, and there was a fair
chance of her being refloated. The lighter “Steady’ was stranded high and dry
on Dupunch Island unbroken. The lighter “Enterprise was broken to pieces and a
third lighter, “Ciyo” was sunk in shallow water. The tramway from Roebourne to
Cossack was made impassable, the telephone and telegraph lines were blown down
and thirty-five feet of the jetty had completely vanished.
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RICHARD THORLEY #1
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The next afternoon Richard Thorley, Hugh McDonald and Captain
Erikson headed out aboard a lugger, in gale force winds and very heavy and
dangerous seas to try and get to Dupunch Island to ascertain what had happened
there as communication had been lost. The lugger had to tack all the way out,
and during the passage, the jib-boom became unhooked. Richard managed to secure
it after three attempts during which he was almost completely submerged in the
heavy seas. On arrival 15 bodies were found and buried. On the 14th September, 1912, Richard Thorley made an
application for a mineral lease in partnership with George Garnet Shaw and H.
T. Brown, for ground known as “Kwinana” situated about 18 miles south-west of
Roebourne on the Nichol River. At twenty-six years old he joined the Australian Military Forces
on the 11th November, 1915, as a gas engine driver and signed the
attestation papers two days later. He was assigned Number 15056 of the 15th
Field Artillery Brigade, in the 2nd Reinforcements. They embarked
from Melbourne, Victoria per H.A.M.T. A17, “Port Lincoln” on the 4th
May, 1916.
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RICHARD THORLEY"S ENLISTMENT PAPERS #2
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In January 1917 his mother received advice from the Military that
her son, Driver Richard Thorley, had been invalided to England from France
suffering from laryngitis and frost-bitten feet. Richard returned from service in World War 1 and married widower
Laura Anne Thompson on 30th August, 1919. Laura was born in 1890 and
on 21st June, 1911, she married Horace Leonard Melville Groom
Thompson in Kalgoorlie. They had two children, Ethel May Thompson, was born 29th
December, 1911, and her brother, John Thompson (known as Jack) was born 10th
November, 1913. Horace died at twenty-eight from Tuberculosis, at the start of
the war. After
marrying Laura, Richard (known as Dick) formally adopted the two children and
their surname changed to Thorley. The family took up
a Soldier Settlement Block on Patterson Road, Pickering Brook which he
developed into an orchard growing principally apples. A surveyed road going
past his property was named Thorley Road, but it was never formed up into an
actual road. This runs N/E from Patterson Rd. not far from its origin at
Forrest Road. In 1926 Richard was appointed Justice
of the Peace for the Swan District which position he held for some years. He
also became involved in the local R.S.L. Sub-branch at Carilla (Pickering
Brook). A children’s fancy dress Ball was held at Barton’s Mill and Mr. and
Mrs. Thorley had the very difficult task of being two of the judges.
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MAP SHOWING SURVEYED THORLEY ROAD #3
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4 SITE OF THE OLD THORLEY PROPERTY TAKEN IN 2018 #4 |
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ETHEL MAY THORLEY WITH BROTHER JACK THORLEY LATE 1930's #5 |
They
lived and worked here until about the early 1930’s when they transferred to
Kalgoorlie to go gold mining. In the early 1930's Ethel caught a coastal steamer up the Western Australian coast to Bali. She often talked about how lovely it was before mass tourism took over. At some stage Dick contracted Typhoid Fever and survived
after a close run with death. Step-son, Jack
Thorley became best mates with Les Fernie, the son of another local orchardist.
When Richard decided to start a mining
venture in the Nullagine area with his step-son Jack, Les was asked to join
them. After much discussion with his parents Les decided not to join them. Jack and Les also went out together quite a lot. Jack had a female relation in Millar Street, Victoria Park, and had asked her to go out with him and also asked her if she knew of anyone to make a foursome. The person she asked lived next door but one and her name was Freda Berle. A little over three years later, Les and Freda were married on the 24th July, 1937, in the Wesley Church, Perth. In 1935
Dick and Jack struck it lucky S/E of Leonora. The Family story is that a
little over three years later they returned and apparently had done very well. they took the gold to
the Perth Mint and over three weeks blew the lot on the horses. They did not
drink. Jack bought a car and was very free
with his money.
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ARTICLE KALGOORLIE MINER Tuesday 23rd July, 1935 CRUSHING FROM COMPENSATOR MINE Messrs. R. H. and J. W. Thorley report having cleaned up a parcel of 120 tons for 57 ounces over the plates, with 5 dwt. 8 gr. per ton in the sands - 15 cwt. over all - at the Linden State Battery. This crushing was won from the Compensator Gold Mine, two miles south-east of the Linden townsite. Originally prospected in October of last year, the mine has already produced 342 ounces from 280 tons treated and is under option to the Goldfields Australian Development Company. The prospectors have proved the shoot to be at least 90 foot long at a depth of 50 feet, whilst the company are now engaged in sinking a shaft with a view to intersecting the lode - a quartz and schist formation - at a greater depth. The Linden district generally, displays considerable mining activity, no less than 11 parecls from various sources being booked for crushing at the State Battery. At present time H. Harris and party are putting through a parcel of 39 tons from an area about two miles east of the townsite on the edge of Lake Carey.
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GOLD INGOT MINED BY DICK & JACK THORLEY IN 1935 #6 |
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ETHEL MAY THORLEY WITH BROTHER JACK THORLEY #6 |
While Dick was in Kalgoorlie mining Ethel stayed on at
Pickering Brook, supporting herself selling fruit and cut flowers. She lived and worked on the property till an adult when she
did Nursing. Ethel gained a Nursing qualification in Perth and later
worked in a TB Sanatorium. She told stories of walking to the Primary School
through the bush and also walking to neighbours to borrow books. She had
finished School at twelve but had a thirst for reading and knowledge. One of
the families she mentioned was the Isaacs family who lived west of the town in
Isaacs Road. Samuel Isaacs (Yebble) was the famous indigenous stockman who in
1876, with Grace Bussell attempted the rescue of people from SS. Georgette
foundering off S/W WA. Jack Isaacs was Samuel’s grandson and lived with his
family in Toolern Vale in Victoria. I lived 2-3 Km. away and our children went
to the same Primary School. My mother was amazed at the coincidence. Later I
was privileged to act as MC at a memorial for Jack. He is now buried with
family at Leonora. The Thorley family eventually moved to live in Melbourne in about 1930. In July 1936 the engagement was announced between their only son, John William to Joan, younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ireland of North Perth. When Dick, Laura and Jack moved to Melbourne, they lived
mostly in and around Brighton. Dick was always mechanically “handy” and had
multiple factory and service station jobs. Jack started a business with a small
Morris van and transported bolts of cloth to various inner Melbourne clothes
and dressmaking sites especially in Flinders Lane. He married Joan and had two
daughters, Helen and Diane. He had to get a bigger van, and, later when Helen
married Peter Classon, they worked together with two vans. Jack and Joan
eventually retired to the Gold Coast where Jack died on 16/01/1999.
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Ethel also moved to Melbourne and added a Midwifery
qualification to her Nursing at the Royal Women’s Hospital. During the War she
did private night shift work at people’s houses and thus met my Eric Victor
Mitchell, who was in the army but was recuperating from double pneumonia, a
serious condition in the pre antibiotic era. Eric was well educated and had an
LLB and MA in Latin and French from Melbourne University. This was a great
contrast to Ethel’s largely self-taught education. Their first born, Adrian,
was born in 1944 whilst Chris and Vanessa followed at neat two year intervals.
Eric insisted on calling Ethel, Julie, and so it became. Their early days were
spent in Colac and later the family moved to and stayed at Geelong. Eric died
in 1964 of Heart Disease and Julie continued in Nursing till her 50’s as she
needed to support her 3 children. Despite her modest start she was obsessed
with the importance of education for her children.
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LAURA & RICHARD THORLEY PROBABLY AFTER MOVING TO MELBOURNE #8 |
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Before Eric’s death he and Julie helped support Dick and
Laura with housing in Geelong and later at Ocean Grove. Dick died in 1959 from
post- operative complications for a resection of Oesophageal (Gullet) Cancer.
Laura died in the late 70’s from a chest infection and old age. Ethel (Julie) Mitchell died 23/01/ 1980 from Cancer of the
Pancreas.
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Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
References: Article: Gordon Freegard Images: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 Adrian Mitchell
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2020
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